Tamar Braxton & Ms. E Bring The Heat And the Pork Chops In ‘Brunchin’ With The Braxtons’

Make sure you’ve got plenty of room in your stomach because Tamar Braxton and her mother, Ms. E, are back with a special edition of Brunchin’ With The Braxtons—a jam-packed, flavor-filled version of their classic Braxton family brunch. The ladies are serving up a variety of mouthwatering dishes, including Tamar’s rustic tomato soup and her famous turkey bacon BLT, along with Ms. E.’s savory pork chops smothered in a rich roux, cheesy grits, and her irresistible Yum Yum Cake.

They’re joined by Trina Braxton, who’s in charge of mixing up a refreshing sherbet punch cocktail and a lemon drop drink that will light up this hefty brunch.

Tamar kicks things off by preparing her warm, comforting rustic tomato soup, blending crushed tomatoes, onions, basil, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and pantry staples like salt, pepper, red pepper, and a touch of sugar. The finishing touch? A splash of whipping cream for extra richness.

Next, Tamar assembles her delicious turkey BLT, featuring thick, juicy maple turkey bacon, cheddar, and Muenster cheeses, all piled between two fluffy slices of bread with an assortment of toppings and grilled to perfection.

Ms. E takes over in the second half with her unforgettable pork chops, marinated in onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and the Braxton family’s secret seasoning blend. She coats them in a comforting roux made with flour, grilled onions, and spices, alongside her cheesy grits.

Trina brings the refreshment with her lemon drop cocktail, a light, airy blend of simple syrup and liquor that adds the perfect touch to the meal, before Tamar and her sister whip up their simple and tasty sherbet punch, which can be made with orange sherbert, cider or champagne, creating a delightful cocktail or mocktail for everyone to enjoy.

To finish it all off, Ms. E whips up her classic Yum Yum Cake, a sweet mix of bananas, strawberries, vanilla custard, blueberries, cherries, pineapple, pear pie filling, and apple pie filling, which serves as a sweet finale to this incredible brunch spread.

If you want to recreate a Braxton-style brunch, check out the full episode and keep swiping for the complete recipe.

‘Cooking Sessions With Tamar And Ms. E’: Episode 106 – The Braxton Burger And Ginger Lemonade Cocktail

Ingredients For Cheesy Grits With Smothered Pork Chops:

4 cups water

1 cup old-fashioned grits

4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 ½ cups)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Set a 2-quart saucepan to a boil over medium-high heat and slowly stir in the grits.

2. Reduce the heat to moderately low and cook, stirring frequently, until the grits are tender, 20 minutes.

3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the cheese, butter, and cream.

4. Season with the salt and pepper and serve immediately.

For Smothered Pork Chops:

4 bone-in ribeye pork chops (about 2 pounds)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium-sized white onion, cut & sliced into half-moons

2 tablespoons gelled chicken base

2 cups water

Method:

1. Season pork chops with salt and pepper onion powder and garlic powder and set aside.

2. Coat a large skillet with olive oil in place over medium-high heat.

3. Dredge pork chops with all-purpose flour in place and hot olive oil let them fry for 8 to 10 minutes on each side until golden brown, remove from the pan and set aside.

4. Add the diced onions to that same skillet and cook down, add the garlic powder salt pepper and add a half a cup of all-purpose flour and stir next slowly add the water and mix until gravy is at a desired consistency. Put the chicken base into the gravy mixture and mix well. Add the pork chops back into the gravy and the little cook for another 5 to 6 minutes and serve with the grits.

Ingredients For Drunken Sherbert Punch:

2 bottles of chilled champagne

½ gallon of orange sherbet

2 cups of premium vodka (optional)

Method:

Pour champagne into a punch bowl, then scoop the sherbet into the bowl, add vodka mix well. Serve and make sure each serving has a scoop of sherbet.

For Mocktail Version:

2 bottles of sparkling cider

½ gallon of orange sherbet

Method:

Pour cider into a punch bowl, then scoop the sherbet into the bowl and mix well. Serve and make sure each serving has a scoop of sherbet.

Ingredients for Rustic Tomato Soup:

1 large onion diced

2 16 oz cans of crushed tomatoes

4 basil leaves chopped

2 basil leaves left whole for garnish

½ stick of butter

2 tablespoons Chicken base (Gelled)

1-2 pinches of pepper (or to taste)

1-2 Pinch of Salt (or to taste)

½ tablespoon Italian seasoning

½ tablespoon Red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 8-oz block of grated Parmesan cheese

Method:

1. Place a large Dutch over medium-high heat. Add the butter and allow to melt, next add the onions, and chopped basil leaves and mix. Next add the pepper, salt, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes and continue to mix and let the mixture cook down for approximately 5 minutes until onions and basil leaves are soft.

2. Next, add the crushed tomatoes, stir, and cover with a lid and allow to cook on low for 5-10 minutes. Add granulated sugar and mix well.

3. Remove the lid slowly pour in heavy cream, and stir. Remove soup from heat and allow to cool. Once cool, use an immersion blender to smooth out the soup, blend for approximately 3 minutes until it is a creamy consistency, place back on the heat and serve, garnish with extra basil leaves.

Ingredients for Tamar’s Famous Turkey BLT:

4 slices of white bread

1 lb. sliced turkey

1 lb. of sliced cheddar cheese

1 lb. Bacon (pork)

1 large tomato, sliced

4 leaves from a head of iceberg lettuce

½ cup of mayonnaise

Method:

1. Place bacon on a sheet tray and bake for 10- 15 minutes until bacon is crispy. Remove the bacon from the oven and let it cool.

2. Lay 4 slices of bread on another sheet pan, lay cheese on one side of the bread, followed by 2 slices of turkey. Break 3 slices of bacon in half for each sandwich and place on top of the sliced turkey. Place lettuce on top of the sandwich along with the sliced tomatoes, add salt and pepper to taste. Take the other 4 slices of bread and place on top of the sandwich.

3. Place a non-stick griddle over medium-high heat.

4. On the outer side of the bread, spread a thin coat of mayonnaise. Place on the griddle mayonnaise side down and cook for 2-3 minutes until the bread is golden brown. While the sandwich is browning, coat the other side of the bread with mayonnaise. Flip the sandwich over and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and serve.

Ingredients For Yum Yum Cake:

1 box of yellow cake mix

Ingredients for Filling:

1 can of pie-filling peaches

1 can of pie-filling apple

1 can of pie-filling cherries

1 can of pineapple pie filling

4 medium ripe bananas

1 small container of blueberries

1 small container of strawberries

Method for Cake:

1. Get one box of yellow cake mix, and follow the instructions on the cake box.

Ingredients for Pudding:

1 large pack of vanilla pudding

Method for Pudding:

1. Use one large pack of vanilla pudding, follow the directions on the box.

Assembling:

1. Once your cake is cooled, cut the cake in half and place the bottom half of the cake in your trifle bowl.

2. Pour a layer of pudding over the cake.

3. Start placing the fruit in your trifle bowl.

4. Place the peaches around the cake until it is completely covered, followed by your apple pie filling, pineapple pie filling, cherry pie filling, and add bananas to each layer.

5. Don’t forget that you’re layering this cake, so be mindful to save enough for the other layers.

Garnish: Once the cake is built layer by late,r you can add the final touch. Cut your strawberries in half, cover the top with fresh whipped cream, and place strawberries and blueberries around the edges and center. Be creative and decorate it any way you want.

'Brunchin' With The Braxtons' Special Episode