The Magic of Brupper

It’s a guilty pleasure having breakfast for supper.

When my nieces were little girls I introduced them to the magical idea of having breakfast for supper. I called it Brupper. Who says you have to eat meatloaf at 7 pm when pancakes, eggs, and bacon call your name instead?

As you can imagine — they were all over it. And so has every other person who dropped by unexpectedly or who were hungry but didn’t feel like the big meat and potato routine.

And I confess — I eat brupper once a month when my husband is away as he still can’t get his head wrapped around eating maple syrup at 8 pm. Too bad for him.

My mom has the same problem with my dad. When she was a young, newly married bride she made pancakes for their first dinner. He was a farmboy used to mashed potatoes and a big hunk of roasted meat. Their first dinner turned into their first argument.

Now, whenever my mom picks me up at the airport I take her for brupper. We hit this lovely little restaurant and we each have the Aunt Melba. Waffles with sliced peaches and bananas on top. Whipped cream. And are you ready? A scoop of ice cream too. Bacon on the side. We always make the waitress laugh as we’re like a couple of kids when it arrives at the table.

Hey, listen — most people love the full brupper deal. They want bacon, eggs, and toast and usually pancakes too. Unless they have had my French clafoutis which is baked in a big cast iron pan. Then they request that before they’ve even come to the house. I can’t blame them.

But sometimes people are in the mood for something savory but still eggy and then I whip out the softest and creamiest scrambled eggs with a tablespoon of sour cream and black caviar placed on the top. I made this for my friend recently and she looked at me and said —

“How have you not made this for me in 30 years?”

Or I create a simple and thin omelet lightly filled with basil leaves and a few good layers of fresh parmesan cheese or brie if it is hanging around the house. A slice of lightly browned ham works nicely on the side of this.

For the mushroom lovers like me — I sautee a massive pile of mixed mushrooms: cremini, portabello, and oyster and some wild mushrooms if my guests are brave — in butter in my cast iron pan. Once the mushrooms release their earthy juices I add a few long glugs of whipping cream, and add salt and pepper and let everything simmer for a minute or two. Then you pile the works on freshly buttered toast and give your guests a glass of wine. Friends for life after that, let me assure you.

If someone is feeling like they need a little salad — well — brupper can easily accommodate that. I make a fresh green salad with homemade dressing. I fry a few pieces of good bacon and simmer two or three medium-poached eggs. I slide the works onto their salad and when their fork breaks the egg open the delicate yolk becomes part of the creamy dressing. The French figured this little wonder out years ago.

Maybe you yearn for a pile of pancakes or waffles the size of your head for a 7 pm Netflix show. (Or the Net Flick as my 86-year-old mother in law calls it.) Well — that’s easy.

This is my sister’s pancake recipe and honestly, she can make me brupper anytime:

2 eggs

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons oil (canola oil is my favorite)

1 1/4 cups flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

Step 1: Break eggs into a bowl and whisk until eggs are fairly smooth and a bit bubbly.

Step 2: Add the milk and oil to the egg mix.

Step 3: Add remaining ingredients. Stir just until moistened. Use oil or spray in frying pan/griddle and about 1/2 cup of batter for each pancake. Flip when the tops of pancakes have bubbles that look a little dry.

Pancakes should be light brown so stay off your phone while making them.

Makes about 18 pancakes.

Throw in a handful of frozen blueberries, thinly sliced banana or chocolate chips into your pancake batter if you feel the burning need.

So there’s really no need to feel guilty because you decided to not roast a chicken or make spaghetti and meatballs after a tough day. Sometimes the thought of having to go to the grocery store is enough to make you weep in your car.

Instead — you can have a nice little dish of fruit with whatever you’re having for brupper and then you’ve got the basic food groups covered. Bye-bye guilt. And I won’t tell anyone you have chocolate chips in your pancakes.

Thanks for reading! I have loads of food essays (delicious recipes too) and thoughtful and quirky simpler living essays waiting for you. (Well over 100 of them!) And this story caught the attention of NBC News in New York!