Abigail's beautiful brunch ideas

Breakfast plus lunch equals brunch. A long, lazy, midday meal. But what to cook? Here's what Abigail makes for weekend brunches.

Brunch at my home is usually a weekend thing. We wake up early and have a slice of buttered toast and tea, which means we don't have a hearty breakfast. Come 10 o'clock, we're all starving. Too starving to wait for lunch and too lazy to go out.

So brunch it is.

I like to invite friends for brunch - it's a chance to catch up with them but it doesn't turn into a whole-day affair.

Open tarts are one of my staples, they are so easy to make - all you need is a roll of Woolies' puff pastry and whatever ingredients you have in the fridge.Try my pumpkin, sage and blue cheese tart.

While I like to keep things simple, I often add treats like a platter or marinated trout to the table.

To make it, simply layer slices of smoked or fresh trout on a platter, drizzle with a little olive oil and lime juice and scatter over some chopped gherkins or capers and some chopped, fresh dill.

It goes so well with our favourite omelette rolls. I take a warmed, crispy French loaf and cut it into six pieces, then fill each with a wedge of omelette. Sometimes I add a spoonful of baby tomatoes that have been fried in a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

I probably should have mentioned that tall glasses of freshly made Bloody Mary are the first thing to be brought to the table. If you aren't up to vodka early in the day, simply offer spicy tomato juice with a dash of celery salt.

Another favourite brunch drink is fruity Pimms packed with cucumber, apple and mint. We also love is beer shandys made with ginger beer rather than lemonade.

But back to the food! Grilled sausages always seem to make make their way to our table.

Toss a packet or two (they are particularly good cold) of Woolies' black pepper pork sausages in wholegrain mustard and honey and roast until sticky and dark golden brown.

Another favourite is easy palmiers. Take a roll of puff pastry, sprinkle it with chopped nuts, cinnamon and brown sugar. Roll into a roll and cut into spirals. Lay these on a greased baking tray and bake at 180ºC until crisp and brown, about 15 minutes.

Tray cakes are always a treat, easy to make and you can serve the squares straight from the pan.

White chocolate and blueberry tray cake

You'll need:

125 g butter, 200 g good quality white chocolate, 150 g sugar, 125 g self-raising flour, 1 t almond extract, 100 g desiccated coconut, 2 free-range eggs, beaten, 150 g blueberries, frozen or fresh.

To make:

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a baking tray of approximately 30 cm x 15 cm in size.
Melt the butter and chocolate together in the microwave or over a medium heat. Stir in the sugar.
Pour into a bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Mix until combined.
Pour the mixture into the baking tray and bake for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Cool and cut into squares. Delicious.

Enjoy, and I'm looking forward to skipping breakfast this weekend!

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