Joy the Baker Over Easy: Sweet and Savory Recipes for Leisurely Days: A Cookbook

INTRODUCTION

What’s your morning ritual? Depends on the demands of the day, doesn’t it? Depends on if your alarm clock blared unexpectedly, sending you crashing into a Wednesday morning full of tisks and tasks, or if you eased into a Saturday, brought to life by the smell of your love making you coffee. Vastly different days, different feels, and different rituals.

On a typical day, I find myself scurrying to answer emails and manage my website as the water for my coffee boils. While making grocery lists and planning recipes for the week, I rather mindlessly sip caffeine into my body, likely neglecting even to make myself a piece of toast. It’s not the most terrible of rituals; it’s just more hurried and far less intentional than I’d like, because Wednesdays simply have a hearty momentum that’s hard to keep up with.

Weekend mornings (or very extraordinary self-appointed vacation Thursdays) are something special. When the alarm isn’t set to begin with and the ding of correspondence is silenced for many morning hours. It’s in this space that a perfect meal—and the perfect reason to connect—exists. It’s somewhere between breakfast and lunch, where eggs and toast meet gooey pastries, hot coffee, and boozy juice. It’s called brunch, the most decadent and leisurely of meals. It creates its own energy that moves at the speed of flipping pancakes and poaching eggs and is when all is exactly as it should be.

My favorite brunch scene—the moment I daydream about on hectic mornings—is as the follows: A cup of black coffee made by my love. He sits at the counter while I make Bacon Pancakes and perfect scrambled eggs (this page). He mixes up Peach and Orange Palomas, and we sit at the counter and eat and chatter for what is likely an hour. It’s a lazy and collaborative effort that stretches into the early afternoon with not a care in the world aside from now and pancakes.

There is a certain hedonism associated with brunch. It’s a beautiful blending of morning and midday where everything is fair game. And it’s celebratory, whether you’re reminiscing over last night’s third (or fourth) cocktail followed by french fries and pizza (that were entirely celebratory in their own right) or simply enjoying the fact of a day without a long list of to-dos. Sleeping in well into sunshiney mornings is just the nature of early Sundays. Whisking together eggs and cream, baking bacon with sugar, stirring juice with booze—on such leisurely weekend days, these things are not only acceptable and appropriate, they’re part of a coveted and precious time when loves and friends are called over and afternoons are revered for their sluggishness.

That being said, I firmly believe that no one should stand in line for brunch. Afternoon eggs, without waiting among the hip and trendy, should be a luxury available to each and every one of us. Since the concept of brunching shows no signs of slowing (and, really, why should it?!), this book is our tool, our free pass to the front of the brunch line—just better, because we’re at home, maybe in our pajamas, and who knows (or cares) what’s going on with our bedhead.

Joy the Baker Over Easy is meant to celebrate and facilitate our own lazy meal days. The recipes here will satisfy any craving, whether you like things simple or decadent, savory or sweet. I’ve given lots of tips for how to make the very best eggs (however you like them), moist muffins, perfect coffee, and anything else that could make your brunch dream complete. Conveniently enough, and because no one should be left out of such a club, the dishes here are for morning people, afternoon people, and breakfast for dinner people, with plenty of sandwiches, salads, and cocktails included. Brunch does not discriminate. Brunch isn’t looking at the clock. Brunch just wants you to sit, relax, and enjoy a runny egg.

Welcome to it. Gather your eggs and let’s get going!

There is a marked difference between Tuesday morning coffee and Saturday morning coffee. Tuesday morning coffee, if you’re anything like me, is sipped gingerly from a travel mug in the car, rushing and likely ten minutes late for something. I probably couldn’t even tell you what that coffee tasted like; I just know it’s hot, brown, and buzzing with energy. Tuesday morning coffee is more necessity than enjoyment, which, though a shame, makes Saturday morning coffee that much more enjoyable.

Saturday morning coffee is the cup I get to savor. The level of care taken with that coffee is what separates a simple breakfast (that’s likely eaten in a hurry) from a decadent brunch. I’m not talking about fine teacups or linen napkins with napkin rings but simply about attention to detail and the time spent that makes a morning meal special.

