Mothers Day Brunch Menu

Spring is such a great time to entertain and Mother's Day Brunch is one of my personal favorites. It's a time to honor (or be honored) the woman who not only gave you life, but puts up with your nonsense and still loves you! ;)

I put together this lovely little table arrangement of dishes/linens I already own;



Plaid tablecloth and Napkins- Vintage; My Mom actually bought these for me at an estate sale. We share an unreasonable love of dishes and lovely fabric.

Plates-William-Sonoma; Last year's design of yellow crackle melamine plates (I know, plastic right?! they are beautiful) as the charger and the smaller plates are their Mushroom collection.

Glasses-Duralex from France

I purchased the outdoor statue in green somewhere or another for very little and picked fresh white lilacs and put them in Weck brand canning jars.


I shared this menu with my cooking class last month and it's easy, unique and satisfying without being too sweet as many brunch menus tend to be! Here is a small collection of recipes that I will be making for Mother's Day his year!


LEMON RICOTTA MUFFINS

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick butter
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add lemon zest and ricotta then the remainder of wet ingredients. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (except almonds) and add to wet, stirring until just combined.
Fill paper muffin cups and top each with a few almonds and a sprinkle of sugar. Bake 20 until barely golden brown.

GRUYERE OVEN BAKE

8 eggs
1 cup milk
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 ounces prosciutto, cut into strips
2 cups gruyere cheese, grated
½ cup baguette bread, cut into ½ inch chunks
2 Tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a shallow baking dish 9-10 inch.
In a large bowl, beat eggs until blended, stir in milk, nutmeg, salt, prosciutto and cheese. Pour into prepared dish.

In a small bowl combine bread cubes and olive oil and stir to coat evenly.
Spread bread evenly over egg mixture.
Bake 35-40 minutes until top is golden brown and slightly risen.




ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH LEMON SAUCE

1 ½ lbs asparagus
1 lemon, cut into quarters
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix lemon juice, oil and lemon quarters in 15 x 10 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Add asparagus; turn to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast asparagus until crisp-tender, turning occasionally, about 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

SMASHED POTATOES WITH MUSTARD

10 small potatoes
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon onion, finely chopped
½ teaspoon Dijon or whole grain mustard
3-4 Tablespoon olive oil

Boil potatoes whole until cooked through, about 15 minutes for small potatoes. Drain and allow to cool a few minutes. Using a large fork or potato masher, gently smash each potato down by about ½.
In a small bowl, combine remainder of ingredients until well blended.
In a large skillet over high heat, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and add potatoes. When bottom has turned golden, flip and drizzle with a spoonful of vinaigrette. Remove when bottom has turned golden brown, serve immediately. Drizzle with any remaining vinaigrette while hot.

FENNEL ORANGE ONION SALAD

1 orange, skin and pith removed, slice
1 small onion, sliced thinly
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and bottom sliced thinly
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt & Pepper

Layer vegetables in a shallow dish and gently arrange until beautiful! Drizzle with oil and vinegar, salt and pepper to taste and allow to rest about 10 minutes for flavors to mingle.