One local brunch

This weekend I invited two good friends over for a (mostly) local brunch. On the menu:

Mexican-style scrambled eggs. The recipe was from the Cherry Glen Goat Cheese Company, and is intended to use their chipotle goat cheese. However, they weren't at the Mt. Pleasant market this week (according to the weekly market email they are moving into a new ripening room), so I substituted Dragon's Breath cheese from Keswick Creamery—an equally spicy, though not as melty, cheese. All the ingredients I used in this were local except the tortilla chips and, of course, the salt and pepper. No red bell peppers at the market this week, so I used purple.

Home fries. Continuing the purple theme, I made home fries with purple potatoes, onion, garlic, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, and canola oil. Colorful and delicious, even if they did take forever to cook. The spices are from Penzey's, a great source for fresh, inexpensive spices. (If you are in the DC area, there are locations in Falls Church and Rockville.)

Salad, with red currants from Quaker Valley Farm and sunflower seeds (not local). Despite my earlier taste test, I have decided I prefer the red currants to the pink. The flavor of the pink currants is too subtle (and they get soft and mushy sooner than a procrastinator like me would like). Speaking of currants, here is a recent article from the New York Times about the resurgence of these berries, particularly the black ones, which I have yet to see at the market. (Thanks, Marianne!)

Slow-roasted red and yellow cherry tomatoes from Richfield Farm with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Melon. I wish I could remember what it was called. It had a yellow, smooth skin and a light green flesh. Anyone know? I believe it was also from Quaker Valley Farm.

Peasant wheat toast from Atwater's Bakery served with raspberry jam from Country Pleasures Farm, and butter (sadly, not local—I wasn't able to stop by Penn Quarter on Thursday to replenish my butter supply from Blue Ridge Dairy).

Mimosas. Well, it was brunch...