This chapter is all about time, care, and celebration in drink form. I like to make everything from refreshing herbaceous lemonades to sherbet punches and boozy treats—and so I’ve shared them all. An indulgent cup of coffee just for you, or a big tipsy punch for many. Every recipe has an interesting twist, and it’s these layers of effort that make the morning meal noteworthy—and worth spending our day enjoying. Brunch calls for cocktails. Tuesday not so much, unless it’s an emergency or tax season.

MICHELADAS FOR MANY

PEACH AND ORANGE PALOMA

APEROL SPRITZ

WATERMELON-MINT SANGRIA

SUMMER PIMM’S CUP COCKTAIL

GRAPEFRUIT ROSEMARY MIMOSA

STRAWBERRY, GRAPEFRUIT, AND CHAMOMILE BRUNCH PUNCH

ORANGE SHERBET MIMOSA PUNCH

KALIMOTXO

BRUNCH MARTINI SHOTS

DILL PICKLE BLOODY MARY

HIBISCUS LIMEADE

HONEY-GINGER SWEET TEA

PINEAPPLE-CUCUMBER-MINT AGUA FRESCA

CUCUMBER, CELERY, ROMAINE, AND APPLE JUICE

CARROT, BEET, CITRUS, AND SWEET POTATO JUICE

STRAWBERRY, PINEAPPLE, AND RASPBERRY SMOOTHIE BOWL

SPINACH, KALE, AND MANGO SMOOTHIE BOWL

CASHEW, CINNAMON, BANANA, AND COCOA NIB SMOOTHIE

MANGO BUTTERMILK SMOOTHIE

FROTHY, MILKY, AT-HOME MOCHAS

BLACK AND WHITE RUSSIAN

MICHELADAS FOR MANY

It would be a mistake to think of the michelada as a beer-substituted Bloody Mary. That doesn’t do justice to this delicious chameleon of a drink. Micheladas are popular in their home country, Mexico, where they’re made every which way from Sunday. Some versions are a simple mixture of beer, lime, and salt, while others are a more complex blend of clam juice, spice, and chicken stock. For me, the essential components are a good Mexican lager (like Negra Modelo), chilled tomato juice, and, yes, clam juice, if even just a splash. That hint of sea flavor makes a michelada special. My recipe also calls for a few extra dashes of hot sauce, as well as Old Bay seasoning to complement the clam juice. Savory, slightly effervescent, and spicy. Serve with the Breakfast Burrito or the Breakfast Burger. (See photograph.)

SERVES 6

3 cups chilled tomato juice

½ cup clam juice (I like Bar Harbor)

Juice of 3 limes, plus more to taste

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons hot sauce, plus more to taste

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

3 (12-ounce) bottles chilled Mexican lager

Ice

Pickled carrots, for garnish

Pickled jalapeños, for garnish

Lime wedges, for garnish

1. In a large pitcher, combine the tomato juice, clam juice, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, soy sauce, and Old Bay. Stir well. Taste and add more lime juice or hot sauce as desired. Stir in the beer.

2. Fill six glasses with ice and divide the michelada among the glasses. Garnish with the pickled carrots, pickled jalapeños, and lime wedges.

PEACH AND ORANGE PALOMA

A paloma is a classic tequila cocktail often overshadowed by the better-known margarita, but margaritas aren’t the only way to combine tequila and citrus. My paloma is a classy combination of sweet orange and tequila, with the addition of fresh peach and a little fizz to dress it in its summer finest just for brunch. This is the sweetest way to sneak tequila onto the breakfast table. You’re welcome.

SERVES 4

½ teaspoon grated orange zest

¼ cup kosher salt

2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus more to rim the glasses

2 cups fresh orange juice

1 ripe peach, pitted and coarsely chopped

Ice

8 ounces silver tequila

Club soda, chilled

Orange, peach, and lime slices, for garnish

1. In a small bowl, combine the orange zest, salt, and sugar. Using your fingers, work the zest into the salt and sugar until the mixture is fragrant. Place on a shallow plate.

