It didn’t quite make sense on paper. A virtual brunch in upstate New York and Florida. Abelskivers, Harvey Wallbanger cake, fried spam, and garlic fried rice. Oh, and Pennsylvania Dutch beets and hard-boiled eggs. Above all else, the Senor Breakfast Sandwich.
When faced with the prospect of trying to bridge the distance between New York and Florida, where Elaine is enjoying warmer temps and (for the most part) sunnier days for the winter, I thought it might be fun to try a virtual brunch and loop her into our Sunday morning chaos. Suzie, Pat, Oona and Milo joined in, as did my parents and Andy, and somehow, in spite of some minor technical difficulties, it worked out better than expected.
Food preparation was key – as was enlisting the efforts of some of the guests. Suzie made not one bundt cake, but two (including the dreamy Wallbanger), and brought her magical egg-frying pan, and some ripe avocadoes. Mom brought her quiche, and Elaine served up some French toast from Florida. Since Dad was in attendance, I also fried up some Spam (which I was told was traditional Filipino breakfast fare – even if he and I had never had it) and a pan of garlic fried rice. I love a savory/spicy dish in the morning, and I have to say that, when fried up right and given some pepper, a piece of Spam is not the worst thing I have ever tasted. Consider it our substitute for bacon and sausage.
My second attempt at abelskivers didn’t go quite as well as the first, mostly because I was being so very precise that first time. That’s the way recipes usually work with me, and why one should be careful for the first few times you’re making something new. Abelskivers also take some finesse and careful timing to do right, so I didn’t quite have it down during a busy brunch. They tasted well enough though, even if their form was less than perfect. (They are not pictured here.)
The FaceTime call with Elaine worked better than expected too, and it was nice to have her join in the festivities since she is always missed during her winter months in Florida. Usually we just count the hours until her return in the spring – this experiment proved another avenue of communication in real time, and sets us up to do it again before the winter ends. We also got a virtual tour of her Florida digs, where it’s warm even when it rains.
As for that next brunch, I’m thinking of something slightly more traditional – maybe a frittata with a big platter of home fries, or these roasted potatoes with their decadent crumble of feta and fresh oregano. Better yet, I may just order a breakfast pizza from the nearby market and call it an easy morning. The best part of brunch is the company, the rest is just gravy. (Oooh, sausage gravy… and biscuits! That may be our next menu sorted.)
