An intimate brunch buffet is perfect for hosting a small intimate crowd. You can enjoy this buffet set up for small, intimate events. it’s really easy to put together, so, let’s dive in and make a delicious and beautiful brunch buffet fit for entertaining any guest.
I had a lot of fun putting together this intimate brunch buffet over the holidays. On Christmas mornings, I always make a special breakfast for my family. Last Christmas, I made a dairy-free blueberry coconut bread pudding served with cheesy stuffed chicken and cream cheese butter. Watch the how-to video here. This year, I took things up a notch and made an intimate brunch buffet.
Christmas morning breakfast is kind of a tradition that started with my dad. When I was growing up, He would wake up early on Christmas morning and made us a special English breakfast with toasted bread, baked beans, fried sausages, and sunny side up fried eggs. This was the highlight of our Christmas growing up and I have so many fond memories of our Christmas. Now, I try to honor my dad every year by making a special Christmas morning breakfast.
This year, I created an intimate brunch buffet that my dad would approve of and I am really excited to share it with you.
Intimate Brunch Buffet Video
In this YouTube video, I share how to put together my Intimate Christmas Brunch Buffet. Watching how-to videos always helps things along. Click the image below to watch the video.
What is brunch?
BRUNCH has confused so many people for years, so it’s only fair I give a brief explanation of what it is.
The word BRUNCH is a portmanteau of Breakfast and Lunch and it is simply a late morning meal eaten instead of breakfast or lunch. It is usually served anytime before 3 o’clock in the afternoon and usually has some alcoholic beverage served with it (most usually champagne or a cocktail).
I love brunch because it is a fancy way to enjoy breakfast/lunch, and hosting a brunch is a great way to catch up with friends and family during a special occasion or weekend.
Intimate brunch buffet meal tips
For my intimate brunch buffet, I choose meals that were easy to make and come together really fast. I made a brunch platter with fluffy pancakes, bacon-wrapped sausages, and fresh berries, a cheesy baked egg dish, a yogurt and fruit platter, an appetizer platter with baked brie, slices of gluten-free chorizo, and toasted baguettes, buttery sundried tomatoes, and bacon scones, and a snack plate with store-bought snacks and cookies. I also made a mini drinks station with brewed coffee, non-alcoholic sangria and orange juice.
Brunch Platter Cheesy Baked Eggs Baked Brie With Toasted Baguette & Sliced Chorizo
Other foods typically served at brunch are:
- Belgian waffles
- Croissants
- Quiche
- Hash browns
- Salmon & egg salad served on toasted baguettes e.t.c.
Display items for brunch
Platters, wooden boards, cake stands, pitchers are great items for displaying the food for the buffet. Choose items that vary in height to create dimension on the table and ones that allow for easy access to food. It’s also great to have a focal point for the table. This will be the colourful center piece that will tie everything together. In my case, I used a brunch platter.
Brunch Platter
Intimate brunch buffet entertaining tips
One of the tips on entertaining I learned is from the Queen of entertaining Ina Garten, and she says “nobody likes a tired host/hostess”. You shouldn’t be stuck in the kitchen cooking while everyone is mingling and having fun. The host/hostess should be out there with the guests catching up and having fun as well. A great way to achieve this is by adequate planning and preparation. My tips below will help.
- Create your menu a week ahead.
- Make some foods ahead of time and store them in the fridge: Foods like scones, muffins, brioche, bacon-wrapped sausages, etc., can be made the day before and stored in the fridge. On the day, simply pop them in the oven and bake.
- Choose meals that are easy to make and don’t take too much time to cook: Baked eggs, baked brie, waffles, pancakes, etc., come together pretty quickly and don’t take too long to cook. They can be made the morning of and kept warm till the brunch starts.
- Buy some foods to save time and energy: Imagine having to make a batch of croissants for brunch from scratch!… a professional bread baker might find it a beautiful challenge, but not for regular folks like us. Simply head over to your local bakery and buy some ready-made ones. Your guests don’t even have to know you didn’t make them.
- Choose your display items ahead of time: This is key to getting your buffet set up and ready to go. Your plates, serving boards, and platters should be cleaned and ready the day before. It will also help if you arrange the platters the day before. This way, you can visualize where all the food will go so you’ll be ready to go on the day of.
- Set up the drinks station ahead of time
Intimate brunch buffet game plan
Follow my exact game plan and you’ll be whipping up your very own intimate brunch buffet that will wow your guests and family members in no time at all. Check out the video for all the recipes and instructions.
THE DAY BEFORE
- Prepare the scones and bacon wrapped sausages. Place on baking trays and wrap with cling film. Keep in the fridge.
- Set up drinks station with the serving glasses, mugs, and pitchers.
- Wash all the platters and serving plates.
- Do a mock setup to see where everything will go and if possible, set up the buffet table.
- Get some rest and pamper yourself.
THE DAY OF
- 7:00 am Bake scones and bacon-wrapped sausages.
- 7:30 am: Make cheesy baked eggs. Bake as soon as scones and sausages are out of the oven. Leave in the turned-off oven to keep warm.
- 8:00 am: Make pancakes for the brunch platter. Shower and get dressed.
- 9:00 am: Arrange the brunch platter.
- Plate the fruits & scones
- Make the baked brie and toasted baguettes.
- 9:30 am: Set up the buffet table with the food, plate the baked brie, toasted baguette, make the non-alcoholic sangria, and brew the coffee.
- 10:30 am: Welcome guests and enjoy the brunch buffet (Don’t forget to take lots of pictures before you dig into the food).
Make sure to clean up as you go, so you don’t have a pile of dishes waiting for you at the end of the day.
With valentine’s day and mother’s day coming soon, you now have all you need to host a beautiful brunch your family and friends will love and appreciate.
Other recipes fit for brunch
- Blueberry Breakfast Muffins
- Cinnamon French Toast
- Bagel & Omelet Sandwich
- Cold Brew Coffee
- Basil Orangeade
- Strawberry Molokai Coconut Mocktail
Will you make an intimate brunch buffet?
Leave me a comment below and tag me over on Instagram @nookies_diaries and use the hashtag #nookiesdiaries.
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