"Breakfast,Brunch" news and stories

French toast meets the flavor of an almond croissant in this insanely good (and simple to prepare) brunch recipe. "You'll love the way the almond topping crisps up to offset the custardy innards of the bread," says KitchenDaily contributor Kemp Minifie, who created this baked version of the stovetop classic. Topped with ice cream and fresh berries, it's pretty close to dessert. We'll take it anytime we can get it.

Recipe for Baked Almond French Toast

And here's another perfect baked, fruit-laden French toast, this one for a romantic Saturday-morning-in-bed breakfast:

Melissa Roberts's Pilow-Talk French Toast

Whether you're having guests for brunch or just nursing a hangover alone, the Bloody Mary is without a doubt the quintessential brunch drink. What we know today as the Bloody Mary actually started off as a simple tomato juice and vodka drink without all the seasonings. Try mixing up equal parts vodka (gin and aquavit also work well) and tomato water as a nod to the Mary's origins without all the trash. If you're pressed for time, tomato water can be as simple as opening a can of tomatoes and draining off the liquid or taking fresh tomato purée and straining the liquid through a fine sieve. Mix the vodka and tomato water over ice in your Boston shaker, pouring the mixture from glass to metal tin until chilled and thoroughly mixed (or shake if you don't mind a little foaminess). Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. If you can't resist adding more, perhaps rim the edge with smoked salt, celery salt, or a chunky salt-and-pepper mix and add a lemon wheel for garnish.

If coffee is the only way to start your day, you must try a cocktail that goes by a variety of names -- Espresso Martini, Vodka Espresso, and Pharmaceutical Stimulant. Supposedly it was created by a bartender in London after a customer asked him for a cocktail that would wake 'em up and screw 'em up.

Recipes after the jump...

Go on. Fuss a little. Make breakfast in bed for somebody this weekend. Grind the best coffee you've got, bake these over-the-top eggs and mushrooms in Black Forest ham crisps, stick a flower in a vase, throw it all on a tray and it could lead to the best Saturday morning you've spent in a while.

I don't know where blogger Frim-fram-sauce served her eggs, but she added a little cheddar to the original Gourmet recipe to make it even more creamy. I do know, however, that cooking up a breakfast like this is akin to offering up a love potion, so serve it wisely and well.

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Photo: sassyradish, Flickr.

In an enticing alternative to the usual coffeecake breakfast sweet, this nectarine tart serves the same function but with an extra dose of fresh fruit. Not only is the yellow cake perfectly golden, unctuously buttery and studded with luscious nectarines, Flickr user sassyradish heralds it as also being "moist, light and laced with vanilla and almond."

In this recipe adapted from the September issue of Gourmet, the shopping list calls for the usual pantry baking staples to be paired with the sliced fruit of your choice -- perfect for last-minute brunch-time entertaining.

Check out the elegantly simple recipe for yourself at blog Sassyradish.

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Photo: Bionicgrrrl, Flickr

The weekend may be over, but the snapshot of this spicy, saucy elixir from New York City eatery Smith & Mills lets us hold on to that lackadaisical Sunday morning mood just a little bit longer.

It almost makes us forget we're sitting in front of a computer, transporting us instead to a lively brunch table crowded with beverages: coffee mugs, water glasses, orange juice and that ubiquitous and beloved brunch standby -- the Bloody Mary.

A meal in its own right, a proper Bloody Mary is refreshing yet savory, sometimes piquant and often full of surprises. Lurking within the tomato juice and vodka potion might be a crisp stalk of celery, a pickled green bean or a plump olive (as shown here). Best of all, it's one of the few cocktails that's regularly served in a pint glass, giving new meaning to "the more the merrier."

[Via Flickr]

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