What makes a meal Brunch and what makes a Brunch French?

Brunch is that wonderful meal served mid-morning to early afternoon 10:30 am - 1:00 pm that includes some traditionally breakfast foods and some traditionally lunch foods. It is a lovely casual way to spend the morning with friends, typically on a Sunday, after one has presumably spent a late Saturday night on the town.

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I thought I would try something new in the blog. So I am adding a youtube playlist to accompany the text. If you are interested click the link and listen to some modern French music while you read. If not just keep reading. This is a playlist created by Tirso G. Gomez.

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Now my nights of painting the town red are few and far between -- but invite me to brunch any time!

First off, I LOVE breakfast and lingering over a meal with friends. Throw in a Mimosa or Blody Mary and I'm in.

The minimalist in me says brunch is a sweet breakfast food, a savory lunch food and a lovely adult beverage with friends at 10:30 am - end of story.

So how does the Reluctant Hostess serve up brunch and a French brunch no less?

As everyone knows the French perfected the art of cooking. Now while their cooking is complicated - at least to me - they have really good food ideas and the food is -- well -- perfect. However, the Reluctant Hostess doesn't do complicated, so we picked some French flavors, paired them with key decorative elements and

Voila!

Lunch is a crunchy French baguette, Dijon mustard, Brie and ham held together with an adorable French flag.

Breakfast is as simple as croissant with butter and jam.

Definitely French and Definitely NOT complicated.

Now the French Bash has a more developed menu and some additional magnifique elements to elicit thoughts of the French country side, but all the recipes are as easy as that -- trust me.

It is really the flavors, smells and sounds that make a brunch French. Think:

• Croissant, not biscuit;

• Lavender, not honeysuckle

I could go on but you get the idea.

The aficionado would also say it is the quality of the ingredients. Which got me thinking -- what if after the French Bash I decide I want more French food in my life? What should I have in my kitchen if I want to cook French food regularly?

What does it take to create a French Pantry?

The literature was fairly consistent and to my surprise many of the items I already have - although in an American version. The list below is a start that I adapted from Julia Child and friends.

• Bacon (unsalted, unsmoked if possible - I get mine from Whole Foods or Wegmans)

• Butter (unsalted)

• Gruyere or Emmentahl (Swiss) cheese and Parmesan cheese

• Cream (creme fraiche, creme double, fleurette)

• Flour

• Glace fruits, crystallized fruits (found in gourmet or specialty stores)

• Herbs fresh or dried (parsley, thyme, bay, tarraon, chives, chervil, basil, fennel, oregano, sage, saffron)

• Bouquet garni (parsley, thyme and bay leaf ties with string or if dried tied in cheese cloth to flavor soups, stews, sauces, and braised meat and veggies)

• Oil (odorless, tasteless vegetable oil made from peanuts, corn or other variety)

• Fresh shallots

• Truffles (I don't like these so I skipped this one)

List is adapted from Simone Beck, Louisete Bertholle, Julia Child, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, 1961.

Looking at some more contemporary sources I would add:

• French onion, carrot, celery, garlic and leek

• Chicken broth (low sodium)

• Vinegar

• Brandy and wine (always use wine you would drink to cook with)

• Canned tomatoes

• Dijon Mustard

• Herbs de Provence (savory, fennel, basil, thyme)

• Salt (flure d'sel)

• Peppercorns and pepper mill

Mostly you should be able to create a French pantry with just a few extra items added to what you already have. This 3-minute video by Laura Calder illustrates that point wonderfully. Laura had a charming show in 2014 on the cooking channel "French Food at Home". She is also the author of several cook books. He show can still be found on Food Network in Canada. Her 3-minute video on French Flair is interesting too.

I actually tried the tomatoes at home - but did not make fresh breadcrumbs. Like a lot of what I see on TV, it is beautiful and entertaining, but who has the time?

So in short:

• What makes a meal brunch? The time of day and combination of foods.

• What makes a brunch French? The flavors, smells, and sounds.

Just remember, your brunch should be fun and to quote Julia Child, "The best way to execute French cooking is to get good and loaded and whack the hell out of a chicken. Bon appetit." (Not only is it fun, it is also a stress reliever.)

I hope you like this week's blog post.

Cheers!

kim@Bash-in-a-Box.com

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