2. Coat the rim of four glasses with lime juice. Gently dip the rim of each glass into the salt mixture and set aside.

3. In a blender, combine the lime juice, the orange juice, and the peach chunks. Blend until relatively smooth, about 1 minute. Pour into a fine-mesh strainer placed over a medium bowl. Press the peach pulp through the strainer, leaving behind any large pulp and peach skin pieces.

4. Fill each of the prepared glasses with ice. Pour 2 ounces of tequila into each glass. Top with ½ cup of the juice mixture. Top with club soda, and stir. Garnish with fruit slices, and serve.

APEROL SPRITZ

An Italian liqueur flavored with both bitter and sweet orange, a plethora of herbs, and a hint of rhubarb, Aperol is a refreshing apéritif that’s a pleasing start to a meal. It is similar to Campari but with less alcohol and less bitterness, making it friendlier to bitter-orange novices. Paired with sparkling prosecco and orange slices, this is festively colored, lightly boozy brunch perfection.

SERVES 6

Ice

1 bottle (750ml) dry prosecco, chilled

6 ounces Aperol

Club soda, chilled

6 orange slices, for garnish

Fill six tall Collins glasses (or any sort of glass will be fine) with ice. Fill each glass halfway with prosecco. Add 1 ounce of Aperol to each glass. Top with club soda, garnish with an orange slice, stir lightly, and enjoy!

WATERMELON-MINT SANGRIA

Get thee a melon baller. Do it because it’s the tool of a loving grandmother and a hard-core bruncher. Do it because a summer sangria, with fresh watermelon juice and actual watermelon balls, shows your dedication to delicious, refreshing, and beautiful brunch beveraging. I’ve had the best results using a juicer to make fresh watermelon juice. If you don’t have a juicer, I’ve also had success making watermelon juice in a blender by first blending the fruit, and then straining it through a fine-mesh strainer. I love drinking this with my Pea and Goat Cheese Tortilla or Chicken Avocado Arepas.

SERVES 6 TO 8

4 cups fresh watermelon juice

Handful of fresh mint leaves and stems

1 bottle (750ml) dry rosé wine

1 cup vodka

1 cup fresh orange juice

½ cup orange liqueur (such as Cointreau)

1 orange, sliced into rounds

1 lime, sliced into rounds

16 to 20 watermelon balls

Ice (optional)

1. Put the watermelon juice in a large pitcher or punch bowl. Add the mint and muddle slightly to release the flavor. Stir in the wine, vodka, orange juice, and orange liqueur.

2. Add the orange slices, lime slices, and watermelon balls. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Serve over ice, if you’d like it extra cold.

SUMMER PIMM’S CUP

COCKTAIL

Living in New Orleans in mid-August is like taking up residence in a 200-year-old wet sauna filled with music, laughter, life, and a steady rotation of well-iced and heavily garnished cocktails. It’s heaven (if heaven had a steamy, torturous component). Even though the Pimm’s Cup has British roots, it is the summertime cocktail jewel of this city, made famous at the Napoléon House in the French Quarter. My version is spiked with more gin than theirs, and it’s heavily garnished with fresh fruit and cucumber, making it part cocktail, part salad. If you make it through the rest of summer to August in New Orleans, you’ve earned as many as you’d like.

SERVES 6

1 English cucumber, sliced

1 cup hulled and sliced strawberries

1 lemon, sliced into rounds

Handful of fresh mint stems and leaves

1 cup gin

1½ cups Pimm’s No. 1

3 cups sparkling lemonade, chilled

Ice

1. In a large pitcher combine half of the cucumber slices, and all of the strawberries, lemon slices, and mint. Add the gin and Pimm’s and stir well. Refrigerate for 2 hours, until chilled through.

2. Just before serving, stir in the sparkling lemonade. Fill six tall glasses with ice and pour the cocktail, as well as a bit of fruit, into each glass. Garnish with the remaining cucumber slices, and serve.

GRAPEFRUIT ROSEMARY MIMOSA

This play on the traditional orange juice mimosa results in a slightly bitter, herbal concoction—as if champagne needs any fuss at all. It doesn’t, but when