What Is Brunch? Plus Some Tester Photos
What exactly is brunch? Chad says there’s no such thing, but he hates cupcakes so can he be trusted? I like to look at other brunch books to get (steal) ideas from. Most of the ones I find are from the seventies, their covers speaking of a time when pineapples-as-garnish and copious amounts of raw egg yolks were what it was all about. The ideas are just as dusty as the front covers, but sometimes they just need a little brushing off.
The recipes run the gamut from the everyday (oatmeal) to the unsurprising (scrambled eggs) to the real stumpers (lasagna?) In New York a typical brunch was dim sum at Vegetarian Dim Sum House at Pell Street. Dragging ass to Chinatown with bedhead and smudged mascara from the night before for some greasy goodness was a welcomed tradition. The sunlight hitting your eyes as the D-train crossed the Manhattan bridge was worth it alone. The rest of the day would be spent nursing your tummy into recovery, but so what? It was Sunday. And who can resist treasure boxes?
The typical cravings I get for brunch are usually smoky and earthy and herby; fennel, mushroom, sage, thyme, tempeh. But the big question is always savory or sweet? My favorite way to decide is “both.” A big plate of scrambled tofu and homefries with burnt crispy pieces of onion, but also a plate of pancakes to split between the table. In the winter top them with cinnamon apples, blueberries and lemon for the summer. A little ginger in the batter always. It never smells quite as warm and homey at any other time of day.
As I come to the end of cooking, baking, rolling, kneading, frying and sprinking for the brunch book I’m no closer to understanding what brunch is exactly. Why is it okay to bite into beer battered tofu at 11 am on a Sunday but not 8 am on a Tuesday? The only answer I really have is that someone, somewhere said so.
This book has been so fun to work on. Some of my recipes testers have been with me since Vegan With A Vengeance, some just joined in, but they’re really the heart and soul and elbow and bellybutton of the book writing process. You’ve probably seen some tester photos floating around, but I’m going to share some of my favorites with you.
Raised Waffles With Baked Cinnamon Apples from tofu666.
Banana Flapjacks from Hoveringdog.
I’ll share some more soon! And maybe some recipes if I’m not feeling too mean and lazy. The brunch book will be out next Spring!
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Wow, this all looks strangely like…. BREAKFAST! Oh, I’m sorry, it’s served at noon, my bad. I get it, brunch…
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:58 pm
What is a treasure box? It sounds dirty.
September 3rd, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Chad - suck it.
mel - it’s this little fried thingy with stuff in it. I think it’s actually called a treasure ball now that I think of it, but that sounds even dirtier.
September 3rd, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Chad, you’re such a little punk! OMG, I’m shocked!
Seriously - I hope you include things that make it into brunch out of leftovers like mmmm… fried mashed potato patties.
One of my favorite brunch things is mushroom gravy & biscuits - and you’re totally right, you have to have the sweet and the savory. Lacking enough brunch partners or appetite, I satisfy craving that with a mimosa.
September 3rd, 2008 at 3:28 pm
I freakin’ love brunch but loathe breakfast. I wonder what that means? I have heard so much about the brunch book - I am really excited.
September 3rd, 2008 at 3:45 pm
so, are you calling us bellybutton… lint?
that sounds about right.
September 3rd, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Brunch was invented for people like me who don’t actually wake up in time to make breakfast.
September 3rd, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Gorgeous photos. I’m SO excited for the new book.
There really is something magical about brunch.
September 3rd, 2008 at 6:46 pm
I hope I’ll get to be one of your testers someday! In the meantime, I’ll eagerly await the new brunch and cookie books while cooking up a storm from VWAV, Veganomicon, and VCTOTW.
September 3rd, 2008 at 6:52 pm
I’ve had those pancakes and they are so, so good! I wonder what they call breakfast for dinner, that’s also a favorite some nights
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Hi, you do not know me, but I love your cookooks! VWAV helped me become a vegan after almost a decade as a vegetarian, so thank you. Can’t wait for The Crack of Noon (fab title)!
