Celebrating an Elegant Mother’s Day

Today is Mother’s Day. Today’s share is my 7th Mother’s Day share. Looking back, in 2019 I was a wee bit obsessed with creating the perfect Mother’s Day celebration. That year I managed to write not one, not two but three different posts to honor the day.

Those ideas were as different as the women we honor this day. The first was a Mother’s Day Country Brunch spend at the farm. Naturally that meant Country Favorites like Hobo Potatoes, Scrambled Egg Pull-Aparts and a Biscuit and Gravy Casserole. No brunch could be complete without a wonderful Mimosa.

The next was a Five-Star Seafood Delight. While that might sound complicated, it really wasn’t. With the exception of a lemony sauce for the pan-seared scallops, my guys did all the cooking. They even managed to pull off a Chocolate Mousse. Yeah, that was a special menu indeed.

Seems 2019 was a year of playing catch up. I was looking back at some of my most memorable Mother’s Day Celebrations. One in particular that has always stood out was an Elegant Surf and Turf Mom’s Day celebration. What better way to serve up Surf and Turf than to enjoy a perfect Steak Oscar with Shrimp and Asparagus.

This year was a real struggle. Should we have an Afternoon Tea? To do a tea justice, it requires a great deal of work. All those adorable little sandwiches and bite-size pastries require attention to detail. And honesty, I’m the only one who seems to appreciate a proper tea. So no to the tea idea.

Brunch is nice, but like a tea, a proper brunch requires planning and variety and detail. To have a variety all served at the same time requires a well-executed dance. My guys love brunch. But the extended family not so much. They fail to see the point of serving pancakes, a coffee cake, potatoes and an assortment of breakfast meats all at the same table. I do. To me, variety is more than just the spice of life. It is life itself.

So no tea, no brunch. What about a late afternoon lunch? Yeah, savor the day with an amazing meal. I’m not sure why salmon and springtime seem to belong together. Yet in my neck of the woods, Salmon season is in the fall when the Salmon return to the rivers that spawned them. So many it’s all that deep sea salmon caught off the Pacific Coast that seems to flood the market with fresh salmon in the spring. Maybe it’s a lay-over from Lent. All I know is I like Salmon in the spring. My yearning for an amazing Salmon Supper became the cornerstone of this year’s Mother’s Day Menu. Enjoy!

Mother’s Day Late Afternoon Elegance
Appetizers
Basil-Tomato Bruschetta
Classic Poached Shrimp Cocktail

Afternoon Supper
Lemon Kissed Grilled Salmon with Dill Sauce
Lemon-Glazed Carrots
Jasmine Vegetable Rice Pilaf

Salad
Strawberry-Avocado Salad

Dessert and Refreshments
Fresh Strawberries Romanoff with Grand Marnier Orange Cream
Strawberry Riesling Spritzer

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Appetizers

Basil-Tomato Bruschetta
6 ripe Roma Tomatoes
1/3 cup Fresh Basil Leaves
3 Garlic Cloves
1 tablespoon Aged Balsamic Vinegar
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons Butter, soft
Garlic Powder to taste
1 French Bread Baguette
Additional Basil for garnish

Finely dice tomatoes, place in a bowl and set aside. Stack basil leaves, chop and scatter over tomatoes. Peel and mince garlic, add to tomato mixture.

Drizzle Balsamic Vinegar and olive oil over the tomato mixture. Season with fresh black pepper and salt to taste.

Toss tomato mixture to blend. Cover and set aside on the counter for a minimum of one hour for flavors to marry nicely.

In a small bowl, mix soft butter with garlic powder. Slice a French baguette diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices. Brush the bread slices with butter mixture. Arrange slices on a lined baking sheet.

Heat oven to broil, adjust rack to center of oven. Lightly toast bread slices until golden.

Remove baguette slices from the oven and arrange on a serving platter. Spoon tomato mixture on top of the sliced bread. Garnish with whole basil leaves and serve.

Classic Poached Shrimp Cocktail
Poached Shrimp
Ice Bath
4 qt. water
1 Lemon
1 tablespoon Black Peppercorns
2 Bay Leaves
2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
2 lbs unpeeled, large Raw Shrimp (26-30 count)

Fill a large bowl halfway with ice and water and have at the ready.

Pour 4 quarts of water into a Dutch oven; cut lemon in half, squeeze juice from lemon into Dutch oven. Place the lemon halves, black peppercorns, bay leaves, and salt into the water; bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Remove from heat; add shrimp. Cover and let stand 5 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink. Stir shrimp into ice water; let stand 10 minutes. Peel and devein shrimp, leaving tail attached. Chill until ready to serve.

Classic Sauce
1/2 cup Ketchup
1/2 cup Chili Sauce
2 teaspoons prepared Horseradish or to taste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
Lemon Wedges as needed for garnish

In small bowl, combine ketchup, chili sauce, horseradish and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well; chill until ready to serve.

To Assemble: Rinse shrimp under cold water briefly. Divide cocktail sauce among Champagne Coupe Glasses or Martini Glasses. Arrange the shrimp around rim of each glass, tails over edge.

Note: the number of glasses and the number of shrimp will determine how many pieces of shrimp per glass. 

