Brunch Recipes

It is true that the word brunch only came into existence in the late 1800's. (There's also some thought that the Denver sandwich - the quintessential cowboy snack - came about when a Chinese cook tried to adapt Eggs Foo Yung to suit western tastes). In the west, dim sum came about as a natural result of 19th Chinese immigrants - most of who were from the Canton region - settling on the East and West coasts. Some gourmands believe that dim sum inspired the whole idea of "brunch" - combining breakfast and lunch into one large midmorning meal.

There’s a long history of brunch eating on this spot—through the decades it’s been home to Elm’s Tea Room, Grove’s and the Commons Grill. Now it’s gleefully updated with cranberry juice and fair trade coffee. The biggest brunch seller is eggs benedict with smoked salmon on a sweet potato biscuit (the biscuit recipe is from Jane Wright’s best friend’s mother). Also very popular: ricotta pancakes with fresh banana and real maple syrup. It’s casually elegant. Wear whatever you want, but know that a reproduction of Lucas Cranach’s Renaissance-era Venus oversees the hubbub of folks smacking their lips in happiness.

Originally a Cantonese custom, dim sum is inextricably linked to the Chinese tradition of "yum cha" or drinking tea. Travelers journeying along the famous Silk Road needed a place to rest, so teahouses began springing up along the roadside. Rural farmers, exhausted after long hours working in the fields, would also head to the local teahouse for an afternoon of tea and relaxing conversation.   Still, it took several centuries for the culinary art of dim sum to develop. It was originally considered inappropriate to combine tea with food - in fact a famous 3rd century Imperial physician claimed this would lead to excessive weight gain. However, as tea's ability to aid in digestion and cleanse the palate became known, teahouse proprietors began adding a variety of snacks, and the tradition of dim sum was born.

Today, dim sum is served throughout China, particularly in Shanghai. In The Taste of China, Ken Hom shares his memories of enjoying regional variations in "small eats": jiaozi dumplings in Beijing, pearl balls and spicy wontons (known as huntuns) in the Szechuan province. But he agrees with the majority that the best dim sum can be found in Canton, with its wide assortment of sweet and savory dishes ranging from meatballs to sweet cakes. Still, it is probably true that the best dim sum chefs are found not in China but in Hong Kong, where restaurants begin serving dim sum as early as 6:30 in the morning and continue through mid-afternoon.