Sara from i like to cook, and Alicat of Something So Clever are the co-hosts of Weekend Cookbook Challenge. The challenge? Make a cookbook recipe that matches the month's theme and blog about it; the theme of this fourth edition is Easter Breakfast & Brunch.
I absolutely love brunch. It's my favorite meal of the week. Depending on what's happening, Saturday or Sunday brunches are usually à deux, or with a large group of friends. When it's just the two of us, Hubby makes elaborate dishes, like cinnamon raisin waffles with maple cream cheese, coupled with perfectly crunchy bacon ("The secret is to cook it over low heat."). I make the coffee. If there's a group, it become more elaborate; the last brunch party was a panoply of all the sweets I could cram into one meal.
Sara and Alicat sent us forth to make an Easter brunch featuring recipes from our cookbooks. I'm pretty sure everyone out there has a dazzling array of cookbooks that we use haphazardly; so I loved the idea of trying a new recipe. As it happens, I was visiting Dad in Orlando so a family brunch to spend time with my cousins Nellie and Terri had been planned. I forgot to pack a cookbook, but coming from a food obsessed family, this was not a problem: Terri's bookcase was crammed with cookbooks, including Brunch, the Perfect Weekend Treat by Jennifer Donovan. Scanning through, I found this recipe: zucchini fritters with egg and caramelized onions, which looked great in the photo. It showed so much promise -- the ingredients, the directions, and most of all the picture. Sadly, models aren't the only thing that look great on paper only to disappoint in real life.
I can't say this recipe knocked me over. The tastes and the textures were okay; I would have been more pleased if the fritters had been crunchier (maybe I didn't use enough oil; imagine that: living in the South and not using enough oil for frying?!) or tasted more like zucchini, instead of an Egg McZucchini (seriously they looked like egg McMuffins only with zucchini bits). The only thing that I really liked on the plate was the bacon and that wasn't part of the recipe (it was Hubby's recipe).
We grew in number from five for brunch to seven because Nellie invited two more (she had enough sense to let me know so I wouldn't have a repeat of the multiplication episode), and this exposed another downside to the dish: there's no way to keep the fritters crispy and eggs warm enough without being overcooked if you're making this dish for more than two.
"It's like making Eggs Benedict," Terri noted.
Frankly, Eggs Benedict would have been easier. I'm going to have to try this recipe again, with some tweaks. I'm sure there's something worthwhile here. Still, having brunch with my family, and especially Dad, was wonderful; I treasure whatever moments I get with my family, even if it's over an okay meal.
Don't forget to check out the roundup and see what other great Easter Brunches were held.
Zucchini Fritters with Egg and Caramelized Onions
from: Brunch, the Perfect Weekend Treat by Jennifer Donovan.
Serves 4
2 T extra virgin olive oil
5 red onions, sliced
1 T brown sugar
Salt and pepper
Scant 1 1/2 cups self rising flour
1 egg, lightly beaten, plus 4 eggs for poaching or frying
Scant 1 cup milk
2 zucchini, grated
1 cup corn oil
Heat olive oil in a large heavy bottom pan over medium heat, add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the sugar and reduce the heat; cover and cook for 30 minutes, or until onions are deep brown in color, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper and let cook.
To make fritters, place the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Whisk the beaten egg and milk together and incorporate into the flour, using a wooden spoon to make a batter. Season. Stir in grated zucchini.
Heat the corn oil in a wide deep sided pan and drop in tablespoons of batter. Cook until golden brown on both sides, turning once. Drain on paper towels and keep warm.
Poach or fry the eggs, as you prefer. To serve, place 2 fritters on each individual plate, place an egg on top and spoon over some of the caramelized onions. Serve at once.
Comments