After spending the last several Sundays being too lazy to do much of anything, I finally had some motivation this week to whip together some great food and drinks! Yesterday was the perfect Sunday Funday – it was raining cats and dogs, so I did not feel bad about sitting on my duff in my pajamas, eating, day drinking, and watching football and hockey all day.
Before I get to the recipes, I have to share my belief as to what constitutes a great Sunday Funday. The presence of good friends (or at least cool roommates) is key, and you must be wearing cozy, comfy clothing. If you’ve gone out the night before and you’re not feeling so chipper in the morning hours, that’s OK; Sunday Funday is all about starting off with a little “hair of the dog” and continuing from there. Good breakfast food and drinks, some munchies, some substantial food, good company, and a few good games are just what the doctor ordered!
I kicked off my Sunday Funday with the perfect brunch cocktail – the “Bourbellini.” I am not much of a bourbon drinker, I’m a scotch girl. However, I’m a firm believer that scotch should not be poured before noon. Enter Bourbon. Bourbon is sweeter; it is not smoky like scotch, and therefore, it is perfect for my two brunch recipes, The Bourbellini, and Bacon & Bourbon French Toast.
I created Bacon & Bourbon French Toast because I love the taste of bacon combined with maple syrup, and I wanted to showcase that flavor combination in a recipe. I also love French Toast, so I decided to stay true to my title and make French Toast containing bacon, butter, and booze. Rich, satisfying, and unique, this may have to be my go-to weekend breakfast from now on.
For my snack dish, I managed to replicate Estragon’s Garbanzos Fritos, or fried chickpeas. Crunchy and flavorful, serve them in a bowl and eat them like popcorn. They’re a lot more satisfying! And for the main dish, I cooked up my Halftime Steak, named as such because it takes no longer than an average halftime break to prepare and cook.
There are only a few weeks of football left, so I suggest you shop for these ingredients on Saturday, gather the troops, and treat yourselves to these recipes on your next Sunday Funday!
Bourbellini
1 oz. bourbon
1-2 oz. peach nectar
champagne or sparkling wine
Pour the bourbon and peach nectar into a champagne flute or wine glass (or a pint glass, depending on your style). Fill the rest of the glass with champagne/sparkling wine, stir gently. (makes 1)
WARNING: This is a prime example of a danger drink, so do me a favor and don’t drive if you’re drinking these babies...
Bacon & Bourbon French Toast
4 slices center-cut bacon
4 large eggs
2 oz. bourbon
8 slices spongy bread (plain white is fine, as long as it’s fresh)
butter
Powdered sugar
Maple syrup
In a frying pan with a large cooking surface (big enough to hold at least 2 slices of bread), cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Turn off heat, remove the bacon from pan and set aside on paper towels; do not drain the bacon fat from the pan, but remove any charred bits.
Once the bacon has cooled enough to touch, crumble it into very small pieces (you may have to use a knife and chop it a little if it’s not crispy enough to crumble using your hands). Place the crumbled bacon in a shallow dish large enough to lay one slice of the bread completely flat. Add the eggs and the bourbon to this dish, and beat the egg, bacon and bourbon mixture with a fork or whisk until the eggs’ yolk and white are completely blended.
Place the pan containing the bacon drippings over medium heat, and add a pat of butter. In the meantime, lay one of the slices of bread in the egg mixture until it is completely coated on one side; flip it over and repeat so that both sides of the bread are completely covered with the egg mixture. Now, add the coated bread to the pan with the bacon drippings, and fry for a minute or two on each side, or until the bread begins to turn golden brown. Repeat with the remaining slices (you’ll probably have to work in batches), removing with a spatula and adding a little extra butter to the pan between batches (if necessary).
Serve in stacks of 2-4 slices, dusted with a bit of powdered sugar. Offer maple syrup, extra butter, and Bourbellinis!
Garbanzos Fritos
1 can chickpeas, drained
splash olive oil
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. garlic powder
1 t. smoked paprika
1/2 t. fine sea salt
1 T. chopped fresh parsley
Dry the chickpeas completely, using paper towels. This is a very important step; if they are not completely dry, they will not fry correctly.
Heat a frying pan with deep sides over high heat, and add a generous splash of olive oil to completely coat the bottom of the pan. Add the chickpeas to the pan and cook, shaking occasionally, until you can hear the chickpeas "pop." If you have a splatter guard, you may want to use it. This should take about 8 minutes. You may have to work in batches, depending on the size of your pan.
Drain the fried chickpeas on a paper towel, then add to a bowl and toss with all remaining ingredients until chickpeas are completely coated. Serve warm.
Halftime Steak
2 steaks, about 1 inch thick (I use sirloin or filet mignon)
1 clove garlic, halved
kosher salt
coarsely ground black pepper
butter, softened
several paper-thin slices of garlic (think Goodfellas!)
Before kickoff, place your steaks out so that they've reached room temperature by halftime.
As soon as the 2nd quarter ends, heat a heavy-bottomed frying pan, preferably cast-iron, over high heat. In the meantime, rub the steaks with the garlic clove halves, and then season each side of the steaks with a pinch of kosher salt and a generous coating of black pepper.
Once the steaks are seasoned, check to see if your pan is ready. If you fling a few drops of water on the surface, they should bead up and dance across the pan rather than staying put and sizzling.
Once the pan is ready, throw a few pinches of kosher salt into the pan, then add the steaks. Sear for 1-3 minutes per side, using tongs to turn them over. (Note: This timing will result in a rare steak. If you want yours medium or well, it takes longer. Not sure how much longer; I eat my steak rare!)
Remove the steaks from the pan and set aside to rest for approx. 5 minutes. This is very important that you do not touch the steaks while they rest; this step distributes the juices.
When the steaks are ready to serve, sprinkle a few paper-thin slices of garlic on each one, and top with a pad of butter. Once the butter has melted, they're ready to eat! Good accompaniments are baked potatoes or seasoned boiled rice (I prefer rice with a dab of Aji Sauce, a recipe I am still trying to perfect and will post once I'm satisfied).
