Grill

This evolved as sort of a hybrid. When I was a child, our favorite holiday breakfast was one my mother made of eggs poached in tomato juice served on toasted English Muffins. Fast-forward several years to when I was thinking about how to incorporate goat cheese and polenta into a celebratory breakfast because my daughter, especially, loves both. And so the hybrid was born, though I will always think of it as a tribute to my mother. <br /> <br />I season up the tomato juice with a healthy dose of red pepper flakes and some lemon juice, and to the polenta I add chopped fresh rosemary and crisp pancetta. It's important to make the polenta a day ahead so it has time to set up firmly. Besides, who has time to stir polenta on a holiday morning! <br /> <br />It's also a good idea to have all your mise en place done on the morning you want to serve these because it all comes together quickly. So have plates ready, the goat cheese sliced (or crumbled - you know how the first couple of slices are perfect, and it's all downhill from there, so don't be attached to perfection here), and the parsley chopped. Oh, and the table set, but you can delegate that. Right? <br /> <br />Since this has definite Italian tones, Prosecco is an obvious companion. Alternatively, I've always got a case of Pelegrino in the basement. <br /> <br />This is wonderful on Christmas Day, as a multi-layered red and green breakfast/brunch. But don't underestimate its qualities as great hangover food on New Year's Day!

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