Don’t mess with Mom
Put away the breakfast tray. Forget about finding flowers for the bud vase. Return the orange juice and eggs to the refrigerator. Mom says she doesn’t want breakfast in bed this Sunday. Time alone outranked breakfast in bed, flowers and a card combined, according to a poll of favorite Mother’s Day gifts in the May issue of Parenting magazine. But don’t ditch your plans for bringing Mom a tray brimming with breakfast treats just yet. There’s a way to give her both this weekend. It’s not the breakfast moms are thinking of when they say they don’t want it delivered to them in bed. What they’re thinking about is all the clean-up work: a kitchen stacked with dirty dishes, crumbs they’ll have to sweep out of the sheets, and the duvet cover that will have to be laundered after a mimosa is upended when a proud (but squirmy) little one jumps into bed with her. (Not to mention those spills on the carpet or the stairs as the tray is delivered.) So make sure that when you set out to pamper Mom this weekend, you don’t leave work for her. Here’s one way to get started: Instead of trying to “surprise” Mom, make a brunch date with her instead. Whether you deliver the meal to her, meet her in the dining room or serve brunch on the deck, be sure to schedule it so Mom has a little time to herself before breakfast. While Dad and the kids are making final preparations, Mom can sleep a little late, linger in the shower and show up feeling spoiled already.
A few of our recipes can be prepared a day early and either cooked or warmed before serving on Mother’s Day. Give Mom a little alone time on Saturday afternoon and whip up the main course while she’s away.
John Sarich, a James Beard award winning chef and host of the national “Cooking With Kids” program offered some tips for keeping the mess to a minimum while you’re making breakfast. “Cooking With Kids” begins a 26-week run this Saturday on KHQ-6 television. The segments air during the local newscast sometime between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. and will include four segments taped with Spokane children.
“Look for recipes with a few simple steps.
“Use recipes that require few pans or utensils.
“Prepare as much of the dish as possible the night before. Sarich’s Mother’s Day French Toast (recipe follows) requires only one pan to prepare on Mother’s Day morning.
“Keep messy ingredients (eggs, flour, sugar, etc.) out of the hands of small children. Instead, put them to work on place settings. They can arrange the forks, butter knives and napkins on the tray or the table. Or, send younger kids to the back yard to pick a bouquet of dandelions. This is a good cover if dad forgot to get the roses, Sarich says.
Jamie Lombardi, executive chef, the 9th Street Bistro at Huckleberry’s Natural Market, said sticking with simple, fresh ingredients is the key. But even easy dishes can be elegant with a few additions. Dress up a simple bowl of oatmeal with a sprinkling of nuts and dried or fresh fruit, and serve it with cream and maple syrup. Or, layer yogurt, granola and fresh berries in a martini glass for a fruit parfait.
“Frittata sounds exotic, but is very easy,” says Lombardi. At the bistro, she pours eggs beaten with cream, salt and pepper and cheese over oven-roasted vegetables and bakes the frittata in an oven-proof dish. A spring vegetable and potato frittata in the May issue of Fine Cooking can easily be made ahead and warmed in the microwave or served at room temperature (recipe follows).
Lombardi also suggested fruit turnovers made with store-bought pastry sheets. Sauté fresh fruit such as apples or peaches in butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice and fold it inside the pastry. Puff pastry sheets, found in the freezer section of the store, work perfectly for quick turnovers. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using. Bake until golden. Or, use the sautéed fruit to make stuffed French toast, Lombardi says. Top one piece of French toast with cream cheese and fruit, then put a second piece of toast on top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Or, if Mom would appreciate gourmet you can impress her by dressing up scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, fresh chives and crème fraîche (or substitute equal parts yogurt and sour cream), Lombardi says.
If your cooking skills (or the time crunch) make all of that out of reach, leave the main course up to Lombardi and the bistro staff. They are offering a Breakfast in Bed special that will guarantee a minimum cleanup and delicious offerings. They have Bacon and Leek Quiche and Roasted Vegetable Frittata for $6.99 a pound and Warm Blackberry Turnovers for $2.99 each that only need to be reheated at home.
With the new “Northwest Mornings Cookbook” from the Washington Bed and Breakfast Guild, you could serve Mom some of the scrumptious offerings from inns around the state. At the Inn at the Lake in Newport, Wash., they usually serve three courses, said Virginia Coffey. For example, they might serve individual quiches, and bacon or sausage, banana bread or cinnamon coffee cake and then a fruit parfait or fresh fruit bowl.
“Our signature here is that we serve an edible pansy with breakfast,” Coffey says. She and her husband Blane recently purchased the inn and took over operations last week. They’re keeping all of the recipes served by the former owners, five of which are featured in the new cookbook, including a Pend Orielle Caramel French Toast (recipe follows) that is easily made ahead and baked in the morning.
The 1908 Marianna Stoltz House and Waverly Place Bed and Breakfast in Spokane also provided recipes for the book. It can be purchased at the inns, Auntie’s Bookstore, Barnes & Noble or online atwww.wbbg.com.
