Christmas Brunch in Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Mexico
Christmas Brunch in Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Mexico
Christmas Brunch
I thought I would share my family’s favorite Christmas Brunch recipes with you.
When we first moved to Ajijic, Lake Chapala we were invited to a beautiful home in Upper Chula Vista, Ajijic for a lovely brunch party. The recipe for Stuffed French Toast was given to me (with a great deal of cajoling) after that brunch and we have made it every Christmas since.
We start with Winter Fruit Salad with Citrus Yogurt Sauce which serves 8.
This refreshing fruit salad and creamy sauce both benefit from being made ahead of time.
1 lemon 3 oranges ¾ cup water 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 Tb orange liqueur (optional) 1 pink grapefruit 2 winter pears 2 red delicious apples 2 cups seedless grapes
Citrus Yogurt Sauce:
1 cup plain yogurt 2 Tb sour cream 2 Tb brown sugar 1 tsp. finely grated orange rind 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Grate I tsp. rind from 1 orange and set aside for the sauce. Squeeze juice from this orange and the lemon into small saucepan. Add water and sugar. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Cool. Add liqueur. Peel remaining oranges and grapefruit, removing outside membrane. Holding fruit over large bowl remove segments between connecting membrane with a sharp knife. Place fruit in bowl and squeeze membranes to extract all juice. Remove pits. Peel and slice kiwi, unpeeled pears and apples into bowl. Cut grapes in half and add. Pour syrup over top and toss fruit gently to mix. Cover and refrigerate fruit overnight, tossing together once or twice. Stir together yogurt, sour cream, brown sugar, orange rind and vanilla in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until serving time up to 5 days.
Stuffed French Toast
1 loaf egg bread – unsliced 1 dozen eggs 1 cup milk 1/3 cup maple syrup 1 pkg. cream cheese
Use 3” deep baking dish rather than a shallow as it will dry out.
Serves 10
Cut crust off bread and slice in 1” thick slices and cut in cubes 1-1/2”. Butter a baking dish, spread ½ of the bread cubes on bottom add cubed cream cheese, then the other ½ of the bread. Beat eggs, milk an syrup until completely blended. Pour over bread and cheese. Cover with saran wrap and squish down bread a little into egg mixture. Refrigerate overnight.. Bake at 350 degrees in center of oven for 45 minutes to an hour until golden brown. Serve with warm maple syrup, your favorite breakfast sausages and a large pitcher of Mimosas.
Buen Provecho.