Return of the brunch

Welcome back, fellow foodies, to part 2 of the brunch column I started last week. There are so many good recipes that just a couple wasn’t going to be enough. I have a lot to share this week, so I am just going to jump right in.

Amazing Little

Crab Cakes

Amazing Little Crab Cakes are baked, not fried and can be eaten in a single bite. You will need a mini muffin tin for this recipe, but they are cheap, available locally, and this recipe is so worth the investment.

Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

¾ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 large egg

¼ cup sour cream

1 teaspoon orange zest

½ teaspoon lemon zest

4 tablespoons chopped chives

¼ teaspoon kosher salt, maybe a little more

Generous pinch cayenne pepper

6 ounces canned crab meat, well drained

4 tablespoons butter, melted, plus more for the muffin tin

1 cup panko bread crumbs

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Prep:

With an electric mixer in medium speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add ¼ cup Parmesan cheese and the egg. Continue to beat until blended, about 1 minute. Add sour cream, orange and lemon zests, chives, salt and cayenne pepper. Beat until combined, about 30 seconds, then fold in the crab meat.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place a rack in the middle of the oven. Generously butter the muffin tins. Combine panko bread crumbs, remaining Parmesan and 2 tablespoon of chives in a small bowl. Add melted butter and toss with a fork until evenly coated.

Press 1 tablespoon of the panko mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup then spoon a tablespoon of crab mixture over the top of that. Sprinkle a generous tablespoon of panko mixture over the crab.  

Bake crab cakes until golden and set, 25 to 30 minutes. Run a sharp knife around each crab cake and lift it out of the pan. They can be rewarmed in a 350-degree oven for 6 to 8 minutes.

To serve, arrange crab cakes, bottom side up, on a serving platter. Whisk mayonnaise and mustard together and place a small dollop on top of each crab cake. Sprinkle with remaining chives.  

Plum Parfaits with

Yogurt and Granola

Plum Parfaits with Yogurt and Granola are a light addition to the brunch table and are lovely to look at with the crimson-hued plums contrasting the pristine white of the yogurt.

Ingredients:

2 pounds medium-ripe dark red or purple plums, rinsed and dried

1/3 cup sugar, plus 1½ tablespoons

¾ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups plain Greek-style yogurt

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup granola

Prep:

Halve plums lengthwise and pit. Slice each half lengthwise into quarters. Then cut the quarters in half crosswise. Place a large, heavy skillet over medium heat until bottom of the pan is hot. Add the plums and sprinkle with 1/3 cup sugar, ginger and cinnamon. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves and becomes syrupy. The plums should be tender when pierced with a knife, about 6 minutes. Keep an eye on the plums to make sure they don’t become mushy. If using ripe plums instead of medium ripe, cut your cook time in half. Remove from heat and allow plums to cool to room temperature. If needed, season with more sugar.

In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, 1½ tablespoons sugar and vanilla. Spoon ¼ cup of the plum mixture into a wine or parfait glass. Top with 2 to 3 tablespoons of yogurt. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon granola. Repeat layering 1 more time. Serve immediately.

Espresso-Scented

Coffee Cake

In my opinion no brunch is complete without a coffee cake, and this dense Espresso-Scented Coffee Cake is hard to beat. This cake is baked in a 9-inch springform pan with a small ramekin set in the center. You can use a Bundt pan if you prefer, which will need another 10 to 15 minutes to bake.

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons butter, chilled and diced, plus more for the pan

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups light brown sugar, packed

2 teaspoons cinnamon

¾ cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

1½ teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 large egg, room temperature

1 tablespoon instant espresso dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water

1½ teaspoons vanilla

Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter the bottom and sides of a springform pan, then cut a sheet of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan. Place the paper in the bottom of the pan and butter it. Butter sides and bottom of a small ramekin and place it right-side-up in the center of the pan.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add diced butter and rub the mixture between your fingers until it resembles coarse crumbs. Put ¾ cup in a small bowl with pecans. Set aside.

Add baking powder, baking soda and salt to the large bowl with the flour and stir to combine. In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, espresso and vanilla, then stir in the dry ingredients just until blended. The batter should be quite thick.

Ladle half the batter into the pan and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle half the nut mixture over the batter. Repeat with remaining batter and nuts. Place pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until cake is golden, 40 to 45 minutes.

Cool cake to room temperature, about 45 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Gently remove the ramekin and the sides of the pan.

You can either dust the cake with powdered sugar or make a creamy espresso glaze to go over the top.

Cream Espresso Glaze Ingredients:

3 tablespoons milk, plus more if needed

1¼ teaspoons instant espresso powder

3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1/3 cup powdered sugar

Glaze Prep:

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk and espresso powder until espresso has dissolved. Add the cream cheese. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat mixture until blended. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. The glaze should be smooth and thin enough to drizzle over the top of the cake. If not, thin with 1 teaspoon of milk at a time until desired consistency is reached.