City Kitchen: An Inspired Lunch Puts Brunch to Shame

Photo

Lunch is served: a bright citrus salad, linguine with crab and crème fraîche and a satisfying frozen espresso zabaglione. Credit Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

I don’t do brunch, or not if I can help it. Does that make me a traitor, or simply a curmudgeon?

It’s not breakfast, it’s not lunch — it’s a misbegotten relic. What’s to like? Another run-of-the-mill Bloody Mary or all-you-can-drink mimosa? More leaden eggs Benedict? Factory French toast? A guilt-free egg white frittata? Really?

The sad part is that most restaurants think they must supply these same dreary goods because they believe customers expect them. Perhaps they do, and perhaps it’s not the end of the world, either. Some restaurants with adventurous chefs are able to steer around the typical menu, but even they may be constrained by a need to supply something at least remotely brunch-like, or they risk losing business.

Continue reading the main story

Related Coverage

I understand the appeal even if I don’t feel the attraction. Brunch fulfills social obligations in a reasonable time frame. Meet for brunch (not too early), wait outside chatting for an hour, then settle in to a comfy old blanket of a meal, ask for the check and bid your companions goodbye.

Photo

Frozen espresso zabaglione. Credit Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

Still, wouldn’t you rather have lunch?

Lunch is much more sophisticated. Which is not to say more formal — particularly if you prepare it at home, instead of going out. The meal is just served at a more civilized hour, and organized in a different way, with distinctly separate courses. For lunch, three courses are plenty, and none of them need be complex.

Years ago, when I was invited on a Saturday to the rather humble home of some expat academics for just such a meal, it became clear to me how brilliant it could be. The experience was leisurely; we were at the table for hours. We drank a crisp Italian white with homemade fettuccine. There was animated conversation. Coffee was served at the end of the meal. And we parted company long before the sun had set.

A weekend lunch should somehow celebrate the season. In summer that might mean fish on the grill, fresh herbs and vegetable salads; a cold-weather lunch will surely feature a long-simmered hearty braise. For this almost-but-not-yet spring weather, I wanted a menu with bold flavors that could raise the spirits of those who were weary of winter. (Read: all in attendance.)

The first course is colorful salad of all kinds of seasonal citrus, sliced into big bright polka dots: pink and white grapefruit; blood oranges, navel oranges and Cara Cara oranges, and sweet Meyer lemon. They just get a slight sprinkling of sugar, and, for fun, a splash of sparkling Italian prosecco. If this reminds you in some small way of a standard brunch drink, so be it. Inspiration must come from somewhere. It makes a bracing beginning. We drank prosecco throughout the meal, actually. (In another context, the same dish might be a refreshing dessert.)

For the main course, there were several goals. I wanted to spoil people a bit, so I chose crab meat, the cost of which makes it a luxury. Next, I wanted it to be utterly simple to execute, so I paired the crab meat with linguine and crème fraîche. This rich combination needed some tempering and a bit of kick, hence mustard and a little hot green chile along with fresh herbs and scallions. It’s not a traditional pasta, but no complaints. And dead easy.

Dessert took the form of frozen espresso zabaglione, the best gelato imaginable from an ordinary home freezer, no ice cream maker required. To make it, you whip egg yolks, sugar, espresso and Cognac over a double boiler for a few minutes, until the mixture becomes a thick and frothy custard. Frozen and served in demitasse cups, zabaglione always satisfies, even in small portions.

I find that friends take well to this kind of dining, at least occasionally. Skip brunch and try lunch someday soon. You might like it.

Recipes: Citrus Salad With Prosecco | Spicy Crab Linguine with Mustard, Crème Fraîche and Herbs | Frozen Espresso Zabaglione

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.

View the original article here