2.2: Breakfast and Brunch

Breakfast is often an on-the-go, rushed experience; hence the popularity of breakfast sandwiches, jumbo muffins and disposable coffee cups. Brunch, on the other hand, is a leisurely experience, combining breakfast and lunch in to a social occasion. Brunch menus include traditional breakfast foods along with almost anything else. Unlike breakfast, brunch is often accompanied by champagne or other alcoholic beverages and concludes with a pastry or dessert.

Food service operations must offer a variety of breakfast options to appeal to a wide range of consumers. Hotels and resorts may offer a complimentary continental-style breakfast of coffee, juice and sweet rolls; a full-service a la carte dining room; a room service menu and a casual snack bar. The grand hotel Sunday and holiday brunch buffet is an American institution for celebrations and special occasions.

Office, retail, and commercial complexes abound with small shops selling coffee, muffins, bagels and sweet rolls. Coffee houses offering a variety of coffee blends and drinks, pastries, breads and quiche are also popular. Even fastfood facilities have expanded their menus and hours of operation to meet the needs of early-morning diners.

The foods served at breakfast include most of the foods served at other times during the day. A diner’s perceptions of a ‘proper breakfast’ depends on his or her cultural, ethnic, economic and geographic background, as well as sleep patterns and work schedule.

Breakfast menus typically include the following items:

• Coffee, tea or other hot beverages Fruits or fruit juices
• Eggs
• Breads, including sweet breads Cereals and grains
• Potatoes
• Pancakes, waffles and French toast Meats or fish
• Dairy products, including milk, cheese and yogurt
• Although few people could sit down to a breakfast including all of these components even occasionally, most food service operations find it necessary to offer some items from each category in order to meet their customers' expectations.

Breakfast Around the World

In the 21st century, North Americans traveling abroad will more than likely be able to order a breakfast similar to that which they would eat at home. However, in many countries residents still consume their traditional breakfast foods.

• Japan: tea; asa-gohan, morning rice, with side dishes of pickles, dried seaweed, tofu, fish; miso soup
• China: tea; congee, rice porridge, topped with meat, seafood and/or vegetables; you tiao, a type of fried cruller that is dipped in soy milk
• France: cafe au lait; baguette, butter and jam
• Southern Italy/Sicily: coffee granite served in brioche bread
• Australia: tea; steak and eggs; toast
• Egypt: fulmedames, slow cooked beans seasoned with olive oil, lemon and garlic
• India: tea; khichri, a Hindi dish of rice, lentils and spices; appam, a thin rice pancake with spiced meat and vegetables; vada pavs, deep-fried mashed potatoes wrapped in flatbread and seasoned with chutney or chilli powder
• Costa Rica: Coffee or aqua duke, warm water flavored with concentrated sugar cane juice; go/lo pinto, rice and beans with cilantro and onions
• Spain: milk, coffee, rolls and jam; chocolatey churros, hot chocolate with a cinnamon-sugar coated donut
• Greece: Greek coffee or instant coffee with milk; sesame bread; yogurt with honey and/ or fruit
• Eastern Europe/Germany/Holland: coffee or tea; cold cuts; a variety of cheeses and breads
• Argentina: coffee or hot chocolate; facturas, sweet pastries with duke de leche, a paste made with milk and sugar

Breakfast

At other meals, meat is typically the principal food, but at breakfast, it is usually an accompaniment. Breakfast meats tend to be spicy or highly flavored. A hearty breakfast menu may include a small beefsteak (usually sirloin and often pan-fried) or pork chop. Corned beef, roast beef or roast turkey can be diced or shredded, then sautéed with potatoes and other ingredients for a breakfast hash. Fish, particularly smoked products, are also served at breakfast.

However, the most popular breakfast meats are bacon (including Canadian-style bacon), ham and sausages. Bacon can be cooked on a flat griddle or in a heavy skillet or baked on a sheet pan. Regardless of the method used, the cooked bacon should be drained on absorbent paper towels to remove excess fat. Canadian-style bacon is very lean and requires little cooking, although slices are usually sautéed briefly before serving. The round slices may be served like ham and are essential for eggs Benedict. A ham steak is simply a thick slice ideal for breakfast. Fully cooked ham needs to be heated only briefly on a griddle or in a sauté pan before service. The most popular breakfast sausages are made from uncured, uncooked meats. They can be mild to spicy, slightly sweet or strongly seasoned with sage. Breakfast sausage is available in bulk, links or preformed patties. Link sausage is often partially cooked by steam, and then browned by sautéing at service time. It should be drained on absorbent paper towels to remove excess fat before service.

Griddlecakes

Pancakes and waffles are types of griddlecakes or griddle breads. They are usually leavened with baking soda or baking powder and are quickly cooked on a very hot griddle or waffle iron with very little fat. Griddlecakes should be more than just an excuse for eating butter and maple syrup, however. They should have a rich flavor and a light, tender, moist interior.

Pancake and waffle batters may be flavored with tangy buckwheat flour, fruits, whole grains or nuts. Both pancakes and waffles are usually served with plain or flavored butter and fruit compote or syrup. Waffles must be cooked in a special waffle iron, which gives the cakes a distinctive grid-like pattern and a crisp texture. Electric waffle irons are available with square, round and even heart-shaped grids. The grids should be seasoned well, and then never washed. (Follow the manufacturer's directions for seasoning.) Belgian waffles are especially light and crisp because of the incorporation of whipped egg whites and/or yeast. They are often made in a waffle iron with extra deep grids and are served for breakfast or as a dessert, topped with fresh fruit, whipped cream or ice cream.

Crepes

Crepes are thin, delicate, unleavened pancakes. They are made with a very liquid egg batter cooked in a small, very hot sauté pan or crepe pan. Crepe batter can be flavored with buckwheat flour, cornmeal or other grains. Crepes are not eaten plain, but are usually filled and garnished with sautéed fruits, scrambled eggs, cheese or vegetables. Crepes can be prepared in advance, then filled and reheated in the oven.

Blintzes are crepes that are cooked only on one side, then filled with cheese, browned in butter, and served with sour cream, fruit compote or preserves.