Over the Summer months, I love nothing more than having my loved ones around me and making them something special to eat and drink.
To celebrate Denby’s gorgeous collaboration with Monsoon, I have been asked to create a floral brunch themed menu at home with my family.
Monsoon Fleur By Denby, is a beautiful new stylish tableware range which combines a modern cobalt blue shade with intricate floral detailing and a warm silver shimmer decoration.
Its beautiful and charming designs made styling my table and creating a laid back brunch a joy.
I found it incredibly easy to mix in the Monsoon Fleur By Denby collection with my existing tableware, as it’s a perfect family and friend friendly size – (width and length both 28.5cm each).
The soft cream china plate is hugely versatile and can be mixed with a variety of other colours, napkins and table runners.
The beautiful blue and white collection has all the elegance of china but its refinement does not mean it is not tough, very useable on a daily basis and chip-resistant.
I also used some beautiful seasonal floral centrepieces by the talented florist Hattie Fox From That Flowershop to further style my table and her creations using fresh flowers of the very moment complimented all the blues wonderfully.
I wanted to create a fun family friendly tasty menu which celebrated the beginning of a new sunny season. It is laid back but fresh and bright, and I wanted to feel like we were sampling a little of Summer on our gorgeous new Fleur tableware by Denby Monsoon.
Tips For Choosing The Right Brunch Menu
1.Pick Something That You Feel Comfortable Cooking
2.Do as much preparation as you can earlier that morning, so you won’t feel rushed and panicked when your guests arrive.
3.Set your table a couple of hours in advance, tidy your space and give yourself plenty of time to cook and enjoy the preparation.
4.Choose a menu that compliments the colour and style of your table-ware and settings.
So, without further ado, here is my Brunch Menu comprising of a main course, a dessert and a treaty cocktail for the grown-ups.
MAIN COURSE
TWICE-BAKED CITRUS-ALMOND BRIOCHE ROLLS
Ingredients – 1 1/4c. sliced almonds
1/2c. sugar
A pinch of salt
1 large egg
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, (at room temperature)
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 tbsp. orange zest
1/4c. orange juice
1 tbsp. olive oil
- tbsp Thyme leaves
6 3/4 inch-thick slices brioche or rolls
Sliced citrus, for serving.
How To Make :
1.In a food processor, pulse 1/2 cup almonds, 1/4 cup sugar and add a pinch of salt until finely ground.
Add egg and butter, and then process to form a thick paste. Add extract and pulse to combine.
2.In a small saucepan, simmer orange zest and juice, 1/4 c. water and remaining 1/4 c. sugar on medium-high, stirring, until sugar dissolves.
Then remove from heat and let cool. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, thyme, and the remaining 3⁄4 cup almonds and add your pinch salt.
3.Heat your oven to 400°F. Arrange bread on baking sheet. Brush each slice with syrup until very moist. Spread with even layer of almond paste (about 2 heaping tablespoons). To finish, top with almond mixture.
Bake until toasts are caramelized on edges and almonds are golden brown, keep a close eye that they don’t burn but normally takes takes between 20 to 25 minutes.
- For presentation purposes – I decorated this dish with sliced oranges, sweet and tangy physalis, fresh mint, additional orange syrup and viola petals.
FOR DESSERT
Buttermilk Pancakes With Fresh Strawberries And Mint
My five-year-old son adores homemade pancakes and if we’re honest, so do we – his parents ! This brunch with Denby Monsoon seemed the perfect opportunity to rustle these brunch favourites up and incorporating seasonal fruits and fresh mint from the Garden.
Ingredients
Serves: 12
375g plain flour
3 tablespoons caster sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
725ml buttermilk
125ml milk
3 eggs
75g butter, melted
Method
Method
Prep: 15min › Cook:10min › Ready in:25min
In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and the salt.
In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, eggs and melted butter.
Keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook.
2.Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. A good tip is you can flick water across the surface and if it beads up and sizzles, it’s ready.
3.Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using a wooden spoon or fork to blend. Stir until it’s just blended together. Do not over-stir! Pour or scoop the batter onto the pan in small batches. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
To garnish – I used fresh strawberries, strawberry syrup, icing sugar and mint. They went down a treat with everyone.
Cocktail
Cranberry Orange Mimosa Bellini
For a cheeky tasty brunch cocktail for the adults – it would be rude not to – I chose an old favourite of mine. And there’s something so special about drinking a mimosa for brunch isn’t there. This Champagne or Prosecco cocktail combines 3 easy ingredients and is also crammed full of Vitamin C.
INGREDIENTS
For One Cocktail
- 2 ounces of fresh cranberry juice
- 1 ounce of fresh orange juice
- Champagne or prosecco, to fill the flute.
Directions – Tilt glass, drink and enjoy !
This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Denby