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Cracking brunch recipes made for sharing with friends

The secret to a successful brunch is to prepare the dishes in advance. It leaves you free to enjoy time with your guests, says celebrity chef recipe developer Clare Anne O’Keefe

Create a spread that fills the table with plates and cutlery stacked in one corner so guest can help themselves and go back for more
Create a spread that fills the table with plates and cutlery stacked in one corner so guest can help themselves and go back for more
Thu Feb 08 2024 - 05:00

When it comes to cooking for a crowd consider brunch, says food stylist and recipe developer Clare Anne O’Keefe. “With the right planning, it can be such a relaxed meal. I invite friends and their kids, you can eat over a few hours and have a great catch-up at the same time.”

Choosing big sharing dishes that can be served straight from oven to table is a game-changer, she says. “For guests the bonus is they can pick and choose what they want, there’s no fussing over serving people.” Brunch shouldn’t have the formality of dinner so plan your table for relaxed self-service. Put out piles of plates and cutlery, let people help themselves and eat where they like

As for deciding what to cook, the trick is all in the planning. “I do as much as I can the night before so the next day when people are arriving I can just pop my dishes into the oven – making full use of the oven space in the Belling range.”

One of her favourite crowd-pleasers is baked cottage cheese. “The mix can be made the night before, poured into an ovenproof serving dish and then kept in the fridge. The next morning all you have to do is pop into the oven to bake,” she explains. And it’s a versatile dish that works with sweet or savoury. “You could serve it with tomato relish or you can have it with fresh or preserved cherries and a drizzle of Irish honey.”

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Preparing a simple goats cheese and thyme filling for a savoury topping for the spelt scones. You can drizzle this with a little honey to add some sweetness
Preparing a simple goats cheese and thyme filling for a savoury topping for the spelt scones. You can drizzle this with a little honey to add some sweetness

Clare Anne serves spelt scones alongside this, her gorgeous take on a classic scone. She uses extra butter in the process to make these nutritionally dense scones layered and flaky. “They rise beautifully when baked in the tall oven in a Belling and pull apart easily for eating and spreading lovely things on top,” she explains.

She skips the typical brunch egg dishes, which can be tricky with a gang, with each looking to have their eggs cooked to their liking. Instead she opts for a sharing plate of kedgeree made with smoked haddock, rice, lentils, eggs and curried spices. “It’s all done in one dish so this is a great one for a big brunch, although there are several steps to it,” she explains. “The fully programmable timer on the Belling oven makes all the difference. It prevents you getting distracted by the crowd and keeps everything on time.”

Clare Anne O’Keefe with a prepare-in- advance brunch menu that you can cook all at the same time in a Belling oven
Clare Anne O’Keefe with a prepare-in- advance brunch menu that you can cook all at the same time in a Belling oven

For a brunch dessert she suggests baked oatmeal with apricots and chocolate. This can be cooked in the same oven as the kedgeree without worrying about the flavours crossing over. “The Belling tall oven can be divided into two. This means you can cook a savoury and a sweet thing at the same time and there won’t be any cross over of flavours. This is important because the kedgeree flavours would be considered strong.”

Lastly, she recommends drink having a range of options ready to go for when your guests arrive, she counsels

“I usually serve coffee and juices, some cordial for the kids and if you want to be a bit naughty, include some spritzes or mimosa to sit and enjoy with your brunch meal.”

Baked cottage cheese

Ingredients
  • 6 medium eggs
  • 600g cottage cheese, plain
  • 125g soft goat cheese
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and lightly grease a casserole dish.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until well combined. Add the cottage cheese and goat cheese and mix well. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and drizzle over the olive oil.
  3. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until the top is golden brown and the centre is set.
  4. Cut into squares and serve.
These spelt scones, are a nutrient-dense take on the traditional scone and can be served with savoury or sweet toppings. The baked cottage cheese is to the rear of shot
These spelt scones, are a nutrient-dense take on the traditional scone and can be served with savoury or sweet toppings. The baked cottage cheese is to the rear of shot

