new years brunch schedule

New Year’s Day Buffet

Schedule

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Several days or weeks ahead

A day or two before New Year’s Eve

New Year’s Eve Day

Prepare citrus fruits and pomegranate for salad. Store separately.
Remove Lemon Poppy Seed Bread from freezer and let it thaw in it’s wrapper at room temperature overnight.
Prepare frosting for Cinnamon Buns. Cover and refrigerate.
Make Jelly Roll, but do not dust with confectioner’s sugar. Store, covered, at room temperature.
Prepare Egg, Leek, Bacon and Cheese Strata. Cover and refrigerate.
Set up your buffet table with tablecloth, serving pieces and utensils, plates, napkins, champagne flutes, coffee cups and flatware.

New Year’s Day

Early

Make strong coffee for yourself.
Remove Cinnamon Buns from the freezer.
Replace buns in buttered or sprayed muffin tins if necessary, cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with Pam, and let rise until doubled in bulk.
Take frosting for buns out of the refrigerator and let come to room temperature.
Cut apples into bite-sized pieces and combine with citrus fruit, letting the citrus juice coat the apple pieces. Transfer to a bowl and scatter the pomegranate seeds on top. Garnish with mint sprigs. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Bake cinnamon buns. Frost while still warm.
Slice Lemon Poppy Seed Bread and arrange on a platter.
Uncover Jelly Roll, dust with confectioner’s sugar, slice into 2” slices and arrange on a platter.

Just before your guests are due

Make more strong coffee
Arrange fruit salad and whole fruits into a lush centerpiece.
Set out Cinnamon Buns and Lemon Poppy Seed Bread.
Set out orange juice, champagne and Pellegrino next to the champagne flutes.
Set out coffee pot, a pitcher of hot milk and sugar cubes next to the coffee cups.
Sit down and relax.

An hour before everyone will be ready for something more substantial

Bake Egg Strata. Cut into squares and set out so guests can serve themselves while still hot.
Set out Jelly Roll for dessert.
Bask in the compliments.