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.

Tartiflette-Fancy name, easy delicious dish

As a "cheesemonger", I have a deep desire to make all famous cheese dishes. The cheese just begs me to create menus that make them even more fabulous! Tartiflette is just that dish. Traditionally made with Reblochon cheese from the Savoie region of France with onion, potatoes and lardons, tartiflette is basically a gratin dish with flair. Since lardons are nearly impossible to find in America and Reblochon cheese can often be bland, unripe, pasteurized versions of their French counterparts, I changed up my recipe to fit available ingredients with the best flavors. Not as traditional but absolutely fabulous and the best taste is really what I'm after!

I've given a few choices for cheese and used each of them to make Tartiflette. When shopping at your cheese shop, choose the ripest one for this dish. You'll want to pinch the cheese slightly and it should feel like pinching the fat place in your hand between thumb and first finger. A tiny bit firm in the middle surrounded by a nice squishy-ness....there, isn't that technical?

I also used fresh bacon that was not smoked. I found it at the local meat market and it is a great substitute for lardons.

TARTIFLETTE a la Boulevard Market

2 lbs. potatoes (I used Yukon Gold)
8 ounces lardons or bacon or unsmoked bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 shallots, cleaned and thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic
3 ounces dry white wine
7 ounces heavy cream
1 pound Reblochon, Tallegio or Pont l'eveque cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a saucepan, cover potatoes with water and boil for 15 minutes. Drain and remove skins, slice potatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices.
In a saute pan over medium heat, melt butter and cook shallots until soft but not browned. Remove from pan and set aside. In same pan, fry bacon and garlic until just browned. Add onions back in and de-glaze pan with wine for a couple minutes. Season with salt & pepper and add heavy cream. Remove from heat.
Remove rind from cheese and cut into slices about 1/3 inch thick.
In a casserole dish, layer potatoes and bacon mixture and cheese in 2 layers topping with cheese. Bake 10-15 minutes until cheese is bubbling and golden brown.

Amazing and needs very little served with it besides a simple salad dressed with vinaigrette!

Pate de Campagne

Bonne Femme Green Salad

I picked up a fun new cookbook recently that I've really enjoyed browsing through and cooking from!  "Bonne Femme Cookbook" by Wini Moranville.  Written by an American that spent time in France (and much like me) fell in love with the country cuisine.  I like that the recipes are interpreted by an American, as there are just a few ingredients that you cannot find in America that are quite common in France.  I also like the fact that many are quick recipes for everyday versus long, involved recipes that are quite common in French cookbooks.

I recently tried the "Green On Green" Salad.  John and I both enjoyed it, and I changed a few things the 2nd time around to fit our tastes.  It's perfect for springtime in Michigan and I loved using my homemade Violet Vinegar in the dressing!  I like the addition of the daikon radish as I thought the salad needed more crunch and a bit of spicy.  If you're using arugula or spicy greens, you could omit the radish.  I also prefer the understatement of chives versus fresh green onions.

SALAD;

4 cups Romaine Lettuce or any greens, chopped
1/2 cup cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
1/4 cup daikon radishes, thinly sliced
1 avocado, peeled and thinly sliced

VINAIGRETTE;

1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons Fresh lime juice
1 Tablespoon Violet Vinegar or Rice Vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha Sauce or any hot sauce you like
Salt & Pepper to taste
4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Sunflower Oil

In a small bowl, combine garlic, lime juice, vinegar, honey, sriracha sauce, salt & pepper.  Blend with a whisk.  Whisking constantly, drizzle in oil until emulsified.

Toss with salad greens using just enough dressing to thinly coat, but not drown your lettuce.   Plate lettuce and garnish with cucumber, radish, avocado and chives.  Pour a thin stream of dressing over the additions and enjoy!