IN THE MIX: Jazz Brunch with Poached Eggs & Cheddar Grits

Every Sunday we make a big brunch for our family.  It's the one time of the week we all sit down together for a *relaxing* meal (we eat dinner every night together too, but that is NOT relaxing).  And, as a benefit, the kids always eat their entire brunch, so there is no arguing about 'how many more bites.'  It's really fantastic.  

While we are making and eating brunch, we generally listen to a jazz mix.  It gives us the 'feeling' of going out to brunch without having to pay a check at the end.  

This past Sunday, we made some delicious Poached Eggs over Grits with a side of Wild Boar sausage (thanks Springfield Butcher!) while listening to some awesome jazz tunes.  I thought I would share it with you all so you can recreate your own jazz brunch magic!

Poached Eggs Over Cheddar Grits with Wild Boar Sausage   

Ingredients
4 links of wild boar sausage (or regular sausage)
2 cups of water
1 cup of chicken broth
3/4 cup of half and half
3 tablespoons of butter
1 cup of quick grits
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons of white vinegar
3 eggs
Hot Sauce   

Preparation 
1.  In a cast iron skillet, over medium high heat, cook the sausage links for about 20 minutes until cooked all way through.

 
2.  Combine the water, chicken broth, half and half, and 2 tbl of butter in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil. 

3.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Whisk the grits into the saucepan.  Allow to simmer about 10 minutes until thickened.   Remove from heat.

4.  Add the cheddar cheese and remaining 1 tbl of butter to the grits.  Cover with a lid to keep warm.

 
5.  Boil water over high heat in a deep skillet.  Before it comes to a rolling boil, reduce heat to medium-high and add vinegar.

6.  Crack individual eggs into a small bowl and gently slide into the water.  

7.  Cook eggs in the pan for about 3 minutes (until whites form)... be careful that your eggs don't stick to the bottom of the pan.  (if they do, gently detach with a spoon).

8.  Once cooked, remove eggs with a slotted spoon and place over a pile of grits with the sausage.

 
9.  Sprinkle generously with hot sauce (or don't - it's up to you!)

 
10.  Now for the important part... break the yolk!  And enjoy with your jazz playlist below.

Jazz Brunch Playlist
This playlist was created by my husband.  Need to give credit where credit is due.  You can get this full playlist on Spotify.

 
Move - Rudy Van Gelder
Moving Out
Back at the Chicken Shack
Dat Dere
Cat Walk
I've Grown Accustomed to Your Face
The Core
Take Five
Soul Station
Budo
Blue Train
Root Down and Get It
St. Thomas
Blue Monk
I'll Close My Eyes
Matador
Nobody Else
Ruby My Dear
Blue 7
Come Rain or Come Shine - Take 2
Blue Rondo a la Turk   
   

 

Easy Baked French Toast Recipe

I love having guests over at my house -- it gives me the opportunity to cook and try out new recipes!  I will admit though, it can get tiring after a few days so I have some recipes that I keep on hand that are super easy, can feed a crowd, and that you can just throw in the oven so you can enjoy time with your company.  

One of my tried and true recipes is baked french toast.  It is delicious and makes its own syrup.  If you want to be super fancy, you can put out a bowl of berries as topping.  You make it the night before so all you have to do is throw it in the oven in the morning (and then you can spend your time working on getting some coffee in your system so you can function!).

Ingredients
6 slices of french bread
1/2 cup of unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbl corn syrup
1 tbl raw agave nectar
5 eggs
1 cup of half and half
1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

Preparation
1.  Slice the french bread into six slices.  Leave the crusts on! 

2.  In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter.  Then add and mix in the brown sugar, corn syrup, and agave nectar.  Heat until the sugar is dissolved and the ingredients are smooth and combined.

3.   Pour the sugar mixture into a 9x13 glass baking dish.  Placed the sliced french bread on top of the sugar sauce in one layer.

4.  In a bowl, mix the eggs, half and half, heavy cream, vanilla and salt.

5.  Pour the egg mixture over top of the bread.  Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

6.  The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Remove the dish from the refridgerator and bring to room temperature.  Place in the oven and cook for 45-50 until golden brown.

7. Serve with a side of your favorite berries (or by itself!).