Asparagus quiche with brushetta topping
Question for all the mothers out there: Do you want Mother’s Day breakfast in bed? The popular vote says no thank you. Apparently, this tradition dates back to the 1930s when American media suggested that children serve breakfast in bed to their moms. Personally, I’d welcome a lovingly made, hand-delivered bedside brew, but keep the food in the kitchen where it belongs. Don’t get me wrong, I do have sweet memories of my two young kids carrying breakfast into the room with their smiling proud faces peering over the tray. But that time has passed, and luckily it was before I became a coffee drinker. Today, eating in bed would totally mess up my routine of slowly savoring my morning coffee and letting the day soak in before I think about breakfast.
When I do sit down for breakfast – especially when ordering at a restaurant – it’s usually a dilemma choosing between savory and sweet. The two flavors are best together. I’ve always preferred the salty, peppery egg yolk running over the top of my syrup-covered pancakes. And crispy bacon completes French toast. Many menu items are either savory or sweet, not a mix. It can be quite the predicament. Brunch at home, complete with several options, is the obvious solution. Plus, as your kids get older, their awakening time (or arrival time if they no longer live at home) is much more conducive to brunch. This year my adult son will be driving 45 minutes home and he and my husband are in charge of brunch. (I’ll let you know how that goes.)
If you’re planning a breakfast for Mother’s Day or any leisurely weekend morning, here are a few ideas on what to serve. You can keep it as simple or make it as elaborate as you wish. Either way, a pretty spring tablecloth, cloth napkins and fresh colorful flowers will get your mom’s, wife’s or your own day off to a sunny start.
Menu Suggestions
Egg Dish: Make an egg dish. Even better if it is something you can (at least partially) prep ahead of time. It can be a quiche, frittata, scramble or egg casserole. Choose whatever vegetables, meat and cheeses that you like. Here’s a peak at my take on an asparagus quiche with bruschetta topping.
If you want to go the route of a frittata, Ina Garten’s Omelet for Two is my base “frittata” recipe. I loosely follow the recipe, interchanging veggies and cheeses depending on what I have at home and I often increase the egg mixture to feed more than two.
Bacon: Because it’s bacon. May I suggest Maple Candied Bacon or Millionaire’s Bacon. These take me back to the first time I had a “bacon flight” at Cheeky’s in Palm Springs, (the reason I want to go back to PS).
Greens: Arugula or a mixed green salad would be nice, with blueberries and pecans or walnuts and a light dressing. Throw some fresh mint in there.
Or go crazy and combine your egg dish with your greens in this breakfast pizza topped with arugula.
Something sweet: Scones, muffins, banana bread, zucchini bread … a mom’s gotta have her carbs. Dessert calories for breakfast have the entire day to work off. No standing over the stove flipping pancakes involved.
These Cinnamon Sugar Scones are a not-too-sweet accompaniment to a savory dish. Well, unless you decide to add maple frosting like I may have done.
Asparagus Quiche with Bruschetta Topping
I was inspired to make this quiche after seeing Diane Morrissey’s photo of an asparagus quiche with a potato crust and tomato and basil topping on her Instagram account. Plus, arranging asparagus in an egg dish has been on my list of things to do. It’s true. I’ve switched it up and used a non-fussy tart crust and changed the cheeses and amount of eggs, but I kept the bruschetta topping.
Start with the crust. Of course, you can opt to buy a pre-made pie crust.
Savory tart crust
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Unsalted butter, very cold
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2 tablespoons cold water + up to 1 more tablespoon, if needed
Directions:
If you have a food processor, that’s the easiest way to make the crust. Dump the flour and salt into the bowl and pulse to combine. Cube the butter and add it to the flour mixture. Pulse until it’s about the size of peas.
In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg and ice water together. Add the egg mixture to the food processor and pulse until it is partially incorporated. Don’t worry, it won’t come together in a ball. Just pinch the dough to test that it sticks together. (Watch the blade when you reach in; speaking from experience.) Add a little extra water until you’re satisfied that the dough will stick together.
Transfer the dough onto your work surface. Form it into a ball until there’s no loose flour. Sprinkle a little water over it if necessary. Flatten it into a disk, wrap in plastic and place in refrigerator for about 45 minutes.
Take the dough out of the fridge and place on a lightly floured surface. Flatten the disk and roll it out to about an approximately 11” round, about a ¼” thick. Add a tiny bit of additional flour underneath as you roll to keep it from sticking. Roll the dough around the rolling pin and unroll it over a tart pan with a removable bottom. Gently but firmly press the bottom and the edges of the pastry dough with your fingertips so that it sticks to the pan. Cut the excess dough from edges. Place in the freezer while you make the quiche filling.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Quiche filling
Ingredients:
4 large eggs
1 ½ cups half-and-half
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
6 ounces Gruyère and Emmental cheeses, freshly grated. These are both varieties of Swiss cheese, which is used in a classic Quiche Lorraine.
20 or so asparagus spears
Red pepper flakes, as desired
Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and half-and-half together. Add the salt, pepper, dry mustard and thyme. Stir together and set aside.
Grate your cheeses. Six ounces is about 1 ½ cups. I always err on the generous side.
Wash the asparagus and trim the tough ends. Dry thoroughly.
Take the tart pan out of freezer. Lay half of your asparagus spears on bottom of crust and cover with half the grated cheese.
Pour the egg mixture over the asparagus.
Add the remaining cheese and then arrange the rest of the asparagus evenly over the egg mixture, pressing down slightly.
Sprinkle red pepper flakes over top of quiche.
Bake for 35 minutes until filling is set. Let cool 12-15 minutes. Remove from the tart pan and put on serving plate. Serve with bruschetta.
Bruschetta topping
Ingredients:
½ pint cherry/grape tomatoes (I always gravitate to the multicolored ones, but any will do. Cut tomatoes in half or more, depending on size.)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/8 – ¼ cup basil, chopped chiffonade-style
1/8 cup olive oil (use your good stuff for this)
½ - ¾ tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions: Add all the ingredients to a bowl, toss with olive oil and vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy!
If this all sounds like a great idea, but you don’t have time …. then save it for another day and head to your local bakery. If you live in my neck of the woods, I recommend the quiche from North Bend Bakery. Both their Ham and Pepper Jack Quiche and the Spinach and Feta Quiche are wonderful - available whole or by the slice. Plus the kids can pick out donuts and maple bars from the glass case.
Oh, and don’t forget to pour mom a mimosa!
A simple arugula salad with blueberries, watermelon radish and sliced almonds.