With le brunch Parisien, newly imported...

The Parisian-style salon breakfast idea could be the next raging fad if Sheila Ricci has her way.

Ricci, a Los Angeles hostess, formerly ran a tearoom, which started the chic afternoon tea trend in Los Angeles some years back.

Now it’s the salon breakfast trend she’s after.

Ironically, the salon breakfast idea is also new to France. In fact, it’s a French copy of an American idea-- le brunch .

“ Le brunch Parisien began in a few elegant restaurants and hotels a few years ago as a direct response to the brunch as it appears in the States,” said Janelle Benn, press secretary at the French consulate in Los Angeles.

But French-style informality, inherent in le brunch, is not easily duplicated to suit Los Angeles’ entertaining style.

“It’ll take 24 salon breakfasts at my house before people understand what they’re about. People here are so formal. They think they have to come in their ties, tinkle glasses, ask about the children and be served. That’s not a salon breakfast,” said the outspoken Ricci.

“A Parisian salon breakfast is informal. It’s bring a friend, your own six-pack, a piece of ham, a few eggs, a tape to listen to music, a piece of poetry to read. It’s gossip, talking politics and reading the paper. People make their own eggs, spread butter on their own toast. It’s all day and you end up going to dinner together,” she quips.

Ricci remembers a British version of the French salon breakfast called buck-fizz, bacon-butties , practiced in her native Manchester, England . “It was the same idea, except there were buck-fizzes, bacon and orange juice and expensive Champagne, and it was done during the holiday season,” she said.

But it’s the French version that Ricci is after and the one she has tried twice since returning from a year’s stint in France that inspired her to start her own salon at home. And as far as Ricci is concerned, it will be a process of trial and error to get it down pat for Los Angeles.

“My invitations read, ‘Bring a stranger and a pound of butter,’ meaning that you can bring a friend and any breakfast item you wish. How else would you take it? But some guests actually took it literally and brought a stranger and a pound of butter, which was not the idea.”

She tried the breakfast first with preparing eggs to order for each guest. “It wore me out, but it was fun.”

The second time around, Ricci decided on a menu that could be completely prepared ahead so she could enjoy the breakfast, too. This time the cocotte ramekins (individual servings of eggs poached with smoked salmon and served with sorrel cream sauce) would be “shoved in the oven” at the last moment. Ricci assembled 30 ramekins ahead that day.

“Too formal,” she said.

While the French salon breakfast menu is traditionally formulated by the guests who arrive with the ingredients, Ricci, in her attempt to educate her friends, will continue to prepare a menu until they get the idea.

“Next time I’ll have eggs cooked to order by help and keep the toaster going at all times. More fun that way.”

Her menus have been relatively simple, but carefully thought out.

Last week, Ricci’s salon breakfast started out with orange juice from freshly squeezed oranges purchased by the case from a friend’s organic farm in Ojai. Ricci is a stickler for things fresh.

There was coffee made to order in French pressure coffeepots called cafe filtre and teaserved from her mother’s antique china pots.

Ricci made her own Swedish limpa bread, hot cross buns and brown bread with walnuts and currants soaked in Cognac. The remainder of the bread on the huge attractive bread display on work table in the kitchen was purchased-- hallah, corn rye and brioche. Two coffeecakes, one purchased, the other homemade, also were on the cutting board.

For the most part the recipes are either from family files or gathered from this or that source. “The cocottes are in Wolfgang Puck’s book (“Modern French Cooking for the American Kitchen”; Houghton Mifflin: $19:95), and the Stockbridge Coffeecake is from a recipe given to me by Diana and Paul Von Welanetz (authors and entertaining consultants),” confesses Ricci. The limpa recipe came from a recent issue of the Los Angeles Times. Marmalades, butter and Lemon Butter, a lemon thickened for spreading, were alongside.

Pre-sliced ham purchased at a Honey Baked Ham Inc. outlet in Los Angeles was mounted on a serving cradle and decorated with sprigs of rosemary and thyme and azalea’s from Ricci’s garden. The ham was served with Champagne mustard, a recipe shared with The Times for its “Los Angeles Times California Cookbook” (Abrams: $25, hardcover; New American Library: $9.95, paperback) some time ago.

