With a full agenda of gathering around the tree tounwrap gifts, you’ll want to add these easy, hearty, and warming dishes toyour Christmas brunch menu.
Iain Bagwell
There’s nothing like seeing the joy on children’s faces Christmas morning, unless it’s seeing the look of relaxation on a harried parent’s face when they’re handed a glass of something sparkling and a plate of hot food on the 25th.
Christmas day breakfast or brunch isa delightful holiday traditionbut it can be hard to put together a full-on meal on top of all the hosting,wrapping, decorating, and last-minuteshoppingthat happens Christmas week. Make it easy on yourself with any of these recipes. Like the holiday season itself, they’re indulgent. But instead of adding a task to your Christmas Eve or morning-of to-do list, these dishes will lessen your morning stress, because much of the work can be done ahead of time. So don’t be a Grinch this year; give your family (and yourself) the gift of a special breakfast treat likecrabcake eggs benedict,a salmon breakfast burrito, oran exuberantly puffy Dutch baby pancake. It will surely land you on Santa’s “Nice” list for next year.
Christmas Morning Dishes That Are Just What You Wished For
1 of 25Iain Bagwell
Crabcake Eggs Benedict
Dungeness is always on the menu at the Alderbrook, set right on Washington’s Hood Canal. These outstanding Benedicts skip the customary English muffin to showcase just crisp crabcake, egg, and hollandaise.
2 of 25Ngoc Minh Ngo
Scrambled Eggs with Meyer Lemon Salsa Verde
The combination of a vibrant Italian-style sauce and three robust cheeses makes these scrambled eggs nothing short of spectacular. The recipe comes from chef-owners Gayle Pirie and John Clark of Foreign Cinema in San Francisco.
3 of 25Karen Steffens
Wild Mushroom-Egg Bake
This wild mushroom-egg bake is a tasty alternative to scrambled eggs, perfect for Christmas morning.
4 of 25Annabelle Breakey
Swiss Chard and Sausage Frittata
We love this frittata because it’s loaded with four kinds of fresh vegetables, in addition to sausage and cheese, and is ready in 30 minutes.
5 of 25Annabelle Breakey
Queen’s Puff
With a nod to the English breakfast classics bangers and mash and toad-in-the-hole, we’ve used leftover mashed potatoes to create a quick and delicious one-dish breakfast.
6 of 25Leo Gong
Baked Chiles Rellenos
This casserole version of the Mexican specialty is perfect for a spicy brunch. This dish can be prepared through step 5 up to a day ahead and chilled (bake an extra 5 to 10 minutes).
7 of 25 Iain Bagwell
Smoked Salmon Breakfast Burrito
The cream cheese and salmon in these wraps make for decadent breakfast burritos. If you’re in the mood for red meat, you could easily substitute bacon or sausage for the fish.
8 of 25Annabelle Breakey
Speedy Huevos Rancheros
You can make these in minutes if you use store-bought salsa and canned refried beans. You must, however, buy all of the groceries ahead of time. Then you’ll be ready to go on Christmas morning, when you wake up and need your huevos.
9 of 25Annabelle Breakey
Coffee and Brown Sugar Bacon
Everyone loves waking up to the smell of coffee and the smell of bacon, and the flavors are pretty awesome together too. Add some molasses-y brown sugar, and you’ll reach bacon nirvana.
10 of 25Yunhee Kim
Thousand-Seed Banana Date Muffins
Loaded with seeds and made with only 2 tbsp. oil, these muffins stay incredibly moist and light, thanks to two fruit purées and a soft meringue.
11 of 25Iain Bagwell
Cheese Dill Scones
These scones are best the day they’re made, but freeze well, wrapped in 2 layers of plastic wrap. Unwrap and bake frozen at 350° until warm, 10 minutes.
12 of 25Annabelle Breakey
Almond and Jam Pastries
At many bakeries, these simple breakfast treats are made for the early-morning staff using day-old brioche. A rich baked almond cream covers the toasts, and sliced almonds on top add buttery crunch.
13 of 25Peden & Munk
Big Dutch Baby
Of the many versions we’ve published, this 1977 one is the simplest and biggest: In fact, it’s baked in a paella pan. Make sure everyone’s sitting down and ready to eat right before you remove it from the oven (it deflates quickly).
14 of 25James Carrier
Cinnamon-Hazelnut Pancakes
Notes: Chefs at the Coastal Kitchen in Seattle, Washington, serve these chunky pancakes simply, with butter and maple syrup.
15 of 25
Toffee French Toast with Pecans
The luscious sauce makes this French toast taste like sticky toffee pudding. (Put leftover sauce on ice cream.)
16 of 25Alex Farnum
Chocolate Banana Bread
This dense, moist bread, served to morning hikers at La Cocina Que Canta, tastes so chocolaty that you’d never guess it’s made with prune purée instead of butter. It’s adapted from Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2008; $35) by Deborah Szekely and Deborah M. Schneider.
17 of 25Annabelle Breakey
Upside-Down Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Sherry-Roasted Pears
This old-fashioned, moist cake, jazzed up with vanilla bean and roasted pears, takes on even more flavor if you start the pears a day ahead so they can steep in their syrup. The recipe comes from Romney Steele, author of Plum Gorgeous.
18 of 25Leigh Beisch
Cranberry-Orange Bread with Grand Marnier Glaze
This bread is a versatile, easy-to-make crowd-pleaser, delicately laced with Grand Marnier and studded with tart dried cranberries and orange zest. You can vary the size: Make 2 large loaves, or spread the joy with 6 mini loaves.
19 of 25
Giant Cinnamon Rolls
Warm cinnamon butter melting down the sides of these giant cinnamon rolls and into the grooves makes them a standout.
20 of 25Thomas J. Story
Citrus Salad with Spiced Vanilla Syrup
This easy fruit salad looks especially striking made with multiple varieties and colors of blood oranges and grapefruit, but it’s just as delicious with a single kind of each. You’ll have enough syrup left over for flavoring sparkling water or lattes.
21 of 25Annabelle Breakey
Francie’s Fruit Salad
Sunset food editor Margo True’s cousin Francie Van Zile made simple but delicious fruit salad using whatever was in season. Her secret: candied ginger syrup.
22 of 25Greg DuPree
Layered Mocha
Sip hot chocolate through layers of hot espresso and thick, cold cream in this deconstructed mocha. It’s based on the classic bicerin (beech-e-reen), from Caffè al Bicerin in Turin, Italy, and it fits right into our coffee-loving culture here in the western United States.
23 of 25Lisa Corson
Chai (Spiced Indian-Style Tea)
From Badmaash restaurant, in Los Angeles, this aromatic tea, called “cutting chai” in India, is served in small glasses because it’s so strong (“cutting” is the transliteration of the Hindi word for “half”). The black cardamom gives it a smoky, earthy flavor.
24 of 25Annabelle Breakey
Sparkling Spice Mocktail
A lively, aromatic, fizzy fluteful that makes a good stand-in for a kir royale. You’ll have enough syrup for 8 mocktails.
25 of 25Iain Bagwell
Pear Punch Sparkler
If you prefer your punch less sweet, use a semi-dry Riesling–and season with lemon juice to taste.
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