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:18 pm
your brunch recipes were my favorite thing about vwav so i am very excited about this book! it is my favorite meal of the day. : ) thanks for putting this together for us.
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Can I be the small intestine of testers?
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:16 pm
they are treasure balls. and they are beautiful.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Omg those photos look divinely delicious! An omelette too! I cannot wait for this book! I consider brunch perfect for us lazy heads who wake up too close to lunch but too far from breakfast :)… But wait, perhaps that is the official definition of brunch and I’m not being witty at all…bummer.
September 4th, 2008 at 3:45 am
i have been admiring jess’ omelets for some time now.. and oh, how i want one.
(that’s me saying, “post that recipe please!”)
(and, “reading the above comments made even ‘omelet’ sound dirty”)
September 4th, 2008 at 4:47 am
Great pictures! I am so looking for ward to the book! Of course, as soon as I have it I will start to have brunch everyday. At 8 a.m. Becuase we shouldn’t listen to what “somebody” says.
September 4th, 2008 at 6:11 am
Damn girl, youse a writer! I like the paragraph about waking up and taking the D train. It almost makes me want to cry… but in a good way.
September 4th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Spring?! You are *such* a tease, missy.
September 4th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Can’t wait, can’t wait, can’t wait…
September 4th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
You write really, really well…
can’t wait for the book!
September 4th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Can’t wait until the book comes out. I wish I’d been paying attention when you called for testers, I’m jealous of the amazing tester food I’m seeing. Beer-battered tofu?–please tell a recipe for this and going to be in there.
September 4th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Tostada chips with an omelet, a special meal like that is reserved for brunch.
But until next spring, I’ll just have to stick with plain ol’ breakfast
September 4th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
I
September 4th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
where did my comment go?
I love those omelets so much.
September 5th, 2008 at 12:56 am
as far as I’m concerned,
brunch is ALL ABOUT “Both”
sweet AND savory, baby. the only way to go
September 5th, 2008 at 1:09 am
I think I would step on small children- my own, even- to be one of your recipe testers. Next time you need one, give a sista a holla.
September 5th, 2008 at 7:15 am
I can’t wait! Can we just refer to this book as “Crack” in the forums?
September 7th, 2008 at 11:58 am
That looks so good! To me, brunch is both about sweet and savory, part breakfast, part lunch food.
September 7th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
I’ve had a strange lack of appetite for all of maybe… six hours? but this looks teeth-sinkingly good… somewhere between the cinnamon apples and the mention of fennel and tempeh. oh, and ambiguous meal-designations never hurt the appetite (or the table conversation) either. I cannot wait for this book!
September 8th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
I cannot wait for this book.
September 9th, 2008 at 10:06 am
this is weird. without even looking at the PPK blog, i’ve started a series of entries dedicated to breffast, using the recipes i’ve tried in VWAV. my food porn pics aren’t as good, but the food was yummy.
September 12th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
I am drooling now! If you ever need another tester please email me. Would love to help out!
September 13th, 2008 at 12:40 am
brunch is why we have sundays….it’s about being lazy all morning; making brunch for some friends in your jammies, watching movies and eating a tofu scramble or breakfast burrito with, yes ~ pancakes or muffins to add some sweetness.
i can’t wait to see the recipe for that omelette.
September 14th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
I have been craving a good brunch for weeks. Unfortunately I have no veg friends here on the West Coast but I might convince my dad to take some time off golfing to go to Follow Your Heart with me next weekend…
I’m sitting here with Food Network on and wondering: WHY are there still no veg cooking shows on this channel? I love food shows, but it’s kind of difficult to watch most of them when they’re all centered around animal flesh, all the time…
September 17th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
chad hates animals as much as he hates brunch, haha.
and does this mean i can’t give you the two amazing 70s brunch books i got for a buck at the thrift store on monday?