Mother's Day brunches are traditional and are a relaxed way of entertaining and of honoring the mothers in our lives. Today we offer 4 ideas for organizing a Mother's Day brunch.
Make sure the mother you're honoring would like a brunch
Have you asked? Since it's about what the mother being honored, not the person hosting, would like, make sure that that's how she wants to spend her time on Mother's Day.
Design the brunch to suit the mother
Along the same lines, what would she prefer? A dressed up brunch, an old-fashioned tea, a picnic, an alfresco gathering after morning sports? Whatever her style, suit the brunch to that.
Choose food and beverages to suit the honoree
Many brunches serve mimosas, but is this what your mother would like? My mother didn't drink alcohol and drank Southern sweet lemon tea with everything. Same goes for the food. Serve food your mother will like.
We have hundreds of brunch recipes, but here are a few sample menu templates to give you ideas:
Beverages
Orange, Apple, Pineapple, or Tomato Juice
Juices with Alcohol (Mimosas, Bellinis, Bloody Marys)
Iced Tea (we ARE in Texas)
Specialty Coffees-Don't go to Starbucks or fret if you don't have a fancy machine! Set up a mini coffee bar on a counter or small table with regular coffee and either or both of these:
Mexican coffee--coffee, cinnamon stick, whipped cream, cocoa powder to sprinkle on top
Cappuccino--coffee, heavy cream, nutmeg, cinnamon, sugar
Fresh Fruit
Fill melon or pineapple halves with fresh fruit and serve with sour cream mixed with powdered sugar and orange liqueur. Or just serve sliced fresh fruit if you're pressed for time. Even easier: Fresh strawberries macerated in 1/2 orange juice, 1/2 orange liqueur or in kirsch, which you can do ahead of time.
Egg Dish
Stratas, casserole soufflés, quiches, breakfast tacos, scrambled eggs for a crowd (add sour cream to keep scrambled eggs creamy, a trick we learned while living in NYC).
Meat
Ham, sausage, or bacon (choose nitrate-free bacon). We like sausages braised in red or white wine (prick the sausages all over with a fork and cook for a few minutes in a microwave first with nothing but a little water, then finish with the wine in a sauté pan until well browned). Hearty eaters? Do as the hotels do and serve a grilled steak as your breakfast meat.
Pancakes Etc.
If you have a hungry bunch, add pancakes, waffles, crepes, blintzes, or French toast to your menu. The easiest pancake for a crowd is of the Dutch baby type, which are puffy pancakes cooked in the oven to serve several people.
Sweets
Breakfast sweets include muffins, coffee cakes, pastries, crumpets, scones, biscuits, popovers, doughnuts, or breakfast quick breads. If you serve a pancake-type dish you may not need this. At one of our most successful brunches we served a black-and-white cheesecake (New York-style cheesecake with Ghirardelli chocolate crust) and every crumb was eaten. So if your mother likes desserts more than breakfast-type sweets, indulge her (and yourself).
Enjoy!
Kristina
Kristina Ríos de Lumbreras, Ph.D.
Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
http://www.fandango-catering.com/
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