Need ideas? Here’s some tips for how to host a gluten free Easter brunch for all to enjoy with recipes from my brand new cookbook! No doubling up on dishes. No separate plates. Just good food for all! Order a copy today, and you’ll be cooking these recipes just in time.
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My book baby, The Gluten-Free Grains Cookbook hit stands on April 9th, and we celebrated. Maybe you’ve purchased one already, in which case thank you! Or, maybe you’ve been on the fence. This post is a guide to bringing various recipes together, to host a healthy and indulgent, gluten free Easter brunch. So, buy that book, and let’s talk decor!
Setting the Table & Setting the Mood
When it comes to setting a table, I often think of a word to describe how I want the table to feel or look. In the case of this Easter brunch, my word was “alive.” Spring has been creeping across Pittsburgh, so this Easter brunch table is a celebration of the switch to buds and blossoms with daffodil bulbs, little “greenhouses” with fresh herbs you can pluck and add directly to your plate if so inclined.
Fresh, Edible Decor
For a pop of color and a sweet little snack for guests, garnish each plate with fruit. The best part of this type of living table decor is it keeps growing and giving. You’ll have pleasant herbal and floral aromas long after the last dish has been washed, especially if you have a green thumb for a boyfriend (thanks Kyle!).
Adding fresh produce to your centerpiece is another way to decorate without wasting. After the party is over, you get to eat the decor! For this green, earthy atmosphere, I used fresh artichokes as accents to moss, stones and tree trunk slices. With these elements, brunch feels like a walk through the forest when spring has barely begun to warm its shadowier corners.
If the word for the table decor is “alive,” then the word for the menu is “share.” This menu is a compilation from my cookbook, The Gluten-Free Grains Cookbook. The heart and soul of this book is the notion of cooking and baking for others. Since gluten intolerances and celiacs is on the rise, these recipes are aimed at cooks, bakers and hosts who want to make the table as inclusive and sharable as possible. These are recipes for a Gluten Free Easter Brunch for everyone at the table to enjoy!
The Gluten Free Easter Brunch Menu
with recipes from The Gluten-Free Grains Cookbook
Chocolate Quinoa Cruncher Parfaits (pg. 32-33)
Cheddar Jalapeño Waffles (pg. 58-59)
Chocoholic’s Brunch Salad (pg. 66-67)
Cheddar Jalapeño Waffles for a Gluten Free Easter Brunch (pg. 58)
Made with whole grain, gluten-free millet flour, sorghum flour, and cornmeal with a mix of chopped jalapeños, whole corn kernels and cheddar cheese, these waffles are sweet and savory with an appropriate level of crunch. With the addition of gluten-free, whole grains, I’ve updated these restaurant-inspired waffles to be more wholesome and more sharable. In the past, I’ve hosted brunches in which we offered two plates of pancakes or waffles, a plate for gluten eaters and a plate for gluten-free eaters. But why divide when one delicious recipe can conquer?
When serving these waffles at your gluten free Easter brunch, I recommend topping options. Extra cheddar cheese, diced chives, and though it sounds weird, I like to add some blueberries and syrup to mine (blueberries and jalapeños are a pretty magical combination- wouldn’t that be a refreshing margarita?!). Since it’s Easter (or just brunch in general), it’s time for the special maple syrup.
My most special bottle of maple syrup is currently this bottle which we brought back from a trip to Thomas, West Virginia and Still Hollow Spirits. Aged over the course of three months in bourbon barrels, this is a bottle of maple syrup to be S-A-V-O-R-E-D, so make sure your friends and family are worth it (I’m only half kidding)!
And obviously, don’t forget the champagne, and in the spirit of spring, why not make it a sparkling rosé?
A Chocoholic’s Brunch Salad + Chocolate Quinoa Cruncher Parfaits
For a twist on granola and croutons, the book includes a Chocolate Quinoa “Cruncher.” You prepare quinoa the way you normally would on the stovetop but with the addition of raw cacao. After it cooks, mix the quinoa with some additional ingredients for a touch of sweetness and crunch, then bake it until it’s crunchy. You can serve it as a salad topper, as well as a parfait topper.
When it comes to brunch, I like to add a DIY element, so you can offer the Chocoholic’s Brunch Salad ingredients in components: a bowl of mixed greens (with a touch of fresh mint), bleu cheese, fresh or roasted strawberries and the crunchers. To get more menu items from one recipe, you can also serve Greek yogurt and stewed fruit and turn the chocolate quinoa crunchers into a parfait bar.
When hosting a gluten free Easter brunch, this is a way to give guests a starter bite and something to do while you finish up the main course or any other hosting details. I don’t know about you, but I always seem to need another minute (or fifteen!) after guests have arrived. Of course, the guests are usually occupied with Julep, who is a great entertainer.
So don’t forget your faithful kitchen assistant this Easter! Want to make a special Easter basket treat for your fur baby? Try these gluten-free groundhog biscuits or try the very special Pupcakes in my cookbook (pg. 192-3). They’re a gluten-free treat you and your fur baby can share! And yes, Julep does make several appearances in the book. She’s working hard for her mama.
Happy Brunching!
