Egg Recipes For Christmas Brunch
You can find many egg recipes for Christmas brunch that are easy to make, can be made ahead and that are delicious. It is not compulsory that a brunch spread have eggs, but there is so much you can do with eggs that, veganism and allergy aside, it seems silly not to have any. Plus, eggs add a bit of heartiness to a Christmas brunch spread that is often riddled with loads of carbohydrates and sweets. Egg recipes can bring that savory balance to any brunch that is always appreciated. Eggs can also add a great vehicle for breakfast meats and vegetables so fewer dishes are needed. Below is a list of Egg Recipes For Christmas Brunch that are sure to make any brunch maker proud and any guest’s mouth water.
Egg Recipes For Christmas Brunch – Crustless Quiche
The first of the egg recipes for Christmas brunch is a crustless quiche. Being crustless makes it a bit easier and faster to make. Sure, a crust can be made and inserted into the recipe without issue if needed, but a crust is unlikely to make or break the Christmas brunch. The ingredients can be swapped out with other cheeses, vegetables or cooked breakfast meats as desired. To make it more Christmas-y consider adding some red pepper to the green broccoli.
For other egg pie type ideas check out this post.
- 1/2 lb of unsliced bacon - or purchased already cut in cubes (called lardon)
- 1/2 lb fresh broccoli (frozen could work, too)
- 6 oz Swiss cheese
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk cream
- 1¼ cups of skim milk
- salt and pepper
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F
- Cut the bacon into elongated cubes. In a medium pan over medium heat, cook the bacon until the fat is rendered and the cubes are golden brown and crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on paper towel.
- Set up a bowl full of ice water and bring a medium pan of salt water to a simmer.
- If using fresh broccoli, cut it into bite size pieces. Simmer the broccoli in the pot of salted water for about 5 minutes until just tender with a little crispness still present. Remove the broccoli from the water and plunge it in the ice water bath to stop the cooking.
- Grate the Swiss cheese.
- In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, cream and milk with a whisk. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cheese.
- Spray a 9 inch pie pan with non-stick spray. Add the bacon and the broccoli to the pan. Pour the custard mix on top. Sprinkle the top with extra cheese if desired.
- Bake the quiche for 35-40 minutes until it is set but still wiggles just a little. This indicates that the custard is set but it has not turned into scrambled eggs.
- Serve hot or cold with a salad and bread.
Egg Recipes For Christmas Brunch – Eggs Baked In Spinach
The second of the Egg Recipes For Christmas Brunch is eggs baked in spinach. Here is the opportunity to go all Christmas brunch indulgent by adding a ½ cup of cream to the ricotta mixture and go more Christmas-y by adding a dash more nutmeg. Instead of cream, a small can of chopped tomato can be added to the spinach, too as well as fresh herbs like basil or cilantro. Some hot peppers could also be added for some spice.
For more tips about baking eggs, check this post out.
- 2 lb chopped,cooked spinach. Frozen is fine.
- 8 oz ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese plus a little extra
- ¼ tsp of ground nutmeg
- 8 eggs
- salt and pepper
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Drain the chopped spinach well and place it into a large bowl.
- Add the ricotta, parmesan cheese and nutmeg. Mix well.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Spray a 9x12in baking pan with non stick spray.
- Transfer the spinach mixture to the baking pan and spread it evenly over the bottom of the pan. Using the back of a spoon, make 8 small impressions in the spinach to hold the eggs. Crack one egg into each impression. Season the top with salt and pepper.
- Sprinkle the top with a little extra parmesan cheese.
- Bake the eggs until the spinach is hot, the egg whites are set and yolks are to your liking.
- Serve hot on top of buttered toast.
- In addition to the spinach, other vegetables or even herbs, like sorrel or basil, can be used. The ricotta and parmesan cheese can be replaced with enough cream to just moisten the spinach.
Egg Recipes For Christmas Brunch – Frittata
There are many ways to make a frittata. The frittata is the heartiest of egg recipes and it makes a great vehicle for potatoes, sausages and cheese. A variety of different frittatas can be created beyond the version below. A frittata with fennel, italian sausage and (pre-cooked) potatoes or roasted garlic and butternut squash could certainly be considered. The sky is the limit really. Even a sausage and apple frittata would be delicious. Don’t forget the dollops of mascarpone and remember the mascarpone is a great vehicle for the herbs you love! A frittata is a welcome addition to a Christmas brunch because it can be made the day before and even served cold.
