Mother's Day Brunch
Of course a Mother's Day brunch should be prepared by the children, with Mom not having to lift a finger before during or after. That means Dad had better be on top of things, eh?
Crepes Benedict
Crepe Batter Ingredients (8-10 crepes)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups milk
Light olive oil, vegetable oil, or butter for greasing the pan. (We like butter)
To make the crepes:
1. Put the flower and salt into a bowl. Make a depression in the center.
2. Pour the egg and some milk into the depression.
3. Whisk the liquid to gradually incorporate the flour to make a smooth paste.
4. Whisk in the remaining milk, then pour the batter into a measuring cup so you have a container with a pouring spout.
5. You can let it rest, if desired.
6. To start making crepes, but a little oil or butter into your crepe pan or skillet. Heat until it starts to smoke.
7. Pour off the excess oil. Add a little batter, tilting the pan until the base is coated with a thin layer.
8. Cook the crepe for a minute or two, until the underside begins to turn golden.
9. Flip the crepe and cook for another 30-45 seconds until the second side is golden.
10. Grease the pan as needed.
Hollandaise Sauce Ingredients
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon water
1/4 teaspoon sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice
18 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, but worth it!)
Hollandaise can be a delicate sauce, so we'll cook it with a water bath. This may be the part you want Dad to do! Pour about 1 inch of water into a large sauce pan and bring to a simmer with medium heat. Once it is simmering, reduce the heat to low.
Place your egg yolks and 1 teaspoon of water into a mixing bowl and whisk for 1 or 2 minutes until it lightens in color. Add the sugar and whisk another 30 seconds.
Place the mixture over the simmering water and whisk constantly for 3 to 5 minutes until there is a clear line that is drawn in the mixture when you pull your whisk through.
Remove the bowl from over the water bath and gradually add the butter (that's why its cut into pieces). Add one piece at a time and whisk until it is incorporated. If the mixture cools so the butter won't melt, just place the bowl back over the water bath to reheat, but don't leave it too long.
When all the butter is in, add the salt, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper.
Again, this sauce is delicate. It can "break" or separate and get clumpy, you can wind up scrambling the eggs, etc. That's why we use small butter pats, and a water bath with lots of whisking, and we introduce the butter slowly under carefully controlled conditions.
Poached Eggs
1 egg per crepe
Salt and pepper to taste
This is the easy part. Microwave egg poachers are cheap and easy. Ours takes 1 minute and 30 seconds to do 2 eggs to perfection. You want the yolks a tad runny for best results.
Crepes Benedict
Lay a crepe on a plate. Place a poached egg in the middle. Salt and pepper to taste. Put a spoonful of Hollandaise over it. Fold the crepe over its contents. Drizzle more Hollandaise on top, and add a little sprinkle of Cayenne if you dare for color.
Garnish with some bacon or asparagus if you can get the kids to deal with asparagus.
This dish is lighter than traditional Eggs Benedict because you replace the English Muffin with a light crepe. It's extremely tasty, though!
Belgian Waffle Dessert Crepes
Since you already went to the trouble of making crepes, why not make some dessert crepes too? After all, this is a brunch, live a little!
We're going to make the moral equivalent of a Belgian Waffle with crepes.
Begian Waffle Dessert Crepe Ingredients
Crepes: See above
Real Maple Syrup: Come on, forget anything but if you're really gonna splurge!
Fresh Strawberries, sliced and sugared
Banannas
Chopped Nuts
Whipped Cream
Powdered Sugar, if desired
Place a crepe on the plate. Spoon sliced strawberries and banannas into the middle. Fold the crepe over. Top with powdered sugar, whipped cream, nuts, and real maple syrup.
Now that's decadent!
Beverages
Fresh Orange Juice + Champagne for Mimosas
Fresh French Pressed Coffee