Ingredients:
1 c. brown sugar
1 egg
½ c. butter
1 t. baking soda
1 ½ c. flour
¼ t. salt
1 c. sour cream
Confectioner’s sugar
Directions:
Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour into greased and floured Bundt pan and bake at 350oF for 40 minutes. Dust with confectioner’s sugar when cool.
Ingredients:
Piecrust
1 ½ c. all purpose flour
½ c. shortening
7 Tablespoons ice water
Filling
4 eggs
1 c. heavy cream
4 c. grated cheese (Mexican blend)
2 c. diced vegetables (mushrooms, red bell peppers, and asparagus)
Paprika or cayenne
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Piecrust
Grease a 10-inch pie plate with shortening. Measure flour and shortening in a bowl and
use a pastry blender or two knives to cut the shortening into the flour until
it is all the size of little peas. Sprinkle the flour mixture with the ice
water and stir with a fork until it clings together and begins to form a ball of dough. Dust the countertop with a little flour to keep the dough from sticking.
Remove dough from fowl and knead it just a little to make
the dough smooth. Roll it out on the countertop until it is a circle about 2 inches larger that the pie plate. Dust with flour and flip the dough over as needed to keep it from sticking to countertop. Fold the dough in half and then in half again to make a wedge and transfer it to the pie plate. Unfold the
dough and fit it evenly into the pie plate. Trim and tuck under the edges all
the way around and then flute the edges with your fingers. (Use the thumb &
forefinger of one hand and the index finger of the other hand to pinch it into
a ruffle)
Filling
Place eggs and cream into a bowl and beat with mixer or
whisk until fluffy. Combine cheese with egg mixture and stir until well-blended.
Set aside while you saute the vegetables. It is very important to use just a little
butter to saute the vegetables. If you use too much butter or if you use olive oil, it may make the filling too soupy and prevent it from firming up in the oven. Transfer the cooked vegetables/meat
to the egg mixture and blend. Pour filling into the prepared crust and sprinkle with paprika or cayenne. Place in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until center is firm when you jiggle it and the top is golden brown. A knife inserted in the center can also determine if it is solid inside.
The ancient Greeks and Romans first celebrated mothers and motherhood in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele. There was also a tradition in Europe and the United Kingdom of “Mothering Sunday” which was a Christian festival on the fourth Sunday in lent where the faithful would return to their “mother” church. Eventually, the celebration diverged from its religious roots, and became a day for children to give their moms flowers and gifts. In the United States, Anna Jarvis conceived of Mother’s Day as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers made for their children after her own mother died in 1905. President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure in 1914 officially declaring the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.
How do you celebrate and pay tribute to your own mother? Flowers, cards, a phone call? Did you know more telephone calls are made on Mother’s Day than on any other day of the year? But, if your mom lives close enough, you might want to consider fixing her brunch. Here is a great menu for that special day:
Asparagus, Red Bell Pepper, and Mushroom quiche
Bacon/sausage
Oven-roasted Red Potatoes with Onions and Rosemary
Fruit salad with bananas, mandarin oranges, sliced strawberries, and kiwi
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Start by sitting mom down with a Mimosa (orange juice and champagne) or a cup of coffee. Hand her the newspaper, tie on an apron and let’s get cooking!
COFFEE CAKE: Actually, I recommend baking the Sour Cream Coffee Cake a day in advance (recipe follows) so you can save the oven for the Oven-Roasted Potatoes and the Quiche – which are both cooked at the same time and are best served warm right out of the oven.
POTATOES: To prep the potatoes, cut small red potatoes in half or quarter them to create bite-size pieces. Place in a casserole dish, add a drizzle of olive oil, a little thinly sliced onion, salt, pepper, a sprinkle of paprika and crushed rosemary. Stir to coat potatoes. Place in 350-degree oven the same time you put the quiche in the oven. The potatoes can be on an oven rack below the quiche. Stir again after 15 minutes to brown evenly and to prevent burning.
QUICHE: I like to make my own pie crust and generally use a 10-inch glass pie plate. You are free to use a ready-made crust or ready-made pie crust dough. But don’t forget to grease the pie plate with vegetable shortening! Making a quiche provides the opportunity to use leftover vegetables too. I think of combinations of any three items like – spinach, mushrooms, scallions, broccoli, red onions, zucchini, yellow bell peppers, etc. But you can also repurpose left over meats like chicken, sausage, bacon, pepperoni, crabmeat, and salmon. The type of cheese you use can vary as well, although it’s best to use cheeses that melt easily like Swiss, provolone, gruyere, Monterey jack, Colby or mild cheddar. My recipe for quiche follows, but don’t be afraid to be creative!
FRUIT SALAD: Assemble the fruit salad while the quiche and potatoes are baking. I love to use a clear glass bowl for the fruit salad so you can see the colors of the fruit. Slice strawberries, bananas, and peeled kiwis. Add fresh or canned mandarin orange slices. You can also include chunks of fresh pineapple and blueberries, if you like, to create a rainbow of color. My favorite (optional) “dressing” for the salad is a couple of spoonsful of thawed frozen orange juice. Toss and place in refrigerator until ready to serve.
BACON & SAUSAGE: Bacon and sausage can also be cooked in a skillet on the stove over low heat while the quiche.
Buon apetito!
theadmiralschef 