What’s not to like about brunch? It’s like starting your day with a celebration. Danes do brunch well; cafes and restaurants around Copenhagen offer brunch plates with assortments of everything! Pancakes, cheese, eggs and BACON. It’s all standard fare. This is wonderful news for a brunch-lovers.
Breakfast has always been my favourite meal. When growing up, on my birthday I would beg my parents to take me out for breakfast before school, instead of some egg-less, pancake-void dinner. Eww!
To me, nothing says ‘it’s winter’ like getting up late and making a meal of it. And nothing is more hyggelig than sitting around a warm, candlelit table with friends and eating breakfast delights. (Pst! Check out the definition of hygge and what it’s all about). As the cold begins to set in, it’s time to break out the brunch recipes!
Homer Simpson: I’ve never been so embarrassed! And the worst part is this is brunch so you’ve ruined two meals! I’ll see you all at lupper.
These no fuss dishes are inspired by my Danish housemate’s flawless brunches, which she pulls together with calm elegance. They’re perfectly simple. Admittedly, the hardest part is braving the cold while cruising around the city for ingredients the day before – but having friends (or in this case, family) to help makes it so much easier and enjoyable.
When my parents visited Copenhagen recently, I showed them a slice of Danish life by preparing a brunch to end all bunches! Here’s how the meal went, in all its brunch-y glory:
Preparation
Eggs
Easy as pie.
So simple, right??
My friend Katherine helped with the presentation. In fact, this brunch was put on to thank Katherine, who works at Noma, for helping us get a booking. My parents were horrified that I was attempting to entertain her given my comparatively laissez-faire history of entertaining, along with her husband Kim, who’s a chef at Amass. The stakes were running high…
Croissants
These were even easier than the eggs. I bought them at Emmerys and heated them up in the oven. Boom. Alternatively, you can buy pre-baked frozen croissants at Torvehallerne, or even croissants in a can at supermarkets around Copenhagen. Yes. In a can.
Yoghurt Pots
These yoghurt pots were all organic, made with linseed, sunflower seeds, frozen raspberries, vanilla powder, aniseeds, cinnamon and skyr yoghurt.
Bread, Cheese & Dips
Brunch wouldn’t be brunch without cheese.
Coffeeeee, Fresh Orange Juice, and Lime Water
Coffee galore, alongside fresh orange juice made with my trusty Nutri-bullet.
Emergency champagne can be found at Emmerys too; it happened to be a public holiday.
Rhubarb Tart with fresh strawberries & vanilla ice-cream
I like to think I could have made this from scratch given that it was rhubarb season at the time, but that didn’t happen.
Time to Eat!
The guests arrived, and I somehow kept on apron on, perhaps to give the illusion of slaving in the kitchen for hours? I don’t know. But all that matters is we had a ball. No stress.
Ingredients