A huge ice-filled container was piled high with individual, flavored yogurt cartons.

The idea of serving Black Velvets came from a British guest who knew what salon breakfasts were about.

“This fellow arrived with a bottle of Champagne and a six-pack of Guinness. Well, it was such a wonderful drink to break the ice that I’ve decided to keep it on future menus.”

Ricci has been trying to promote the salon breakfast idea to friends as a entertaining tool that is easy, yet fun. “People don’t seem to know what to do on Sunday morning or where to go for breakfast, so I talked a friend into trying it. She had the perfect home for it with all that space. She ended up preparing for it all night. That isn’t it at all.”

This is:

WORKSHEET FOR SHEILA RICCI’S SALON BREAKFAST MENU

--Freshly squeezed orange juice (the task goes to Ricci’s husband, Michael, who squeezes oranges the night before and stores the juice in several pitchers in the refrigerator). Supplies are replenished as needed.

--Coffee and tea (Ricci or guests make these to order but they can be brewed ahead).

-- Limpa bread (can be purchased).

--Brown Bread With Walnuts and Raisins (prepare following recipe up to week ahead and freeze, or purchase a quick bread with nuts and raisins).

--Brioche (order ahead at local French bakery).

--Hallah and Corn Rye (purchase ahead at Jewish deli).

--Hot Cross Buns (purchase the buns or prepare the following recipe up to one week ahead and freeze).

--Stockbridge Coffeecake (prepare following recipe up to a week ahead and freeze, or purchase any desired coffeecake ring).

--Lemon Butter, optional (Prepare the day ahead and refrigerate).

-- Cocotte (prepare up to the point of baking early in the day).

--Yogurt (purchase individual containers of different flavors. Set up in bowl of ice before guests arrive).

--Baked ham (purchase pre-sliced glazed ham; do not reheat).

--Champagne Mustard (prepare following recipe weeks ahead and store, covered, in refrigerator, or purchase any desired mustard).

--Black Velvet (prepare when guests arrive according to recipe below).

Ricci uses the station idea for placing and serving different portions of the breakfast.

Beverage station(s)--The orange juice area is placed on a counter within easy access of the guests. Glasses are on a tray and the pitcher is replenished with fresh supplies as needed. Coffee and tea can be arranged in the same area or placed separately elsewhere within easy access.

Breads and cakes--Ricci creates an attractive arrangement of breads (see photograph on these pages) on a kitchen work table for guests to help themselves. Knives, jars of marmalades and tubs of butters are placed alongside.

Cocottes-- These are assembled in individual ramekins early in the day and placed by the batch in the pan in which they will be poached. When ready to serve, boiling water is added to the bottom of the pan and the ramekins are baked.

Ham--The ham is purchased baked and presliced, although you can bake your own ham. If whole, cut as many slices as needed for the group. Ricci uses a cradle to serve the ham and decorates it with sprigs of rosemary and thyme. Any nontoxic flower blossoms may be added for colorful effect.

Black Velvet--Use the following recipe. Ricci prepares a pitcherful (bottle of Champagne and four bottles of stout per pitcher) as soon as guests arrive. Guests are often called upon to replenish the pitcher.

WOLFGANG PUCK’S EGGS WITH SALMON AND SORREL SAUCE

Butter

1/2 pound fresh salmon, sliced, or thinly sliced smoked salmon

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

12 sorrel leaves, stems removed

Freshly ground black pepper

4 eggs

Butter 4 (2 1/2-inch) ramekins with 1 teaspoon butter each. Chill 15 minutes. Line bottom of ramekins with salmon slice and 1 tablespoon cream each. Chill again until ready to use.

Cut sorrel into 1/4-inch-thick strips. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in saucepan and add sorrel. Saute 1 minute. Add remaining cream. Reduce by half. Season to taste with black pepper and keep warm. Break 1 egg into each ramekin. Bake at 350 degrees 20 minutes or until egg whites become firm but still soft. Serve with sorrel sauce. Makes 4 servings.

