A Brunch Spread Fit for Spring

From tasty small bites to a filling feast and even dessert for breakfast, brunch options are nearly endless. Take your spring brunch to the next level with recipes that appease appetites of all kinds. 

First, start with portioned pastry cups perfect for appetizers. Bring out the protein-packed breakfast burritos for the main course then, for a final touch of sweet deliciousness, offer up lemony doughnuts to cap off the feast. 

Find more brunch recipes at Culinary.net.

Bite-Sized Breakfast

Appetizer-sized portions and small bites of all sorts are ideal for breakfast spreads, and these Pastry Brunch Cups are perfect for starting a morning meal with loved ones. Or, if a busy schedule looms, try baking a batch and separating it into appropriate serving sizes for a simple way to meal prep heading into a new week.

Find more breakfast recipes at Culinary.net.

Pastry Brunch Cups

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 2 tablespoons flour

• 1 1/2 cups milk

• 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

• 2 sheets puff pastry

• 18 eggs

• 2 cups diced ham

• chopped fresh green onions

Instructions

1. Heat oven 375 F

2. In a small saucepan, melt butter. Whisk flour with butter. Gradually pour in milk, whisking each time. Bring to simmer, whisking until mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat; stir in Swiss cheese. Set aside.

3. Use a rolling pin to thin out puff pastries. Cut each into nine squares. Line pastry squares in muffin cups, pressing bottoms down firmly and moving pastries up sides for edges to come up just over muffin tins. Fill each cup with 1 teaspoon cheese sauce. Crack one egg into each cup and sprinkle each with diced ham.

4. Bake 10-15 minutes until eggs set. Sprinkle with chopped green onions.

Power Brunch with a Protein-Packed Burrito

A well-rounded brunch calls for a multitude of dishes and beverages, but it wouldn't be complete without a protein-packed recipe to get the day started. 

This delicious Breakfast Burrito is loaded with colorful veggies and Silver Fern Farms 100% grass-fed strip steak. Hailing from New Zealand, home to some of the world's most natural tasting beef and lamb, this premium cut of beef is aged 21 days and minimally processed with no added growth hormones or antibiotics. The animals are grass-fed year-round and allowed to roam and graze freely, so the beef offers a lean, flavorful texture that tastes just as nature intended. 

Visit silverfernfarms.com to find more at-home brunch inspiration. 

Breakfast Burrito

Ingredients

• 1 Silver Fern Farms New Zealand 100% Grass-Fed New York Strip Steak (10 ounces) 

• oil

• salt, to taste

• pepper, to taste1/2 onion, finely chopped

• 1 red bell pepper, sliced lengthwise

• 4 large mushrooms, sliced

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1/2-1 teaspoon chili powder

• 1 tomato, finely chopped

• 8 eggs

• 1/2 cup milk

• 4 large tortillas

• 1 cup spinach

• 1 1/2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

• 1/4 cup cilantro

• 1 avocado

• lime wedges (optional)

• hot sauce (optional)

Instructions

1. Remove steak from packaging and set aside 10 minutes. Once steak reaches room temperature, heat pan over medium-high heat. 

2. Rub steak with oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

3. Cook until medium-rare, approximately 3-4 minutes each side. Remove from pan and cover loosely with tin foil to rest 5 minutes.

4. Reduce heat to medium and add a splash of oil. Add onion; cook for 1 minute. Add red bell pepper and mushrooms; cook for 1 minute.

5. Add cumin, paprika, and chili powder; stir through.

6. When veggies are tender (about 2 minutes), add tomato and cook until soft. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

7. In large bowl, whisk eggs, milk and salt and pepper, to taste.

8. Heat pan to medium heat and add a splash of oil.

9. Pour egg mixture into pan and cook, lifting and folding eggs until thickened and no visible liquid egg remains. Do not stir constantly.

10. Lay tortillas on flat surface or plate.

11. In the center of the tortilla, add cooked veggies and top with thinly sliced beef. Add handful of spinach, scrambled eggs, crumbled feta, cilantro and avocado. Fold the bottom of the tortilla and roll.

12. Serve with lime wedges and hot sauce, if desired.

Dine on Deliciously Sweet Doughnuts

Brunch is never complete without something sweet to cap off the morning feast, and doughnuts are often the perfect complement to an array of main courses. 

These Lemon Ricotta Doughnuts pair the bite-sized morsels with lemon curd (if that suits your style) for a sweet-tart combination. They're made using Domino Golden Sugar, which is made from pure cane sugar and is less processed than white granulated sugar, as the one you can always trust in your favorite recipes. It works cup-for-cup just like white sugar but with a golden color and distinct hint of molasses flavor. 

Visit dominosugar.com to find recipes perfect for entertaining and celebrating throughout the year.

Lemon Ricotta Doughnuts

Ingredients

Doughnuts:

Vegetable oil, for frying

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 3/4 cups Domino Golden Sugar, divided 

• 2 tablespoons baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons lemon zest

• 5 large eggs

• 1 3/4 cups ricotta cheese

• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Lemon Curd (optional):

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened

• 1 1/2 cups Domino Golden Sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 2 egg yolks

• 4 lemons, zest and juice only

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. To make doughnuts: In large saucepan, preheat oil to 350 F. Prepare cookie sheet with paper towel to drain doughnuts once out of hot oil. 

2. In a bowl, mix flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add lemon zest, eggs, ricotta cheese, and vanilla extract; mix until well combined. 

3. Use ice cream scoop to scoop small amounts of dough into oil, 4-5 pieces at a time. Fry each batch until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Keep oil at or near 350 F; if oil is too hot, doughnuts will turn golden brown but centers may still be raw. Remove from oil and drain in paper towel. Repeat with remaining dough.

4. While still hot, toss doughnuts with remaining sugar.

5. To make lemon curd, if desired: In a large bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and egg yolks, one at a time. Add lemon zest, lemon juice and salt.

6. Transfer mixture to saucepan and cook at low-medium heat until thick and creamy, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool before serving with doughnuts.