AUTUMN BRUNCH

The weather brought our brunch indoors, but it was a cheery gathering, with lots of talk and good food.

A salute to the last of Summer fruits---melon with strawberries, pineapple, grapes and some lovely small sweet plums (I don’t think we got a picture of the fruit---this one is similar, made for a party last year. I’d not yet strewn the tray with the plushy apricots---they lent a golden light to the whole thing, luminous and translucent).

Chris did his wonderful several-hour ham on the grill, along with some luscious grilled pineapple spears. (I will confess, we’ve called it by another name, for our two-year old Grand and I have been studying shapes, and she immediately christened it “tri-apple.” So we’ll be saying that for a while, in the way Grandparents tend to do).

The quiche took a towering turn---everybody came running to OHHH and AHHHH when it came out of the oven---I don’t know WHAT made it get all above itself like that, proud and puffed up---I made it exactly as always---eggs, Pet milk, minced ham, steamed broccoli, cheese and grape tomatoes. Anyway, they called it “soufflé” and I didn’t let on. The one in back is the Egg-Beaters version, with LF cheese, and had finished its bake a while before the big one---it's settled in upon itself, possibly humbled by the grandeur of its companion.

There was a little plate of lox cream cheese with plain bagels and a plate of thin onion and tomato---for those who like fish for breakfast---it’s Chris’ idea of Brunch in Heaven.

And some of the usual party fare which everyone expects to see on the table---the jalapeno/ green onion rolls in tomato tortillas and the veggie rolls with grated carrot, red bell pepper and laid-in baby spinach leaves in spinach wraps.

Some chicken salad croissants, made the Southern way, with apple and pecans.

Kahlua brownies---I’ve not baked many heavy items this Summer, and these were rich and velvety, with that little hit of coffee on your tongue, and the toasted pecans from the trees on the “place” in Mississippi.

A small cheese plate with Morbier, a bleu, a peppery Brie, a deep rich golden Cheddar, and a tip-wedge of Parmigiano Regiano---I love a crumb or two of that WITH dessert---the flavor depths seem to intensify each other---the rich tang of the cheese with a sweet bite of pastry or chocolate. The picture shows them before arranging---they'd been huddled together so as to fit under the little dome.

And half-size pastries from Caro’s bakery, still warm in the box when she brought them in. There are raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, pineapple (my favorite) and apple butter.

We ate and drank and talked, with cheery conversations continuing out and down the drive; I can only suppose that we all spent the afternoon in a cozy carb coma.

PS If anyone's interested in recipes, sing out and I'll post them on over in the week.