Spelt scones

Ingredients
  • 450g spelt flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 100g butter
  • 2 tbsp Irish honey
  • 300ml buttermilk (approx)
  • 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
Method
  1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees putting a baking tray in to preheat also. Place the butter into the freezer for a half-hour.
  2. Sieve flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Whisk the honey into the buttermilk and pour in enough liquid to make a soft dough while gently mixing together with one hand. Turn on to a floured board and gently knead to remove any cracks.
  3. Take the butter from the freezer and with a sharp knife cut the butter into little shards. Roll out the dough lightly to 2.5cm in thickness then sprinkle over half the butter shards. Fold the buttered dough over on to itself and lightly roll out again, sprinkle over the second half of the butter shards and fold again. Roll out again. Cut the scones into 5cm squares, brush with a little buttermilk and sprinkle over pumpkin seeds and sea salt.
  4. Remove your preheated baking tray from the oven and flour it, then add your scones. Bake your scones in a preheated oven at 200 degrees on the upper shelf position for approximately 10 minutes. Cool on a wire tray.
This is a protein-rich take on a classic served with jammy eggs and set in the centre of the table so guests can serve themselves to seconds
This is a protein-rich take on a classic served with jammy eggs and set in the centre of the table so guests can serve themselves to seconds

Irish kedgeree

Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp Irish butter
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 tsp Madras curry paste
  • 200g wholegrain brown rice
  • 200g puy lentils
  • Approx 350ml whole milk
  • 450g smoked Irish haddock fillet
  • 1 lime
  • 4 large eggs
  • 200g Irish green beans, trimmed
  • 15g fresh flat leaf parsley
  • 120ml kefir
Method
  1. Preheat the tall oven to 180 degrees. Rinse the rice and puy lentils.
  2. In a medium casserole pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about five minutes. Stir in curry paste, lentils and rice. Season with salt and pepper. Add water to the pan covering the rice and lentils plus another 5cm over. Heat to boiling then remove from the hob and pop in the oven for 20 mins, setting your timer.
  3. In a small saucepan combine smoked haddock fillet with enough milk to cover and heat to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer just until haddock begins to flake, about five to 10 minutes. Drain and cool slightly then flake the fish. Wipe out the saucepan.
  4. To that saucepan add the whole eggs in a single layer and cover them with room temperature water, about 4cm above the eggs. Cover the pan and bring it to the boil, then turn the heat off and leave for 12 minutes. When done, scoop the eggs out of the pan and put them into a bowl of very cold water to prevent them from cooking any further. Then crack and peel the eggs.
  5. Carefully take the casserole from the oven. Zest and juice the lime adding to rice and lentils while fluffing with a fork. Cut the hard-boiled eggs in half. Add fish, eggs, and green beans to dish, tossing gently. Drizzle the kefir over the top.
  6. Cover and bake for 15 minutes then add the parsley leaves before serving.
A delicious desert that can be served warm, with a stack of spelt scones elevated on a cake plate for guests ease of access
A delicious desert that can be served warm, with a stack of spelt scones elevated on a cake plate for guests ease of access

Fruit and nut chocolate baked oatmeal

Ingredients
  • 300g rolled oats
  • 1 tin apricot halves in juice
  • 60g almond butter
  • 30ml maple syrup
  • 5g baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 60g dark vegan chocolate chips
  • 60g chopped nuts
  • 60g mixed seeds
Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and lightly grease a rectangular casserole dish.
  2. Into a large blender, add the oats, almond butter, maple syrup, baking powder, vanilla extract, sea salt and half of the apricots with all of the juice. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Pour the contents of the blender into the greased dish. Top with the chocolate chips, other half of the apricots, nuts and seeds.
  3. Bake for 23-25 minutes until the top is golden, and the cake feels mostly firm to the touch.
  4. Remove and let cool slightly before serving. This dessert dish can be kept warm in the warming oven and is fantastic with a fruit sorbet.

To find out more about the Belling range and for your nearest stockist, visit their website here