Fancy Brunch at Home: Waffles, Omelettes, and Champagne

(#10) Master 25 New Recipes

1. Stuffed Peppers
2. Risotto
3. Polenta
4. Beef Brisket
5. French Onion Soup
6. Chocolate Chip Cookies
7. Lentil Soup
8. Macaroni & Cheese
9. Zucchini Bread
10. Chicken Piccata
11. Moussaka
12. Chocolate Cake
13. Zebra Cake
14. Chili
15. Cornbread
16. Steamed Artichokes
17. Baked S'mores
18. Barbecue Chicken
19. Meatballs
20. Waffles
21. Omelette

Who says brunch should involve a half-hour wait and a $3 coffee? Once in a while we like to treat ourselves to a nice big brunch at home, and here are two recipes that will help us do so more often.

Waffles

I recently inherited a waffle maker and was excited to try it out. Ronnie's grandma (who provided the waffle maker) also provided the recipe. It makes about 12 waffles.

Ingredients
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cup skim milk
1 tblp sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1. Whisk together eggs, milk, and oil in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in another bowl.

3. Slowly add the flour mixture into the liquid mixture while whisking. It will be slightly lumpy, like pancake batter.

Obviously the instructions from here will depend on your waffle maker, but a couple of recommendations:

-Spray your waffle-maker with cooking spray even if it claims to be "non-stick."
-Under-fill the first batch. It spreads more than you think.
-Set the whole waffle maker on a baking sheet in case you do overfill.I had some spillage.

Omelettes

I have made a few omelettes in my day, but I have not gotten to the point where I am over my fear of screwing them up. So now was the time to master the omelette.

Here's how to make an omelette that doesn't need to be flipped.

First, some people don't use milk. I happen to have some leftover from the waffles, I used a little. Crack three eggs, add salt and pepper, and whisk it up.

Melt some butter in a non-stick pan.

Now here's the important part.

Pour your eggs in the pan. In the first few seconds while the eggs are still totally raw, use a rubber spatula to push the eggs aside like below to expose more of the raw parts to the bottom of the pan.

Once your egg forms a somewhat solid bottom layer, tilt the pan and let any leftover raw egg sneak underneath the edges.

These two steps insure an even cook on the egg without flipping. 

Now's the time to add your toppings. I added mushrooms and I didn't cook them beforehand- they get cooked enough for my taste with the eggs. Its up to you. I also added cheddar cheese.

Once the cheese starts to melt, get a larger spatula, wedge it underneath half of your omelette, and flip it closed. 

According to real chefs, this omelette is hideously overcooked. But I like it a little browned. Cooking it evenly as described above ensures it will still be fluffy.

Add salt and eat while piping hot! 

Jamie Oliver demonstrates this process better in this video (and his eggs aren't browned). 

Finally, the champagne. 

Traditionally we have mimosas with brunch. But when I found out that new food #23, St. Germain, was often mixed with champagne, I had to try it. 

St. Germain is an elderflower liquor that is as delicious as it is beautiful. It is French which makes me love it just a little bit more. The flavor is very distinct, though it is somewhat tropical, somewhat citrus-y, and slightly floral. 

It was the perfect amount of sweetness to add to the champagne. I immediately loved it and decided it would be my eccentric writer's drink, like Hemingway's Death in the Afternoon. Apparently writers just love champagne.

Then again, who doesn't?