Make Mom happy with a Mother's Day breakfast

By Joan Brunskill
Associated Press

Lisa Schroeder, chef and co-owner of Mother's Bistro and Bar in Portland, Ore., says her Mother's Day specials tend to be "a little more delicate" than most offerings. Associated Press

For occasional cooks, where better to go for information on just how to pull this off than a restaurant with the word "Mother" in its name, a spot that specializes in breakfast and brunch and in sharing recipes from real moms.

Meet Lisa Schroeder, chef and co-owner of Mother's Bistro and Bar, in Portland, Ore., where home cooking is in style all year round.

"We're already booked up for this Mother's Day," Schroeder said in a phone interview. That's not unexpected for this holiday when so many moms get taken out to eat — as well as being cooked for at home.

Asked what she'll be serving in the 80-seat restaurant she runs with her partner Rob Sample, Schroeder says Mother's Day specials tend to be "a little more delicate, to try to make the mothers happy."

For weekend breakfasts, Mother's Bistro and Bar observes a well-established tradition of offering dishes credited to a "Mother of the Month," who may be from the United States or from another culture.

"This month we're honoring the mother of one of our servers, a mother who's passed away, who made a specialty of Italian food," Schroeder said.

Schroeder shared three recipes tailored for the home cook.

This first is a happy marriage of two favorites: light, air pancakes and rich, buttery lemon poppyseed cake — usually in the form of a hefty bundt cake. Use the best quality poppy seeds you can find for the most interesting flavor. Penzeys Spices, a Wisconsin mail-order house, is a favorite with chefs; they stock Holland Blue poppy seeds, which are highly recommended (www.penzeys.com; (801) 741-7787).

Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 stick (1/4 pound) melted butter (preferably unsalted)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Grated zest of two lemons (see note)
• 1/3 cup poppy seeds

Over a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, whole milk, melted butter, large eggs, vanilla extract, lemon zest and poppy seeds until well combined.

Pour wet ingredients over dry, using a whisk to mix, but whisk only long enough to combine ingredients.

Heat a griddle or large frying pan. Add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan and pour off any excess. Using a ladle or a pitcher with a spout, pour the batter onto the griddle to form pancakes about 6 inches in diameter. When bubbles appear in the center of the cakes, turn them over using a long spatula. Let the other side cook a few minutes until lightly browned. Remove cakes as they are cooked onto an oven-proof platter and place platter in a 250-degree oven to keep warm while cooking the remaining pancakes. Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Makes 6 to 8 pancakes.

Note: When grating the lemon zest, grate only the yellow peel, not the white pith underneath.

Migas Scrambled Eggs with Corn Tortillas

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup finely diced onion
• 3/4 cup finely diced green and/or red bell peppers, diced fine
• 1 cup fresh corn tortilla strips (cut long, narrow strips)
• 12 eggs, beaten
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/4 cup sour cream (optional)
• 1/4 cup homemade salsa (recipe follows), or store-bought

Heat a large skillet or saute pan. Add butter, and once melted, add onions and peppers. Cook for about 3 minutes or until they soften. Add tortillas to pan and continue to cook until they start to get slightly golden and the onions begin to caramelize.

Pour the beaten eggs into the onion-tortilla mix and, using a heat-proof rubber spatula or wooden spoon, scramble the eggs in the pan until they are almost cooked through and set. Add shredded cheese; scramble a bit more to combine and finish cooking the eggs.

Spoon onto serving plates and top each serving with a tablespoon of sour cream, if desired, and salsa. Pass around extra salsa separately.

Makes 4 servings.

Salsa

• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 serrano or jalapeno chilies, seeds removed
• 1/2 red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped fresh tomatoes
• 28-ounce can tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons chopped cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt and pepper to taste

Place peppers and garlic in food processor and process until finely chopped. Remove from processor bowl and place in mixing bowl. Add onions to processor bowl and process until finely chopped. Remove and add to the mixing bowl with the garlic and peppers. Process fresh tomatoes until chopped small; place in mixing bowl. Add canned tomatoes, cilantro and cumin, and pulse once or twice.

Remove mixture from processor bowl and add to the mixing bowl mixture. Add lime juice to mixing bowl mixture, season with salt and pepper, and mix well. Taste; adjust seasoning as necessary.

Makes about 1 1/4 quarts. Leftover salsa may be refrigerated for up to five days; or frozen in small containers for up to six months, to use as needed.

Frittatas are open-faced omelets that are almost like egg pizzas. Most of the ingredients are cooked with the eggs, and then the omelet pan is placed under the broiler to finish cooking, Schroeder says.

"At Mother's we prefer to make our frittatas in individual 8-inch omelet pans, which can serve one or two (if cut in half). Alternatively, the ingredients can be multiplied for a larger pan, and then the frittata can be cut and served in wedges."

If you're trying to avoid egg yolks, use 1 yolk and 4 whites instead of 3 beaten eggs. You can also cut back on the fat by spraying the nonstick with vegetable oil.

Greek Frittata

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup tightly packed fresh spinach leaves
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons julienne-cut oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
• 1/4 cup sliced Kalamata olives (see note)
• 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 3 eggs, beaten

Preheat broiler.

Heat an 8-inch nonstick omelet pan to medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and when melted, add garlic and spinach. Stir until spinach is wilted, then add tomatoes and olives, and season with salt and pepper.

Add beaten eggs to pan, and using a heat-proof rubber spatula or wooden spoon mix the eggs in the pan to combine all the ingredients and to cook the eggs. When it looks as if the eggs are beginning to set, stop stirring, top the frittata with the feta cheese, and place under the broiler to continue cooking. The frittata is done when the eggs are set, which should take about 3 minutes.

When done, remove pan from oven; using a rubber spatula, loosen the frittata from the pan and slide it onto a serving plate.

Makes 1 or 2 servings.

Note: For milder flavor, use sliced California olives.