LEMON BUTTER

Juice of 4 lemons

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter

4 eggs, beaten slightly

Combine lemon juice and sugar in top of glass double boiler over simmering water. Add butter and whisk until smooth. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating constantly 7 minutes until thick and butter-like. Makes about 2 cups.

BLACK VELVET

1 fifth bottle Champagne

4 (12-ounce) bottles Guinness stout

Pour Champagne into large pitcher. Add stout slowly to avoid excessive foaming. Stir. Makes about 15 to 20 servings.

HOT CROSS BUNS

2 packages dry yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

Milk

3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 eggs

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup golden raisins

1 tablespoon whipping cream

Sprinkle yeast and sugar over 1/2 cup lukewarm milk. Let stand 2 to 3 minutes, then stir to dissolve. Place bowl in warm, draft-free place 5 to 8 minutes or until yeast bubbles up and mixture is almost doubled in bulk.

Sift together 3 1/2 cups flour, salt, allspice and cinnamon in large bowl. Make well in center and pour in yeast mixture and 1 cup milk. Drop 2 eggs into well and beat with large spoon until flour is absorbed. Beat in 3 tablespoons softened butter, bit by bit, then add up to 1 cup more flour, a few tablespoons at a time, using only as much flour as necessary to gather up into soft ball.

Work in additional flour. Knead dough on lightly floured board about 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Shape into ball and place in greased bowl in warm, draft-free place to rise until doubled. Brush baking sheet with remaining tablespoon softened butter. Punch down dough and knead in raisins.

For each bun, roll small piece of dough between palms of hand to ball about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Arrange balls 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Let rise in warm, draft-free place 15 to 20 minutes or until doubled. With small knife, cut a cross 1/3 inch deep on top of each bun, if desired. Mix 1 beaten egg and whipping cream in small bowl. Brush buns lightly with egg and cream mixture and bake at 450 degrees 15 minutes or until tops are deep golden brown. Remove to racks to cool. Frost buns with icing, if desired. Makes about 2 dozen.

JAMES BEARD’S WHOLE-WHEAT NUT BREAD

2 packages dry yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 cups warm water (about 100 to 115 degrees)

4 cups whole-wheat flour

1 3/4 to 2 cups all-purpose flour, about

1 tablespoon salt

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup honey

2 tablespoons melted butter

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted 3 minutes

1/4 cup raisins, preferably soaked in Sherry or Cognac

Combine yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup warm water and let stand. Combine with whole-wheat and all-purpose flours and salt in large mixing bowl. Make well in flour mixture and add remaining 1 cup warm water, milk and honey. Blend well, adding more flour if dough is too sticky and too soft to knead.

Add melted butter. Turn out onto floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 to 12 minutes. Place dough in large buttered bowl and turn to coat with butter on all sides. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled.

Punch down dough and knead in nuts and raisins. Divide dough into two pieces. Form into 2 loaves and place in well-buttered 9x5-inch loaf pan or 1 large 12-inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise until doubled. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and continue baking 25 to 30 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when tapped with knuckles. Cool on rack. Makes 1 large loaf or 2 small loaves.

STOCKBRIDGE SOUR CREAM CAKE

3 cups sifted flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

Vanilla

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sour cream

Nut Mixture

2 tablespoons water

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and eggs. Beat in sour cream.

Gradually add sifted flour mixture to creamed mixture and beat until smooth. Spoon 1/3 of batter into well-greased 10-inch tube pan. Sprinkle half of Nut Mixture over surface. Repeat twice. Top with remaining batter. Combine 2 tablespoons vanilla and water in small bowl. Pour over top. Bake at 350 degrees 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake 45 minutes longer. Cool 10 minutes before turning out of pan onto wire rack to cool completely.

Nut Mixture

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Combine walnuts, sugar and cinnamon. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

CHAMPAGNE MUSTARD

2/3 cup Champagne vinegar

2/3 cup dry mustard

3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

Combine vinegar and mustard. Beat eggs and sugar. Add egg and sugar mixture to mustard mixture in top of double boiler over boiling water, stirring until thick. Refrigerate. Serve with baked ham. Makes 1 1/2 cups.