Weekend Brunch

Make brunch the highlight of fall weekends with these original recipes.

Recipes by Sarah Godwin | Photographed by Joe Worthem

Whether served under a canopy at a football tailgate or in your home on a Sunday morning this fall, these creative brunch recipes will please a whole crowd.

Special thanks to the Chi Omega house for hosting this photo shoot.

Egg in a Basket

6 everything bagels

12 slices ham or prosciutto

12 slices Swiss cheese

12 small to medium eggs

Garlic powder

Salt

Black pepper

Dried parsley

Preheat oven to 375°F. Halve the bagels, and arrange on a greased baking sheet. Using a small biscuit cutter or a knife, widen the center hole by trimming ¼- to ½-inch from it. Tear ham and cheese into strips, and drape across the bagel, over the hole, creating a nest in the middle. Press ham and cheese down, deepening the nest, and crack an egg inside each. Sprinkle with seasonings, and bake until egg white sets, 10-12 minutes.

Drunken Strawberries

2 pounds strawberries

1 bottle prosecco

½ cup sugar

Wash strawberries thoroughly. In a bowl, pour a whole bottle of prosecco over berries, and refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, remove strawberries, pat dry, then coat with sugar. Keep the extra prosecco to use in the September Sunrise Cocktail (recipe below).

September Sunrise Cocktail

Orange juice

1 bottle prosecco, or leftover strawberry prosecco

from recipe above

2 cups frozen strawberries

Pour orange juice into ice cube trays, and freeze. Once frozen, add the ice cubes, prosecco and strawberries to a blender, and pulse until smooth, about 8-10 times. Add more juice or prosecco to thin; add ice to thicken.

Bacon-Wrapped Dates

1 pound bacon

30-40 dates

4 ounces soft goat cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut bacon into 1-inch-long strips. Cut slit in dates, and spoon in ¼ to ½ teaspoon goat cheese. Wrap filled dates with bacon strips, and secure with a wooden pick. Place dates on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and bake in preheated oven until bacon is crisp, 15 to 20 minutes.

Blueberry Sweet Rolls with Lemon Glaze

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2¼ teaspoons instant yeast, or one package

3 cups all-purpose flour, divided

½ cup water

¼ cup milk

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1 egg, room temperature

1 cup blueberry preserves

Lemon Glaze:

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups powdered sugar

In a bowl, combine sugar, salt, yeast and 2½ cups of flour. Microwave water and milk until warm to the touch, 30-60 seconds. Add to flour mixture. Whisk in butter and egg. Knead for 5-6 minutes, adding remaining ½ cup flour to create a soft dough that easily rolls into a ball without sticking to the bowl. Remove dough ball from bowl, and grease bowl. Return dough to bowl, cover with a warm towel, and let rest 15 to 20 minutes.

Roll dough on a floured work surface into a 16-x 8-inch rectangle (about 1/4-inch thick). Spread preserves in a thin layer over dough, and, starting from 1 long (16-inch) side, roll up dough into a log. Trim off ends, and cut log crosswise into 1- to 1½-inch thick rolls. Grease a 14-x 8-inch baking dish, and place rolls in prepared pan, spacing 1 to 2 inches apart. Cover with a damp towel, and place in a warm environment to let rise. Let rolls rise until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake rolls until lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, and cool in baking dish 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, stir together all glaze ingredients. Drizzle glaze over warm rolls.

Almond Tea

6 cups water

6 regular-size tea bags

2 cups sugar

1½ teaspoons almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Juice of 2-3 lemons

Bring 4 cups water to a boil. Remove from heat. Add tea bags, and let steep 15 minutes. Discard tea bags. Add sugar, and stir to combine. In a large pitcher, stir together tea, remaining 2 cups water, extracts and lemon juice, and serve.