Whatever your plan for breakfast, be sure that you finish the work. Banish Mom from the kitchen while the clean up is finished. Even if you can’t send her to the spa for the day while the clean-up is finished, she can use time to paint her toenails and relax while someone else worries about the mess.
Here are some recipes to get you started. We’ve included a few easy recipes and some that take a little more work. Be sure to pick one that is within your ability.
Mother’s Day French Toast
From Chef John Sarich
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk or half and half
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon sugar
4 thick slices French bread
Mix ingredients together and soak 4 thick slices of French bread overnight in a baking dish.
In the morning, butter a pan. Brown the French bread on both sides – approximately 3 minutes on medium heat – until golden brown.
Serve with fresh strawberries.
Yield: 2 servings
Approximate nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.
These Mini Mushroom and Sausage Quiches from the April/May issue of Eating Well magazine take only 30 minutes to prepare and can be made ahead and reheated. If you make them ahead, individually wrap each quiche in plastic. They can be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen for about a month. To reheat, remove plastic and wrap in a paper towel and microwave on high for 30 to 60 seconds.
“These crustless mini quiches are like portable omelets. Turkey sausage and sautéed mushrooms keep them light and savory.”
Mini Mushroom and Sausage Quiches
From Eating Well, April/May 2005
8 ounces turkey breakfast sausage, removed from casing and crumbled into small pieces
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
5 eggs
3 egg whites
1 cup 1 percent milk
Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 325 degrees. Coat a nonstick muffin tin generously with cooking spray.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Add oil to the pan. Add mushrooms and cook stirring often, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to the bowl with the sausage. Let cool 5 minutes. Stir in scallions, cheese and pepper.
Whisk eggs, egg whites and milk in a medium bowl. Divide the egg mixture evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of the sausage mixture into each cup.
Bake until the tops are just beginning to brown, 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Place rack on top of the pan, flip it over and turn the quiches out onto the rack. Turn upright and let cool completely.
Yield: 1 dozen mini quiches
Approximate nutrition per quiche: 90 calories, 5 grams fat (2 grams saturated, 50 percent fat calories), 3 grams carbohydrate, 105 milligrams cholesterol, no dietary fiber, 217 milligrams sodium.
This frittata can be made a day ahead. Let it cool to room temperature and refrigerate until ready to use. It can be warmed in the microwave.
Spring Vegetable and Potato Frittata
From Fine Cooking, May 2005
8 large eggs
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium Yukon Gold potato, scrubbed and cut into 1/2 -inch dice
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 pound medium thick asparagus, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 1 3/4 lightly packed cups)
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, Parmigiano, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and the cayenne.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 10-inch oven-proof nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the potato and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned several sides, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Reduce the heat to medium. If the man is dry add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until it softens and begins to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the asparagus, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the asparagus is bright green and crisp tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Lower the heat to medium low and add the egg mixture and the potatoes, stirring until the ingredients are combined, 10 to 15 seconds. Add the cheddar and stir until well distributed. Cook without stirring until the eggs have almost set, 10 to 12 minutes. (The center may be loose but should be bubbling a little; the sides should be set.) Meanwhile, position an oven rack 6-inches from the broiler element and heat the broiler to high. Transfer the skillet to the oven and broil until the eggs have set completely and the top of the frittata is golden brown, 1 to 3 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, cut into four wedges and serve.
Yield: 4 servings
Approximate nutrition per serving: 339 calories, 19 grams fat, (8 grams saturated, 51 percent fat calories), 26 grams protein, 16 grams carbohydrate, 444 milligrams cholesterol, 2.6 grams dietary fiber, 574 milligrams sodium.
If you’re ready to impress Mom with something beyond simple French toast, try this recipe from the Inn at the Lake in Newport. It can be easily assembled the day before and refrigerated. Bake it in the oven just before serving.
Pend Orielle Caramel French Toast
From “Northwest Mornings Cookbook,” Inn at the Lake, Newport, Wash.
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
14 slices cinnamon-raisin bread
6 eggs
2 cups milk
2 cups light cream
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
Garnish:
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
Sour cream
In a saucepan, combine the corn syrup, brown sugar and butter. Melt until smooth and bubbly. Spread in the bottom of a greased 11-by-7-inch glass baking pan. Overlap bread slices like dominos in pan over syrup.
In a bowl, mix eggs, milk, light cream, sugar, vanilla and salt. Pour over bread. Cover with foil and bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes, then remove foil. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes more or until puffed and golden brown.
Slice and invert pieces to serve. Garnish with sour cream. Top with small pits of chopped pecans
Yield: 8 servings
Approximate nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate due to recipe variables.
Mimosa
From Rachel Ray’s “30 Minute Meals.”
8 ounces orange juice
Dry Champagne
2 ounces Triple Sec or other orange liqueur
4 curls orange peel
Rinse and chill 4 Champagne flutes in freezer to frost glasses. Pour 2 ounces of orange juice into each flute, about 1/3 of the flute. Fill almost to the rim with Champagne. Top each glass with a splash of orange liqueur and garnish with a curl of orange peel.
Yield: 4 mimosa
Approximate nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.