Simple Home Brunch
Creating a Rustic Home Party Brunch Menu
My friend called to say they’d arrive in an hour, so I quickly put together this brunch spread.
Salad Ingredients
- Baby greens
- Cherry tomatoes
- Chicken tenders
- Quail eggs
- Peanuts
- Peanut butter
- Vinegar
- Sugar
- Dijon mustard
- Water
Sweet Potato Soup
- Boiled sweet potato
- Onion
- Milk
- Butter
- Cheese
- Cinnamon powder
Potato Pancakes (Gamja Jeon)
- Potatoes
- Starch powder
- Water
- Salt
- Boiled sweet potato
- Onion
- Milk
- Butter
- Cheese
- Cinnamon powder
Potato Pancakes (Gamja Jeon)
- Potatoes
- Starch powder
- Water
- Salt
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
1. Salad: Making the Peanut Dressing
Let’s start by making the delicious peanut dressing for our salad. In a mini-blender or regular blender, combine 2 Tbsp of peanut butter, 1 Tbsp of vinegar, 1 Tbsp of sugar, and 0.5 tsp of Dijon mustard. Add a handful of peanuts for extra crunch and a little water to adjust the consistency. Be mindful not to add too much water, as it can make the dressing too thin.
Step 2
It’s incredibly simple, isn’t it? Just blend all the ingredients together until smooth, and your homemade peanut dressing is ready! Ensure it’s blended until creamy without any large chunks.
Step 3
Now, let’s assemble the salad. Arrange a generous bed of fresh baby greens on a large plate. Top with 3-4 halved quail eggs, a few cherry tomatoes, 2-3 prepared chicken tenders, and a sprinkle of peanuts for added texture. Since the dressing is key to a great salad, drizzle generously with the freshly made peanut dressing just before serving. Enjoy the wonderful flavors!
Step 4
2. Sweet Potato Soup: Gentle and Comforting Warmth
Because I’ve been experiencing stomach issues lately, I decided to make a soothing sweet potato soup that’s easy on the stomach. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how delicious it is! First, melt some butter in a pan and sauté the finely chopped onion until it turns a lovely caramel color. Slow, gentle sautéing will bring out the onion’s natural sweetness.
Step 5
Once the onions are nicely caramelized, add the chopped boiled sweet potato and the sautéed onions to a blender. Pour in about 1 cup of milk and blend until completely smooth. While you can use raw sweet potato, using pre-boiled ones significantly cuts down the cooking time. For a silky soup texture, blending until very fine is essential.
Step 6
If the soup seems too thick, add a little more milk until you reach your desired consistency. Finally, add a slice of cheese and stir over low heat until melted. This creates a wonderfully creamy and rich sweet potato soup. Curious about the taste? The natural sweetness of the sweet potato combined with the creamy cheese makes this soup a delightful treat.
Step 7
For an extra touch, lightly sprinkle some cinnamon powder on top; it enhances the aroma and presentation. Garnishing with a fresh herb leaf from the salad, like a sprig of parsley, will make this sweet potato soup look as elegant as it tastes.
Step 8
3. Potato Pancakes (Gamja Jeon): An Unexpectedly Delicious Twist
I had originally planned to make potato croquettes, but then I discovered we were completely out of eggs! 😥 So, a quick menu change led to these crispy potato pancakes. Peel the potatoes, cut them into manageable pieces, and place them in a blender.
Step 9
Drain the blended potato mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to collect the starch. Incorporating this collected starch back into the batter will make the pancakes extra crispy. Season the batter with salt, heat a generous amount of oil in a pan, and fry on both sides until golden brown and crispy. These potato pancakes turned out to be a perfect addition to our brunch menu!