- 1 medium sweet onion
- 1/2 lb sweet cherry tomatoes
- 1 red pepper (any color will do)
- 1 oz of fresh cilantro
- 10 eggs
- 4 oz of creme fraiche or sour cream
- 8 oz of mascarpone cheese
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Peel and dice the onion into a medium dice.
- Dice the cherry tomatoes or slice them in sixths.
- Core and de-seed the pepper. Chop the pepper into medium dice.
- Rough chop the cilantro.
- Crack the eggs into a large bowl. Whisk the creme fraiche into the eggs until it is full incorporated. Add the cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat a medium oven proof frying pan over medium heat. Add 3 tbs of olive oil. When the oil is hot add the onions and cook until just tender about 5-7 minutes. Add the peppers. Cook another 7-8 minutes until the peppers are just tender. Add the tomatoes and continue to cook until the tomatoes become thick and syrupy. Season with salt and pepper.
- With a wooden spoon, spread the vegetable mixture evenly in the pan. Pour in the egg mixture. Turn the heat to low. Let the egg mixture cook for about 10 minutes. Spoon in dollops of mascarpone around the frittata. Place the pan in the oven and cook the frittata until it is getting puffy and just set. If desired, the frittata can be lightly browned under the broiler
- When the frittata is done, remove it from the oven and turn it out on to a plate. Slice the frittata like a pie.
- The frittata can be served hot or at room temperature.
- This easy frittata recipe can be personalised in many ways. A variety of different meats, vegetables and cheeses can be used, just make sure they are fully cooked beforehand.
Egg Recipes For Christmas Brunch – Egg Hand Pies
The final recipe in the Egg Recipes For Christmas Brunch is egg hand pies. They are easy to make, but take a bit more effort and time. The kids will love them and they can be made ahead and baked on Christmas day. Serve them with spicy sriracha ketchup or salsa for dipping.
- 6 eggs
- 5 slices of ham
- 1 tbsp of butter
- 1 tbsp of flour
- 1 cup of milk
- 1 cup of shredded cheddar or gruyere cheese
- salt and pepper
- 2 cup of flour
- 1 cup of cold butter
- 1/4 tsp of salt
- cold water
- cream
- Place the eggs in a medium pot. Cover with cold water by one inch. Place the pot on the stove and turn the heat on high. Bring the water to boil. When the water comes to boil, boil for one minute. Turn off the heat and place a lid on the pot. After 8 minutes, cool the eggs under cold running water.
- Peel the eggs. Cut the eggs in eighths.
- In a medium pot melt the butter over medium heat.
- Add the flour and whisk the flour into the butter until it is fully incorporated. Cook for 30 seconds to a minute to remove the floury taste.
- Slowly whisk in the milk. Bring the mixture to a boil. The mixture should thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Turn off the heat. Whisk in the shredded cheese a little bit at a time.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Cube the cold butter.
- In a bowl mix the flour and salt. With a fork, pastry cutter, or your fingers cut the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse sand. A food processor can be used for this, too. Pulse the butter, flour and salt together until the mixture looks like sand.
- Add water to the mixture 1 tbsp at a time mixing or pulsing until the dough, when pushed together between your fingers, comes together and sticks together and can form a ball. You probably will need 4-6 tbsp.
- Pour the mixture onto a clean work surface and push the mixture into a thick disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- After refrigeration, remove the dough from the plastic wrap and place it on a floured work surface.
- Roll out the dough until it is about 1/8 inch thick.
- Using a 5 or 6 inch biscuit cutter, cut 6 rounds of dough. If necessary, collect the scraps, roll together and cut more circles of dough.
- In a medium bowl, add the sliced eggs. Slowly fold in the cheese sauce until enough is added to moisten the eggs. They should be covered with enough sauce to be creamy but not drowning.
- Slice the ham in ribbons.
- Layout a circle of pie dough on a clean work surface.
- Spoon in a few tablespoons of the egg mixture on one half of the pie dough circle leaving a border so the dough can be crimped. Resist the urge to overfill! Better to make more small pies then to overfill!
- Top the egg mixture with a few ham ribbons.
- Brush some cream or water around the border and fold the pastry over to close the pies.
- With a fork, crimp the pie closed making sure to push out as much air as possible. Crimp well.
- Place the pies on an baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.
- Bake the pies at 350 for 45-50 minutes until the crust is cooked and golden brown.
I hope you enjoy!
Keep Eating! Keep Innovating!
What is your favorite brunch recipe?
Let us know in the comments or on Facebook.
The Culinary Exchange can also be found on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+ and YouTube.
Come On! Follow Along!