Place glasses on dessert plates, garnish with lemon wedges and serve.

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Late Afternoon Supper

Lemon Kissed Grilled Salmon with Dill Sauce
Lemon-Dill Sauce
2-1/2 teaspoons Cornstarch
1/2 cup Water
1/3 cup Lemon Juice
4 teaspoons Butter
1 Lemon
1 tablespoon Fresh Dill
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon dried Tarragon
Dash Cayenne Pepper

In a small saucepan, combine the cornstarch, water and lemon juice; add butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Remove from the heat.

Trim ends from the lemon. Cut in half, then half again. Slice quartered lemon into thin slices. Stir sliced lemon in to the sauce. Snip dill, scatter over the sauce. Season with salt, Tarragon and Cayenne Pepper. Transfer sauce to a bowl, set aside until ready to serve.

Grilled Salmon
2 medium Lemons
4 (6 oz) Salmon Fillets

Heat grill to high heat. Oil grate well to prevent sticking.

Trim both ends from each lemon; cut lemons into thick slices. Set aside.

Place salmon and lemon slices on the grill. Close lid and ,grill undisturbed for about 4 minutes per side or until fish flakes easily and lemons are lightly browned.

Arrange salmon and grilled lemon slices on a serving platter. Drizzle with dill sauce. Serve remaining sauce alongside salmon to use as desired.

Lemon-Glazed Carrots
4 Carrots
2 tablespoon butter
1-1/2 tablespoon Brown Sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon Lemon Juice
Salt to taste
Fresh Black Pepper to taste
Parsley for garnish

Peel carrots, trim ends. Slice carrots into 1/4-inch thick, 2-inch long sticks. Place carrot sticks in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, simmer until carrots are tender, about 8 minutes. Drain well.

Heat butt in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and lemon juice. Add carrots, stir often, until sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes. Let simmer a minute or two longer for a nice glaze.

Transfer glazed carrots to a serving platter. Season with salt and pepper Mince parsley, scatter over carrots. Toss and serve.

Jasmine Vegetable Rice Pilaf
1 small White Onion
1 cup frozen Peas and Carrots Mix, thawed
2 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
1 teaspoon minced Garlic from a jar
1 cup Jasmine Rice
1-1/2 cup Chicken Stock

Peel and finely dice onion, set aside. Place peas and carrots in a strainer. Rinse with cold water to gently thaw, drain and set aside.

Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat, add onions salt and pepper, cook 4 minutes, until tender, add garlic and cook another minute.

Add rice, stirring often, cook 3 minutes. Stir in peas and carrot mix. Add chicken broth, bring to boil, reduce heat to medium low, cover, simmer for about 20 minutes or until liquid has adsorbed and the rice is tender.

Uncover, fluff with a fork. Serve and enjoy.

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Salad

Strawberry-Avocado Toss Salad with Honey Dressing
Honey Dressing
1/4 cup Olive Oil
8 teaspoons Sugar
8 teaspoons Honey
2 tablespoons Cider Vinegar
2 teaspoons Lemon Juice
1/4 teaspoon Salt

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, honey, vinegar, lemon juice and salt. Set aside.

Strawberry-Avocado Salad
1/4 cup chopped Pecans
20 fresh Strawberries
2 medium ripe Avocados
2 heads Hearts of Romaine Lettuce
Fetta Cheese as desired

Roughly chop pecans. Place in a small skillet over medium heat. Dry roast for a few minutes, remove from heat and let cool.

Rinse strawberries. Hull and slice berries, set aside. Peel and thinly slice avocado, set aside.

Tear lettuce. Divide romaine among 4 salad plates. Top each with avocado and strawberries. Drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle with pecans and fetta cheese as desired. Serve immediately.

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Dessert and Refreshments

Fresh Strawberry Romanoff with Grand Marnier Orange Cream
Strawberries
1 quart fresh Strawberries, hulled
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar

Clean and hull strawberries. Place berries in a large bowl, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Grand Marnier Orange Cream
1 cup Heavy Cream
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
Fresh Mint garnish

Place heavy cream in a well chilled mixing bowl. Whip cream until soft peaks form. Gently whip in the orange liqueur. Set aside.

Divide chilled strawberries into individual dessert bowls. Top with a dollop of Grand Marnier Orange whipped cream. Garnish with fresh mint, serve and enjoy.

Strawberry Riesling Spritzer
1-3/4 cups fresh Strawberries
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Water
4 Tarragon Sprigs
2 tablespoons Lime Juice
1 teaspoon whole Peppercorns
3 cups chilled Riesling Wine
3 cups chilled Club Soda
Additional Tarragon Sprigs for garnish

Rinse, trim and slice strawberries.

In a small saucepan, bring berries, sugar, water, Tarragon Sprigs, lime juice and peppercorns to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool completely. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a small bowl. DO NOT press berries. Refrigerate the strawberry syrup until chilled.

For each serving, fill a tall glass with ice. Add 1/2 cup chilled Riesling, 1/2 cup club soda and 1/4 cup strawberry syrup. Garnish each drink with a fresh Tarragon Sprig. Sip and enjoy.

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