Cook Mom a Delicious Breakfast

To moms everywhere:
Thanks for always feeding us. Thanks for putting little treats in our lunch bags. Thanks for making us soup and toast when we are sick. Thanks for letting us sit in the grocery cart even though you technically need the room for food.  Thanks for putting up with our picky eating habits. Thanks for making us dinner even though we don’t always appreciate what an effort it must be for you. And most of all, thanks for the love. Every day should be Mom’s Day – where would we any of us be without you?

Cook mom breakfast. It’s very low cost, it can be done as a last minute gift, and best of all:  it will make your mom super happy and give her something to brag about to her friends for a full week. Pulling off a brunch is much easier than doing dinner. There are less ingredients and it’s always a crowd pleaser – who doesn’t love eggs and French toast?

If you’re cooking somewhere else, just throw together the French bread recipe in a pan the night before. Grab some eggs for the omelet and fruit for a side dish and you have a full meal. It’s easy to transport and the kids can help prepare most of the meal – and make sure there is a small skillet wherever you are going so that you can show off your omelet-making skills.

French Omelet’s are the BEST. Before trying them, I preferred my eggs so dry they were brown but after trying a French omelet, I can’t go back. They are known for being very wet inside and pure yellow on the outside. No brown allowed. Practice a couple of times before serving other people – once you get the hang of it, you’ll be the most popular Sunday chef in town.

Classic French Omelet
The French prefer their omelets rolled, as opposed to flat, and generally should have a completely smooth unbrowned surface, while being slightly runny in the middle.

for the omelet:
3 large eggs (ideally, room temperature)
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste

for the fillings:
¼ cup grated cheese
3 tablespoons caramelized onions
¼ cup chopped tomatoes
2 button mushrooms, sliced

Break eggs into a bowl and mix well with a fork, but do no overbeat (you do not want to incorporate air). Heat a non-stick 8-inch skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon butter.

When the butter foams, add the eggs and stir continuously with a fork until they are at a runny scramble stage. When the omelet is lightly set, stop stirring. (The point at which you stop stirring is the key to having a smooth omelet.)

Place the filling in the middle of the omelet. Fold the edge of the omelet over into itself, tilt the pan from the handle and lightly tap the handle so that the omelet moves up from the pan. Form the omelet with a fork. Roll the omelet onto a warm plate seam-side down. Adjust the form if necessary by shaping with a clean towel.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Serves 1
Recipe by Lauren Braun Costello, co-author of the brand new book, Notes on Cooking: A Short Guide to an Essential Craft -  www.notesoncooking.com

Make-Ahead Vanilla Orange French Toast
This can be made the night before you serve it - it doesn’t get any easier than that!

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
12 thick slightly stale bread slices (brioche or challah bread are good choices)
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
Zest of half an orange (after zesting, slice up orange to serve as a side dish)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar, pecans and berries for garnish

Spread butter over bottom of large baking pan with 1-inch-high sides. Arrange bread slices in one layer across pan. Beat eggs, milk, syrup, vanilla, orange juice, zest and salt in large bowl. Pour mixture over bread so that each piece is covered. Turn bread slices to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 400°F. (Or you can pan-fry it the traditional way.) Bake bread for 10 minutes. Turn bread over and continue baking until just golden, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer cooked toast to plates and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve immediately with all-natural maple syrup and pecans and berries.

Preparation time: 20 minutes (not including marinating time)
Serves 4
Recipe by Julie Negrin © 2008

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!