The Caterist Files ~ A Fa-la-la! Christmas Breakfast Buffet

Jeani
Dec 16, 2017
5 min read

We have a very special tradition in our family on Christmas morning! It began some 20 years ago, when my eldest granddaughters were but small. A Family Gathering Christmas! There's nothing like the unbridled joy of kids on Christmas morning! Yep, a little bit of sugar, some presents and all the family together can wind those little critters up like nothing else!

When they were kids, we'd all meet up at my daughters, with all the presents in tow, and pile it all under the tree. The littles had opened their Santa Stockings and were happily entertained. As breakfast was finishing up in the kitchen, we'd brew coffee (or espresso) and a nice pitcher of Mimosas...did I mention we're all dressed up in our finest pajamas??? Yep! Tradition! Nothin' like it!

And then, the Breakfast! A mountain of delicious variety, sweet monkey bread or coffee cakes, always bacon and sausage, savory wake up casseroles...such warm memories over our shared meal before the gift exchanging! We still do that, but, as those littles are not so little anymore, our Family Christmas is held at our home...my youngest grand daughter will be 3 this year, and believe me, she is a spark of sunlight! Thunder and lightning, sometimes, too!

I have a lot of fun designing the buffets for our family get togethers! And, if you've been keeping up with the Themes and Blog Posts, you know that Breakfast Fare is one of my favorites to play around with! I don't do a lot of fancy dancy stuff for the family buffet...our gang prefers simple deliciousness, so here's what I'm thinking for our Christmas Fa-la-la Breakfast Buffet 2017...

Mimosas are the traditional beverage of Christmas Breakfast...well, around here, they are! We set up a nice pitcher of chilled orange juice or pineapple orange juice with a bottle of some not expensive bubbly. I'll set this up this year in the decanter...it's really pretty, and festive!

We've always got strawberries in the freezer. Seems that that berries, in general, don't get eaten quickly enough, so just before they lose it all, we throw them, whole, into the freezer. The really help keep those Mimosas cold, and they're pretty, too! I'll general toss in whatever fruit we have in the freezer, berry-wise along with sliced fresh oranges and mandarins.

To keep the dishwashing down, we'll use disposable wine glassware for our Mimosas. Yes, I'm practical!

This year, we're going to have a warm spiked concoction available, as well.

Coffee with Irish Cream will be our hot drink this year. I'd forgotten how good this is! A couple of weeks ago, when it got cold for a couple of days...(that sounds funny...but, we're in Texas)...I remembered that I still had part of a bottle of Irish Cream left from catering! Deelish! And, so it became part of this Christmas Menu! There's a chance that it'll be cold for Christmas this year. Never can tell!

Of course, we'll have flavored creamers and such for our virgin coffees, too! Somebody's gotta drive these people home! :)

On to the edibles! Some things on our menu are tradition that must be included, no matter what!

One of those things is Pigs in Blankets. I get the piggies with cheese, cos everyone here loves some cheese! I take Texas Style Butter Flavor Biscuits and flatten them with the heel of my hand. I place a quarter of a slice of American cheese, triangle...not square!...on one side, top with the smoked sausage link and roll it up, stretching the dough ever so slightly. Set on a parchment lined sheet pan and bake at 375 till they're nicely browned, flipping over after about 8 minutes...it takes 10 to 12 minutes, depending on your oven.

We always have something sweet on the buffet!

For this year's sweet treat, I'm doing Cinnabon Style Cinnamon Rolls...don't they look good! I'm planning on using my brioche recipe for the rolls for a little extra decadence. These CAN be made, though, using thawed frozen bread dough for a shortcut. What makes them so special is the copious amounts of butter, then cinnamon-sugar...oh, my! And then, the icing on the cake! Cream cheese vanilla frosting melted down into each nook and cranny...oh, so good!I'll start these the night before and finish them Christmas morning.

One other must-be-there is the breakfast meats platter...we're definitely an omnivore family!

We'll do an assortment of bacon strips, fresh breakfast sausage links and sliced breakfast ham.

We'll also set out some countrified favorites...

Biscuits with Sausage Gravy is one of those favorites! I love Old Folks' Sausage for this recipe! It's got great seasoning and heat! I actually do my sausage gravy a little bit differently, replacing part of the milk with chicken broth. It gives the dish a more savory flavor than just seasoned milk...personal preference. I love lots of pepper in it, too, along with some onion and garlic powder.

Next, we'll turn our attention to that incredible edible egg! Everyone in the family likes Buttery Scrambled Eggs! Or Cheesy Scrambled ! That's the dilemma...which to pick! I don't know about your Christmas Breakfast, but I'm expecting about 15 at ours! That means we're baking the scrambled eggs! Yes, you did read correctly...Oven Scrambled Eggs. They're amazing! They cook in the oven while I do the Hash Browns on the stove top!

Oven Scrambled Eggs are a breeze! Take two dozen eggs, crack them into a large mixing bowl. Break up the yolks and mix lightly. Add in 2-1/2 cups of milk or half & half, 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, and a teaspoon of pepper. Beat well to combine and add air. Pour these into a well sprayed 2 Qt. 9 x 13 Pyrex casserole. Melt a stick of butter in the bottom of the pan in a 350 oven. Pour in the egg mixture. Place pan back in the oven and set a timer for 10 minutes. Run a spatula along the bottom and edges of the pan, and stir the eggs. Set timer for another 10. Scrape and stir10 minutes until the eggs are set up. If you're doing Cheesy Oven Scrambles, when the eggs are close to set, but still quite moist, add in your shredded cheese of choice...a good handful of cheddar or smoked cheddar, maybe some pepper jack, or even good old American! You can add in some chopped fresh chives at the end, if you want. My chives are about played out for the year, so we'll have to see! Scallions might just have to suffice!

Another must have is Chunky Hash Brown Potatoes with Onions. Everyone knows how to do these, right? Do some baked potatoes the night before and chill them overnight. Cut them into chunks, season well and cook them in a butter & oil mixture, over medium to medium high heat, with some chopped onions. Let them get nice and crusty...yum!! I use my cast iron skillet for these. It holds the heat and lets the potatoes sear. At the end, toss in some scallion greens and parsley.