brunch history list

George wrote: "Add to the list of already tried: Elmwood Lounge, Mode and Left Bank."  Also, while you were in Nancy we met at the now defunct Juniper. 

Hollandaise

Hollandaise Sauce is easy.  Go slow and use your taste (correct salt, lemon and texture before you serve it at room temp).  The best butter and eggs make the best sauce.  In Buffalo free range eggs with huge yellow yolks can usually be procured at the Winter Market on Lafayette and Elmwood.  Come spring the Bidwell Market and other farmers markets are worthy sources. Backyard chickens are trendy.  Rene and Claire have two pet chickens. They get enough eggs to share with friends and family.  The fresher the eggs, the sweeter the butter, the better the product. 

This recipe is from Julia Child.
Hollandaise dresses up green veggies as well as Eggs Benedict.

Ingredients

1/2	cup	butter	melted, (you can use much less if desired)
3	large	egg yolks
1	tablespoon	water	cold
1	tablespoon	lemon juice
1	tablespoon	butter	cold, cut into pieces
1/8	teaspoon	salt

Directions

The egg yolks must be heated slowly and gradually so they will thicken into a smooth cream. It is not hard but attention is needed and it is good to have all the ingredients ready in advance.

Place the egg yolks in a saucepan and using a whisk beat for about one minute until they become thick and sticky.

Add the water, lemon juice and salt and beat for another 30 seconds.

Place the saucepan over low heat, or gently simmering water (a double boiler or baine marie). Constantly stir the mixture with the whisk as it slowly heats up. It will take one to two minutes or so to thicken, keep stirring.

If the mixture seems to be thickening too thickly or if there it seems to becoming a bit lumpy immediately place the saucepan into cold water to cool it and continue stirring. Then continue over low heat.

When the egg yolks have thickened enough you will start to see the bottom of the pot between strokes, you may also notice that the mixture forms a light cream colour on the wires of the whip.

Remove from the heat and beat in the 1 tablespoon of cold butter to cool the egg yolks and stop the cooking.

Beat the egg yolks with the wire whip and begin slowly adding the melted butter a few drops at a time (about 1/4 teaspoon at a time) until the sauce thickens into a heavy cream. Then you can add the butter more rapidly beating with the whip the entire time.

Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Serve warm.

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Hollandaise sauce is served warm and not hot. If you keep it too warm it will curdle or thin out. It can be held warm for an hour or more in a pan of lukewarm water. The more butter used the harder it is to hold for an extended period of time. If making an hour in advance use only a bit of butter and beat in softened butter just before serving.

Brunch in Buffalo

That is "existential" not essential.

Sunday Brunch

Brunch in Western New York

It started with Pat, George and Del.  They were regular Sunday brunch devotees at Tru-Teas. We opened at 12:00 noon and they came punctually.  The quiches were just out of the ovens.  The hollandaise was prepared.  The brunch cook’s timing was often good.  The service was unique, but friendly (George may be able to describe it better than me.)  The co-op across the street sold cooked organic, maple cured bacon on their steam table.  I picked up a couple of servings worth on the way in so we wouldn’t perfume our vegetarian restaurant with the delicious (to some) smell of frying meat.  In those days we served only tea to drink.  Coffee was in the same forbidden aromatic category  as cooking bacon. Beaufort was often the brunch cook.  She was also George and Del’s gardener so when she got out of the kitchen to visit the table, the conversation was often about what was blooming  and what was about to bloom.  Jennifer was the server for a year or so.  Then the brunch group grew to include Jennifer at the table.  Michael joined.  I had a hard time enjoying sitting at the table because I always felt compelled to watch our really mediocre servers.  They did not notice when tea needed refilling, when spoons needed to be replaced or dead flowers needed to be removed.  Del and George were dependable even if the servers were not.   They would call days ahead if they were going to be out of town or had another Sunday date.

Then Pat  died.  She suffered for less than a year.  She announced her diagnosis at a Sunday brunch. I think that may have been when Bloody Mary’s and champagne were incorporated into our brunch routine.  To toast to Pat.

I closed the restaurant shortly after because  I was spending more than I was making.  Tru-teas brunch was the gold standard.  We started a monthly tradition in search of the best brunch.  Beaufort and I enjoy critiquing every aspect of the menu.  We judge Hollandaise.  We discuss the fine points of egg preparation, and pasties and coffee.  Bloody Marys – who knew the variation that is possible? Too much Worchester, not enough vodka, bad vodka, too many ingredients, too bland, too hot, too, too much ice.     Someone said that a NY Times food writer declined to recommend a brunch place because they are all exactly alike.  We disagree.  We also have yet to find the quintessentially best brunch although a couple are definitely good.