Brunch: It’s not just what I do; it’s who I am. 

Who doesn’t love a good brunch, complete with all of life’s essentials: breakfast and booze? 

On any given weekend — and even some weekdays — you’ll find me out with friends, dining from the late morning until the early afternoon. We catch up on work, family, our love lives (or lack thereof) and waste the day away surrounded by the beauty that is the eloquent combination of breakfast and lunch (and bottomless mimosas).

But brunch has become more than just a plate of steak and eggs served with a little bubbly; it’s become haute, posh, chic or any one of those uppity adjectives usually reserved for the fashion runways. And, sometimes, it can get a bit out of hand.

That’s why for today’s recipe I’ve opted for a simple, elegant brunch meal that can be started ahead of time, so you and your friends can gossip away without too many distractions in the kitchen.

And if it’s brunch, it has to include eggs.

It has become de rigueur to add eggs to basically everything in today’s culinary tradition, due to their versatility. Eggs can be sweet, as in pain perdu (French toast); savory, as in quiche; or used as a condiment, on top of burgers or salads.

Here, I’ve combined the latter two, using the humble egg as a delicate topping on crisp polenta cakes, surrounded by earthy, slightly charred asparagus. It’s classy, refined and just plain delicious. 

So brunch on, my darlings, and don’t forget those mimosas.

— Staff Writer Alan Bennett can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or abennett@journaltribune.com.

Crispy polenta with olive oil fried eggs
Start-to-finish: 24 hours (30 minutes active)
Serves: 4

For the polenta:
2 ½ cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup finely-ground cornmeal
1 clove garlic, finely minced
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped, fresh basil (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 pound asparagus, trimmed
4 large eggs
Kosher salt
Freshly-ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
Red chili flake (optional)
Fresh tomato slices, for serving

The night before you want to make the dish, prepare the polenta. In a large saucepot over medium heat, heat the olive oil until shimmering and add the garlic. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon until fragrant. Raising the heat to high, pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, remove from the heat and, switching to a whisk, quickly whisk in the polenta until no more large lumps remain. It will begin to thicken immediately. Return to low heat and cook, stirring gently and adding a tablespoon of butter at a time until it is all incorporated. Season with salt, pepper and basil and let cook, stirring occasionally, until the cornmeal is soft and no longer grainy.

Pour into a parchment-lined 9-by-13-inch baking dish and smooth the top. It should be about ¼ inch thick. Refrigerate overnight to harden.

The day of your meal, remove polenta from the fridge and and, using cookie cutters or a wide-rimmed glass, cut out four, 4-inch circles. You can also make squares or another desired shape.

In a large sautée pan, heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan until shimmering. Using a spatula, gently place the polenta cakes in the pan and fry on each side until golden. Drain on paper towels and set aside for plating.

Turn on your oven’s broiler and toss the asparagus with salt and pepper to taste and just enough olive oil to coat. Place on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and broil, tossing occasionally, until the asparagus just begins to wilt but retains its bright green color. Don’t walk away or else it will burn.

Remove asparagus from the oven and keep warm by covering with aluminum foil.

In a small frying pan set over medium heat, heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Crack the eggs into the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover the pan and cook the eggs until your desired temperature, about 3 minutes for over-easy.

When the eggs are done, place a polenta cake on a plate, topping with an egg and arranging asparagus over the top. Top with chili flake, if desired, and serve with fresh tomato slices.