Hi friends!

Welcome to Brunch Around the World 2022. Please read through the directions below in their entirety before you begin. We recommend assigning specific elements of the meal to specific people. Wash and share tools as needed.

Remember to relax, don’t panic, and divide and conquer. It’s not possible to have every component piping hot at exactly the moment you want to eat, and that’s OK. You can hold many of the items on the stove or in a low oven as you continue to work and reheat right at the end. Set the table in advance so you’re not stressed when the eggs are done and you’re ready to eat.

We’re grateful to have you as part of our family and hope you enjoy this meal with yours.

Joyce

Gather Tools

You will need:

• 1 standard muffin pan or a greased pan of your choice for the sweet potato acorn bread

• Serving bowl and serving spoon for cucumber salad

• 4 mixing bowls

• Whisk

• Vegetable oil

• Chopsticks or a fork

• Hot water

• Paper towels or kitchen towels

• 4 small containers or bowls to hold prepped ingredients

• Cutting board

• Knife

• Citrus juicer or reamer (or use your hand or a spoon)

• 2 saucepans (one for the cornmeal porridge and one for the chai)

• Salt and pepper

• Rubber spatula

• Timer

• Toothpick/skewer (or use a small knife)

• Oven mitts (or substitute kitchen towels)

• Cooling rack (if you have one)

• 3 serving plates for muffins and green onion pancakes and scrambled eggs

• Flour for work surface (if needed)

• Rolling pin (or use a wine bottle or a can)

• Pastry brush (or use your finger) for green onion pancakes

• Pastry scraper (optional)

• 1 large skillet for green onion pancakes and scrambled eggs

• Tongs

• Liquid measuring cup

• Ladle for cornmeal porridge

• Strainer for the chai (or use a colander lined with a paper towel)

• Pitcher or large container for chicha morada

• Wooden spoon

preheat the oven

• 350 degrees

mis en place

• Place the 6 paper liners from the box into the middle wells of the muffin pan (if using). Set aside.

• Remove the jar of cucumber salad from the fridge and place contents into a serving bowl. Stir, taste, adjust seasonings if necessary (e.g. more salt, sugar, pepper). Stick a serving spoon in the bowl and set aside.

• Place the dry pancake ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk well to combine. Add a splash of vegetable oil, then slowly add just enough hot water to form a dough, mixing with chopsticks or a fork. (It is much easier to add more moisture later than to have a too-wet dough.) The dough should look like little rags and be slightly on the drier side. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover with a damp paper towel or kitchen towel and set aside.

• Place the contents of the tropical fruit jar on a cutting board and chop to your desired size. Place in a container and set aside.

• Slice and juice the 2 limes into a container and set aside.

• Thinly slice the ginger and place the pieces into a saucepan for the chai. Set aside.

• Wash and thinly slice the green onions. Place into a container and set aside.

• Crack 5 eggs (reserving the last one for the muffins!) into a mixing bowl and whisk well to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

• Finely chop the parsley. Place into a container and set aside.

sweet potato acorn muffins

• Pour the contents of the jar of wet ingredients for the muffins into a bowl. Crack the last egg in and mix well using a whisk or a fork.

• Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry muffin ingredients into the wet muffin ingredients until just combined. Divide the batter evenly between the six muffin cups.

• Place in the middle rack of the oven. Set a 15-minute timer.

• When the timer goes off, rotate the pan and set a 10-minute timer. Start checking the muffins for doneness when the timer goes off, setting again for 2-3 minutes if not done yet. The muffins are done when they are puffed up, spring back to the touch, and when a skewer inserted through the top comes out clean.

• Rest the muffin tin on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then remove and place muffins on a serving plate with the jar of elderberry jam.

green onion pancakes

• Divide the dough into three pieces. On a floured surface, roll out each piece until it is about ⅛ inch thick.

• Brush the dough with oil, leaving the edges dry, then sprinkle liberally with the sliced green onions and salt. 

• Starting at one end, roll the dough tightly until it forms a long, thin log. (Imagine you are rolling up an area rug to move it from one room to another.)

• Take each log in both hands and twist as if wringing a towel. Once twisted, coil the log into a spiral, similar to a cinnamon bun. Let the coiled dough rest, covered with a damp paper towel or kitchen towel.

• Using a rolling pin, roll out the coiled dough into a circular pancake shape, no more than a ¼ inch thick. You may need to sprinkle additional flour onto the pancake and rolling pin while you work. A pastry scraper is also helpful to prevent sticking.

• Heat a heavy skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat and coat the bottom of the pan generously with oil. 

• Fry the pancakes until golden brown on one side. Flip and repeat on the other side. 

• Remove to a paper-towel-lined cutting board. Slice into wedges, sprinkle with salt, and arrange on a serving platter.

• Check out some visuals and inspiration here.

cornmeal porridge

• Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan.

• Shake the can of coconut milk, then open and add to the pan.

• Slowly whisk in the cornmeal mixture. When it comes to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer, stirring frequently while it cooks and thickens.

• When the porridge has almost reached your desired consistency, taste and sweeten it with a sweetener of your choice. Condensed milk is traditional, but brown sugar and agave are delicious as well. Let sit off the heat, covered, until you’re ready to serve. Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. You may need to add a little water to reconstitute before ladling into bowls and topping with the chopped tropical fruit.

masala chai

• Combine the contents of the chai jar with two cups of water in the saucepan that already contains the sliced ginger. Bring to a boil.

• Turn off the heat, cover, and let steep 10-15 minutes.

• Strain the chai into a bowl or pot, then sweeten to taste and add the milk of your choice if you choose. Serve hot in mugs or glasses.

chicha morada

• Remove the chicha jar from the fridge and empty the contents into a pitcher or large container. Add the freshly squeezed lime juice and mix well. Serve the chicha over ice in glasses.

scrambled eggs with za’atar

• Wipe out the skillet used for the green onion pancakes with a paper towel. Heat enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the pan over medium heat.

• Add the eggs and let sit undisturbed for a minute before scrambling with a wooden spoon until your desired level of doneness. Turn the eggs out onto a serving plate and sprinkle with the za’atar and the chopped parsley.