These merry and bright recipes are the picture-perfect dishes to savor the season and delight your guests
Recipes by Jacqui Renager
If you’re thinking about entertaining this holiday season, why not go big on brunch? This collection
of recipes from local cooking instructor Jacqui Renager pulls out all the stops for everyone’s favorite festive mid-morning meal—savory, sweet, bubbly and so much more. Plus, they are just beautiful to behold. Happy holidays!
—Leona Baker
Bacon and Cheddar Scones (photo above)
- 2 cups all purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 4 tbsp butter, chilled, cut into small pieces (plus more for greasing pan)
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ – ¾ cup milk (if ½ cup won’t let you form a dough, add a touch of milk at a time until it comes together)
- 6 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
- 1 egg, beaten with tbsp milk
Preheat oven to 400. Place a rack in the middle of the oven. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Add the pieces of butter and mix with an electric mixer until blended. Alternatively, you can use a pastry cutter to blend. You want the mixture to be somewhat crumbly. Stir in the cheese, milk and bacon. Do not overmix.
With floured hands, transfer dough to a lightly floured workspace. Shape the dough into a ¾-inch thick circle. Cut the dough into eight wedges. Butter a cakepan and place the wedges in the pan. Leave some space between pieces.
Brush with beaten egg and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
JACQUI’S NOTES: Feel free to add a few more items to the scones to bring out even more flavors. Adding some herbs not only adds color but intensifies the flavor. Chopped sun dried tomatoes would be a lovely addition to these.
Apple Clafoutis
- 8 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 cup sugar, plus 2 tsp
- ⅔ cup flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup milk
- 3 cups thinly sliced then chopped apples, peel removed
- Powdered sugar for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl, combine six tablespoons of the butter, ½ cup of sugar, flour, salt, almond extract, eggs and milk until all ingredients are blended. Set aside. Put the remaining butter in a cast iron skillet and put in the oven to warm up. Transfer the skillet to the stovetop. Put half the sugar in the skillet and shake it to evenly distribute. Add apples. Pour batter over apples, sprinkle with remaining sugar and put the skillet back in the oven to bake for about 30 minutes (or until set in the center). Remove from oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve warm.
JACQUI’S NOTES: While apples are used this recipe, replacing them with other fruits is a great way to mix it up a bit. Try using cherries, a berry mix, plums, pears or figs. The base recipe stays the same, just change out the fruit for variation. Try adding a lovely dollop of home-made whipped cream to send it over the top.
Mushroom and Smoked Gouda Frittata
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 onion, sliced thin with a mandolin
- 1 pound button
mushrooms, sliced - 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 8 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 1 cup smoked gouda cheese, shredded
- ⅓ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
Place the butter in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion cook while stirring for about four minutes. Add the mushrooms, lower the heat slightly, and cook until soft, roughly 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the liquid from the pan and season with salt and pepper.
Place the broiler on low. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Pour the mixture over the mushrooms and onion. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover skillet and cook until set. 10 minutes or so. Remove cover and toast the top for about 2-3 minutes. Keep an eye on it as it could burn. Let sit for a few minutes before serving
JACQUI’S NOTES: Don’t like mushrooms? How about other vegetables instead? Red, green or yellow bell peppers, diced potatoes, seasonal squash. Also feel free to add bacon or sausage to send it over the top. Always cook just until the center is no longer jiggly and the edges are golden brown.
French Onion Soup
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 5 onions, sliced thin with a mandolin
- 4 tsp thyme
- ½ cup sherry
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 4 cups beef stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Slices of your favorite artisan bread
- 2 cups Gruyere cheese, grated
JACQUI’S NOTES: This is such a classic recipe that is perfect for the holiday time when the weather screams for a rich, soul-warming soup. For a more robust flavor, try using only 8 cups of beef stock instead of the four cups of chicken stock. You can make the soup the day ahead and let the flavors meld together in the fridge overnight. Simply reheat it on the stove and add your bread and cheese and broil. Make sure to use soup bowls that can stand the heat of a broiler.
Watermelon and Feta Salad
- 5 cups arugula
- 1 ½ cups watermelon, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 ½ cups feta, cut into ½-inch cubes
- ¾ cup pistachios, chopped
- Five mint leaves, chiffonade
- Balsamic or lemon vinaigrette
- In a flat serving dish, add the arugula. Place the watermelon and feta cubes around the surface of the arugula. Sprinkle with the mint and pistachios. Serve dressing on the side for guests to add to their salad.
JACQUI’S NOTES: Adding this bright salad to a brunch is festive no matter the time of year. While the holiday season is not ideal for watermelon, you can still find it in all major grocery stores. If you’d like a more seasonal salad, try pears or apples. Slice them thinly and be strategic in your placement for the most beautiful presentation. Cantaloupe and honey dew are also great choices.
A Nod to Coastal Grill: This recipe is a nod to Coastal Grill’s Watermelon Salad, which was served in the summer of 2024.
Shrimp and Grits (photo above)
For the Grits :
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups milk
- ¾ cup stone ground grits
- 1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 3 tbsp butter
- Pinch of salt
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups milk
- ¾ cup stone ground grits
- 1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 3 tbsp butter
- Pinch of salt
For the Shrimp:
- 6 strips thick cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 10 lb. peeled and deveined, tail-on raw shrimp, jumbo sized
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
- ¼ cup red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced with a mandolin
- 2 tbsp butter, cut into four cubes
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
In a large skillet on medium high heat, cook the bacon pieces until crispy. Remove all but three tbsp of bacon grease. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Add shrimp to pan and cook for about 2 minutes per side. Add cherry tomatoes and red onion. Stir to incorporate flavors. Add butter and let cook for about 2 minutes. Add broth and allow to cook for an additional 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Add cheese to grits and stir well. Serve shrimp mixture over grits.
JACQUI’S NOTES: Lessen your stress by making the grits ahead of time and holding them in a crock pot set to “warm” for up to a few hours. Be sure to stir occasionally to prevent drying. For variation, try adding different cheeses to the grits: smoked gouda, Havarti or muenster.
Christmas Mimosas
- Cranberry juice, Champagne or sparkling wine
- Whole cranberries and sprigs of rosemary to garnish
Fill champagne flute ¾ full of champagne. Add a splash of cranberry juice. Garnish with cranberries and rosemary.
NOTES: Beautiful and perfectly fit for the holiday season, these mimosas add that extra flare to your table with the bright colors of the cranberry and rosemary.
Photos by David Uhrin
Leona Baker
Leona Baker is the Editor-in-Chief of Coastal Virginia Magazine, a writer, creative, communications professional, food freak, news junkie, nature and travel lover and mom. She holds a degree in English from James Madison University and a degree in Dance & Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University. She previously served as Senior Copywriter for Spark 451, Director of Marketing & Communications at Virginia Wesleyan University, and Senior Editor of Port Folio Weekly.
