If I were going that route, Cathy, I believe I'd have to include the Orange and Mint Salad. I believe I've posted the recipe in the past. If not, let me know.

Mint tea is one thing. Mint juleps are something else again---a waste of good mint and better bourbon, as anyone who's ever had a genuine one will attest.

At the Derby, and at Derby parties two things are always served strictly because they are traditional: Mint juleps and burgoo. But anyone who claims to truly enjoy either of them is right up there with the folks who claim to like the taste of tofu.

Believe it or not I have never tasted a Mint julep but I have had my own homemade Burgoo (which was of-course good because I always add my own touch to a recipe to make it to my tastes and liking).

I have so many thoughts on a special Brunch, with all the special Tapas and everything you know how to prepare so well I am sure you'll come up with a terrific spread!!

I didn't see your Orange & Mint salad posted under salad thread, perhaps you could post it. Is it really good? Hey don't forget the Avacado & Grapefruit salad I posted a while back, it'd be delicious and out of the ordinary, I highly recommend it, except for the fact that it could not be prepared in advance of the occassion as the avacados will turn:(

I have an Orange and Radish Salad with Green Olives in my Moroccan recipes, does that interest you at all? It's colorful.

Have you considered doing some mini kabobs?

It wouldn't have been on the salad forum, Cathy, but mixed in with those discussions we had on Moroccan food. Anyway, here it is again:

Slatit Bordgane
(Orange and Mint Salad

6 blood oranges (or sub tangerines) peeled, pith removed
2-3 tsp oragne blossom water
2 tbls orange peel, cut into fine matchsticks
3 tbls super fine sugar
About 3/4 cup water
Leaves from a bunch of fresh mint, finely shredded
3 1/2 oz blanched almonds, sliced, to decorate

Slice the peeled oranges thinly*, removing an seeds. Arrange in a glass bowl and sprinkle with the orange blowwom water

In a small saucepan, mix together the remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.

Pour the sauce over the oragnes and decorate with the almonds.

I take the time to supreme the oranges, as it makes a neater salad, IMO. Work over a small bowl to catch any juices, and add them to the saucepan while it reduces.

Wow Brook & Cathy... ya'll are really making me crave foods I ain't touched in a while!

The last 6 years of my career were spent in the work camps where we never did anything up fancy at all... in camps we made just good, homestyle grub and plenty of it- HUGE portions and LOTS available for the hungry workers. But prior to that was my time at more high-end properties that definitely included some elegant buffets and brunches.

From the employee standpoint I always loved working brunches 'cause they really gave the staff a chance to show-off talents that working the restaurant line and cooking off a menu really didn't give them the chance to showcase. I always had staff meetings Friday mornings where among other things we mapped out brunch and assigned tasks, and believe it or not I had staffers who normally didn't even work Friday mornings who showed up in their sweats and shorts simply so they could be included (at the Princess resorts where we also lived on premise, workers even came in their jammies!)- and so they'd get assigned some of the "funner" duties of Sunday Brunch.

Folks always loved specific chores like carving the ice, manning the omelet station, working the carving-station w/ the prime rib & ham & turkey breast, shucking oysters/clams, or preparing all the large mirrored displays like the fruit mirror, seafood displays, cheese, smoked salmon, etc. I also had a pair of girls who loved making the many compound salads every single week and they came up w/ the most colorful delicious salads I've ever seen/tasted!

As an employee who picked and munched off the brunch buffet all day long at work, and as a customer who often enjoys brunch out with family and friends my personal goal is to always eat small, light snippets of things to guarantee plenty of room in my belly for the largest variety of swiped-bites possible.

I always made room for one egg-benedict (I also love a crabcake or salmoncake bennie- minus the english muffin/bread- 'cause the bread takes up too much valueable real estate in my belly, don'cha know?!) and a tiny omelet filled w/ whatever but certainly topped w/ sour cream & salsa... fruit & cheese... I always required chocolate from the dessert table... I have a thing too for delicious peppery sausage-gravy on a biscuit or on an omelet.

At the Fairbanks Princess two of our most popular and demanded brunch entrees were Tequila-Marinated Flank Steak w/ sweet-corn salsa and Blue Cheese Halibut, and I crave both of these often. At the Kenai Princess which was a small property, we went through 300++ lbs. of iced snow-crablegs every Sunday. At the Denali Princess the waffle station & cheese blintzes were huge... at the McKinley Princess we couldn't prep enough fruit... seems though there were always "commonalities" at all locales- some places had their "thangs" they were just more known for, for whatever reason...

When I make brunch at home I usually cover the breakfast aspect with a smoked sausage/cheddar/sour-apple strata, always have melon & berries, always have salmon represented either as a chilled smoked apptzr or as a hot entree... and I'm a huge fan of beef. Dessert? Gotta have struesel coffee cake & chocolate mousse. Booze? Usually mild mimosas or bloody marys.

(today's avatar is a cheese tray from a brunch- I remember that silver tray well and loved working with it- it was from a country club I worked at about 20 years ago!)