arts&life

dining in

Brunch For Mom

T

Annabel Cohen

Food Columnist

ell mom you love her “a
bunch” by hosting a Mother’s
Day brunch. Morning meals
are the easiest to organize. Brunch
can be as basic as scrambled eggs
and toast with fresh berries, or as
elaborate as you care to imagine
it — poached salmon and caviar
toast points. You can serve prepared
foods — lox and bagels — or mix
and match.
Of course, if you’re a mom who
has to do the preparing or if you just
want a little pampering on your spe-
cial day, do what you must and save
this special menu for Father’s Day!

EMILY’S PANCAKES

1 large egg
1 cup sour cream
¾ cup milk
¼ cup melted butter
1 cup sifted flour
1 scant tsp. salt
1½ Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. baking soda
Butter for frying

Combine egg, sour cream, milk and
butter in a large bowl and beat well
with an electric mixer. Add remain-
ing ingredients and beat until just
combined. Heat a large nonstick
skillet over medium heat. Brush the
surface of the skillet with butter and
drop quarter-cupsful of batter into
the pan. Cook until bubbles appear
on the surface of the pancake and the
top is almost dry. Flip the pancakes
and cook until golden, about 30
seconds more. Serve warm with real
maple syrup. Makes 6-8 servings.

ORANGE-WALNUT CREAM
CHEESE SPREAD

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

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May 10 • 2018

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1 Tbsp. grated orange zest or peel
1 Tbsp. orange juice
½ cup chopped walnuts
2 Tbsp. sugar

Combine all ingredients in a small
bowl and stir well. May be made up
to 2 days ahead. Makes 8 servings.

HONEYED BERRY COMPOTE

Serve this alone, as a fruit dish or
as a sauce over pancakes, waffles or
blintzes.
¾ cups sugar
¼ cup honey
½ cup water
¼ cup raspberry liqueur, optional
1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
peel
3 pounds berries, blackberries,
raspberries, blueberries and straw-
berries (any combination or one
variety), leaves and stems removed,
but not cut

Bring sugar, honey, water and
liqueur to a boil in a small pan
over high heat. Remove from heat
and allow to cool. Place berries in
a large bowl and pour the cooled
sugar mixture over the berries. Use
your hands to gently turn the ber-
ries in the syrup. Cover with plastic
wrap and chill up to a day ahead.
Serve the berries with a bit of the
sauce spooned over. Makes 8-12
servings.

SALMON WITH ALMONDS AND
HONEY-MUSTARD SAUCE

¼ cup honey
¼ grainy Dijon mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
6 salmon fillet portions (about 6
ounces each)
1 cup white wine

1 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Spray a bak-
ing sheet well with nonstick cook-
ing spray. Arrange the salmon fillets
on the sheet. Set aside.
Combine honey, mustard and
lemon juice in a small bowl and
mix well. Spread this mixture over
the salmon pieces. Pour the wine
around the salmon (not on top) on
the baking sheet.
Cook the salmon for 10-12 min-
utes (do not overcook). Serve the
salmon with any remaining pan
juices drizzled over the top and
sprinkled with the almonds. Makes
6 servings.

KALE AND AVOCADO SALAD

Greens:
10 cups chopped or baby kale
2 cups diced plum tomatoes
1 cup crumbled Feta cheese
1 cup diced avocado (or more
to taste)
½ cup chopped dill
1 cup green or red seedless
grapes, halved
Dressing:
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 Tbsp. honey-mustard
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Arrange greens on a large platter or
divide among 8 dinner-sized plates.
Combine salad ingredients in a
large bowl and set aside.
Combine dressing ingredients
in a small bowl and whisk well to
combine. Toss the salad with the
dressing and arrange the salad on
top of the greens. Makes 8 servings.

BIG BERRY TRIFLE

This is an easy shortcut because it
uses angel food cake as the base!
Use less ingredients to make a
smaller trifle.
Whipped Cream:
3 cups heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup sugar
Trifle:
2 angel food cakes, cut into 1-inch
cubes
1 cup apricot jam, melted
2 cups blueberries
3 cups sliced strawberries
3 cups raspberries
2 cup blackberries
2 cups vanilla or lemon pudding,
any kind

In a large cold bowl, beat cream
until soft peaks form. Slowly add
the sugar and beat until stiff. Set
aside.
Arrange one-third of the cake
cubes in the bottom of a large trifle
bowl or other clear glass vessel
(it must be clear for best effect!).
Drizzle with half of the melted
apricot jam. Top with one-third of
the berries; top that with half of the
whipped cream. Arrange another
third of the cake over the whipped
cream and drizzle the remaining
melted apricot jam over the cake.
Top with another third of the ber-
ries. Top with all of the vanilla pud-
ding. Arrange the remaining cake
cubes over the pudding and top
with remaining whipped cream.
Sprinkle berries over the whipped
cream, cover and chill until ready to
eat. Makes 12-20 servings. •

All recipes ©Annabel Cohen 2018
annabelonthemenu@gmail.com.