Winter Brunch Party

After getting over 12” of snow overnight here in Colorado, we decided to celebrate with a bright and sunny winter brunch party.

We kept it simple; Dulcie and I each made a dish to share (and we made the Rosemary Honey together earlier in the week). I highly recommend having a friend like this…being able to throw together a low stress brunch party  with good friends, in the dead of winter, and where you don’t have to cook everything is priceless. Here was our menu:

Winter Brunch Menu

• Sweet Potato Biscuits (recipe below)
• Rosemary Honey
• Baked Eggs with Crispy Hashbrown Crust
• Orange Juice
• Hot Coffee

Bright citrusy colors mixed with turquoise made the party feel cheery and warm. 

We lit a few candles (which the toddlers desperately wanted to blow out instantly), brewed a pot of hot coffee, and poured ourselves some fresh OJ.

The sweet potato biscuits were flakey and delicious; especially when topped with the sweet and complex rosemary honey. The baked egg skillet, made in cast iron with a crispy hashbrown crust, is deceptively easy to make and so perfect for a winter morning.

We relaxed and chatted to a low key mix of classic jazz and enjoyed the sparkling snow drifts out the windows. Happy winter.

Soundtrack for a Winter Brunch:

Our recipe for Sweet Potato Biscuits was inspired (and simplified) by Martha Stewart.  

Sweet Potato Biscuits

• 1 3/4 cups flour
  
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
  
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
  
• 6 Tbsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  
• another 1/2 Tbsp melted butter and more, for pan
  
• 3/4 cup mashed sweet potato
  
• 1/3 cup buttermilk (we used 1 Tbsp yogurt mixed with scant 1/3 c of whole milk)

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. With your hands or a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. In a small bowl, whisk together sweet potato puree and buttermilk; combined with flour mixture. Do not overmix.
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead very gently until dough comes together but is still slightly lumpy, five or six times. If dough is too sticky, knead in up to 1/4 c additional flour. Shape into a disk, and pat to approx 1”thickness. With a biscuit cutter, cut out biscuits as close together as possible. Gather together scraps once, and repeat to cut out more biscuits.
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Butter an 8-inch pie pan. Arrange biscuits snugly in pan. Brush with melted butter. Bake until golden, 20 to 24 minutes.