Before last month, weekends were a time to catch up with friends, spend time with family and, of course, enjoy a leisurely brunch. Nowadays, we’re we’re taking it to our computers and hosting virtual brunch. First time having a Zoom Brunch? Us too. But we’re confident that if we take the best parts of brunch and make it camera-ready, it’ll be a fun time. Sweet and savory dishes. Hot coffee and cold boozy drinks. Lots of time to chat. Here are our five tips for hosting a virtual brunch.
Plan Ahead
After you send out the Zoom Brunch or other meetup app link, sit down and plan a quick menu because no one wants to talk over clinking pots and pans. We say pick dishes you can make the night before—little breakfast egg muffins or a baked French toast casserole are good options. Try Smitten Kitchen’s Boozy Baked French Toast. It’s assembled the night before, stays covered in the fridge until morning, and then gets heated in the oven for 30 mins. This way, the bread soaks up all that milky, custardy goodness and your friends don’t have to watch you over the stove the whole time. Or you can make a big batch of overnight oats, with all the fixings, the evening before.
A Toast to Virtual Drinks
Brunch isn’t complete without Bloody Marys and Mimosas. Get a few bottles of juice and bubbly in your fridge, and right before the Zoom Brunch starts mix up your drink of choice. Once everyone has joined the virtual brunch, start with a big toast.
And, don’t forget the coffee. Make a big batch of cold brew concentrate the night before, this way you’ll have enough coffee for a long brunch and won’t have to keep getting up to brew more.
Put some Pressure on Your Eggs
The goal of a brunch is to not become a short-order cook. Instead, we enlist a pressure cooker and cook a large batch of soft and hard boiled eggs to pick from. Bonus: you can use the eggs for meals throughout the week. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, make a breakfast quiche or frittata.
Baked Bacon
Crispy bacon certainly has a place at the brunch table, but one of the last things you want to be doing during brunch is thinking about the cleanup. Instead, stop the sizzle by baking your bacon. Stick the bacon on a cooling rack on top of a sheet pan to collect the drippings. Turn the oven on right before your virtual brunch starts and you’ll have warm bacon to show the camera.
Dress the Part
While brunch is typically an excuse to get out of bed, brush your hair and dress up, virtual brunch doesn’t have to be! Let your friends and family know the dress code for virtual brunch. Maybe it’s holiday pajamas or silly socks, but add a fun element to the morning.
Ready to get cooking? Check out these easy and healthy pancake recipes, poached egg tips, and breakfasts you can meal prep.