One thing I don’t miss about living in NYC is Sunday brunch. I always felt like I wasted the day on mediocre eggs benedicts and cheap mimosas. But sitting here I wonder why I despised those brunches so much. After all, I’ve never met a menu I didn’t want to order from and, while I don’t love aggressive day drinking, I can’t say I mind a little midday buzz. So what is it? I realize, I love to be at home on a Sunday! Plus, I can never decide between sweet or savory on a brunch menu; I want a bit of eggs and to end with maple syrup drenched pancakes. Hence, brunch is the most important meal to host at home! So that’s what we did this Sunday. And truly, if if I had to pare this menu down, all you need for a perfect brunch: bagels, cream cheese, gravlax and accoutrements, fresh fruit and sticky buns. And while store-bought gravlax or lox does the trick, homemade couldn’t be simpler. Take a 2 1/2-3 pound salmon fillet, cover with 1/4 C. sugar and 1/4 C. salt and scatter a bunch of dill on top. Wrap it all up with plastic wrap, place in fridge, cover with a few cans and flip it over every day for 3-4 days. Voila, you’ve made gravlax. Sometimes I use brown sugar, salt, 1 T. paprika and 1 T. coriander for ‘pastrami’ gravlax. This also makes a great hors d’oeuvres on pumpernickel with a little creme fraiche or mustard sauce with dill. And people are always impressed with the house curing!