It was a small brunch on Sunday, just five people. It seems that when we get more than six or seven, the table’s capacity is exceeded and the dynamic just isn’t as intimate. Also, eating while sitting around the sofa just isn’t as comfortable.
Left to right: Suchai, Ken, Tawn and Doug.
The menu was a fairly simple, mostly vegetarian and vaguely Mediterranean one.
To begin with (after appetizers of celery sticks with white bean hummus), I pulled together an interesting salad based on a suggestion from Tawn. A Hawaiian papaya half filled with a shrimp, mango and cucumber salad. Flavored with nigella and cumin, it was really wonderful.
The main meal included scrambled eggs; oven-roasted asparagus; a quinoa salad with feta, corn and cherry tomatoes; and a roasted red pepper fougasse.
The fougasse, a stuffed flatbread from Southern France, came from a website I was recently recommended: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. It is really easy to make. After roasting some red bell peppers under the broiler and skinning them, I rolled out a basic olive oil yeast dough.
I cut a few slits on one side and spread the peppers on the right. Next time I’ll roll the dough a little thinner and add more peppers. I then sprinkled coarse sea salt and thyme on the peppers.
Then, I folded the dough over, sealing the edges firmly. A brush of olive oil (I would use an egg white wash next time) and another sprinkle of thyme and it went into the oven on a pre-heated bread stone.
After about 20 minutes at 450 F / 230 C I pulled it out and let it cool a bit before cutting and serving. Easy!
In the afternoon, after everyone headed home and Tawn went to his parents’ house, I tackled a long standing project: finish scanning various recipes from old Cooks Illustrated magazines and sorting and shredding old bills and receipts. What an exciting Sunday, I know!
christao408 
I think small get togethers are a lot better. Sometimes it’s also the chemistry of the people too. Oh man, that bread looks amazing. The papaya and shrimp salad must have been a great antidote to those hot tropical days.
wow you made all that? amazing!
U cooked all those? WOW
Mmmm, my boyfriend and I were both salivating over your flatbread pictures. Yum! What a great idea you had for your salad. Unfortunately I’m not a big fan of the papaya and the mango here in the states. It just can’t compare to what you find in the tropics! You guys are so lucky.
simple but delicious menu…….. great cooking as always!!
@zozoyork – Look who’s talking, Mr. bake a thousand macarons! =)@ElusiveWords – Yeah, I’m a bit particular when inviting guests for meals. I try to get that chemistry right and so don’t go for a “just invite anybody” approach. Maybe I’m a bit anal that way, but I’ve had too many meals where the conversation was lumpy because of a poor mix of guests. The papaya and shrimp salad was really the highlight of the meal, visually and taste-wise.@onmovement – Thank you. Pretty easy, though, as much of it was make-ahead.@TheCheshireGrins – We’re lucky that our papaya and mango are both really excellent. This papaya truly was Hawaiian papaya, though, so I would think you might be able to find it.@agmhkg – Thank you. Simplicity is important.
@christao408 – LOL What does that supposed to mean? =P
@zozoyork – It means that the “Wow” should be reserved for use when talking about your skilled baking. My brunch menu is nothing compared to that! =)
looks good!
Delicious! the salad looks just right for the summer!
fabulous looking menu – love it! the flatbreads – don’t you love the artisan bread book? I’m having a blast with it – can’t seem to find enough moments to make bread it seems. Your quinoa salad also looks really appetizing – I may try to replicate something similar = perhaps with some feta and olives as well – not sure…in the works….
@snowjunky8 – Yeah, it really was perfect for the weather.@yang1815 – Come visit, Andy, and I’ll cook brunch for you.@Joanne – Actually, I haven’t been able to buy the book yet since I’m here in Thailand, but I’ve been poring over the website. I’ll pick up a copy when I’m back in the states this summer. Yeah, olives would have been a good addition to the salad.