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A French-Inspired Easter Brunch at Home

I love Spring and Easter is the perfect way to celebrate the arrival of warmer days, sunshine, flowers and new beginnings. I think that holidays are meant to be enjoyed with the people you love and who love you, whether that's family or friends, a whole house filled with people or just a collective few. But no matter who's at your table, I don't think you should have to be stuck in the kitchen all day just to put on a delicious brunch.

So I've taken my inspiration this year from the tradition French café and created two different "stations" where your guests can create a plate tailored to their own palate and you can enjoy the day with everyone. And instead of complicated recipes, the focus is on simple, beautiful foods that guests can mix and match—just like you might find at a charming neighborhood café in Paris.

If you're hosting Easter this year, here’s the full menu that made our table feel effortless and elegant.

The Easter Brunch Menu

Tartine Bar (Sweet & Savory)

A tartine is a simple slice of bread topped with something delicious. For brunch, it becomes a beautiful interactive station.

Bread options:

• Baguette

• Rustic sourdough

• Seeded breads

  We're lucky enough to have a local bakery here in town where I'll buy our bread from, but you can mix and match whatever breads you like from your favorite store. You just want the slices to be large enough to hold lots of toppings and strong enough too, so a soft white bread would be off the menu for sure.

Savory toppings:

• Smoked salmon

• Crème fraîche

• Dill

• Thyme

• Ham

• Gruyère

• Dijon mustard

• Goat cheese

Sweet toppings:

• Butter

• Apricot jam/fig jam/any kind of jam really!

• Berries

• Honey

• Nutella

• Banana slices

I lay out all the different breads on one side of a large wooden board and then create suggested pairings by putting ingredients together (like salmon, dill, and crème fraîche). Think of it like making a charcuterie board. It should be beautiful but also practical with different utensils needed for scooping or spreading different ingredients.

Crêpe & Waffle Bar

I love crêpes, and you can absolutely make these a day ahead of time and store them in your fridge. (I use this great electric crêpe skillet) Just put a piece of parchment paper in between each crepe, put all the crêpes into a storage bag, then into the fridge. I like to warm mine up in the oven on the lowest setting, just to get them warm. You can also do this during brunch to keep waffles and crêpes warm and restock your board as people eat them. That way everyone gets a warm crêpe or waffle.

Guests can build their own sweet plates with:

• Fresh crêpes

• Golden waffles

• Macerated berries

• Whipped cream

• Maple syrup

• Lemon curd

• Powdered sugar

• Nutella

• Banana slices

Herb Roasted Bistro Potatoes

I do like to have a few other sides prepared, and this one is incredibly simple. I will steam my potato pieces first then shake them with oil oil to ensure that golden crispy texture in the oven. These potatoes take a little while in the oven but with less than ten minutes of prep you're good to go!

Crispy roasted Yukon Gold potatoes tossed with olive oil, garlic, thyme, and fresh parsley add a warm savory element to the table.

Spring Salad

I think it's always good to have some kind of vegetable and a bright spring salad is just the right addition. A light salad balances the richness of brunch, and there are a lot of sweet and rich flavors available!

Butter lettuce, radishes, and cucumber are tossed in a simple Dijon vinaigrette.

Cheese Board

No French-style gathering feels complete without cheese. And I use bring this out towards the end of the meal. You can absolutely prep this the day before two, wrap it up and keep it in the fridge. One less thing to worry about the day of!

Board suggestions:

• Brie

• Goat cheese

• Comté

• Baguette slices

• Apricot jam

• Chocolates

Drinks

And what's a gathering without something festive to drink? Being brunch we'll have lots of coffee, but also some fresh juices and mimosas for that extra flair:

• Café au lait

• Fresh orange juice

• Mimosas

• Sparkling water with lemon

Hosting Tip

One trick I love when hosting brunch is placing food in small clusters across the table instead of one buffet line. Bread and tartines go in the center, sweet dishes on one side, savory dishes on the other. It creates a relaxed café feeling and encourages guests to linger. And having these stations where guests create their own plates allows for conversation, mixing and matching to individual preference and less time for you being stuck in the kitchen.

Spring is all about freshness so I like to add flowers wherever I can. I have some faux stems but real of course just makes everything come together. Aldi and Trader Joe are great spots to get fresh stems at a price that won't blow the whole brunch budget.

A table like this feels abundant and festive, but most of the work can be done the day before—so you can enjoy Easter morning along with everyone else.