Mother's Day Brunch

One of my favorite traditions growing up was making breakfast for my mom on Mother's Day. My dad would wake all of us early so we could make breakfast to "surprise" mom before she got out of bed (I'm sure it wasn't really a surprise, but I always thought she wasn't expecting it). My dad was a pro at making omelets, so we usually made those, some kind of smoothie, and a bowl of fruit (Genevieve was always in charge of chopping the fruit).

Although my mom appreciated being served breakfast in bed, she didn't want to eat breakfast all by herself. So instead, we would make breakfast for everyone, set the table all pretty, and then deliver her a smoothie in bed as an appetizer, before she came downstairs to the kitchen to eat with everyone.

This year, I'm actually lucky enough to spend Mother's Day with my mama! I get her all to myself too - she's coming out to spend the weekend with me. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to come out to my pre-Mother's Day Brunch, but I'll have to make this yummy breakfast for her again when she comes out.

The truth is, I've never really been a baked-French-toast kind of girl. I'm the kind of person who dips waffles and pancakes into a separate bowl of syrup because I don't want them to get too soggy. It's seriously the worst! Thus, I've never been a fan of baked French toast cuz it's usually too soggy for me.

Well, that is, until I found this recipe.

This recipe is perfect for all you anti-soggy-French-toast people like me. AND it's the perfect recipe for a Mother's Day brunch because you (or hopefully your husband...) can make it the night before to reduce the amount of morning-of work.

Not only did I whip up this yummy baked French toast, I made a yummy raspberry compote butter to go with it. We also enjoyed a strawberry banana smoothie and a side of fruit for our brunch (I had to incorporate some of my growing up Mother's Day traditions!). You can find all the recipes below:

Raspberry Baked French Toast

serves 4

1 loaf Challah bread (or French bread)

6 eggs

1 cup milk

1/4 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

For serving...

Raspberries

Maple syrup

Whipped cream

Raspberry compote butter (optional, see below)

Grease 9x9 baking pan with butter. Slice bread and tile in the pan. In a large bowl combine eggs, milk, cream, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. Whisk until combined. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until the bread is completely soaked, preferably overnight (I actually made this the morning of and only let it sit in the fridge for 4 hours. The top was a little crispy but I like it that way so it worked for me).

When ready to bake, bake French toast at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes (make sure the bottom of the toast is completely cooked through and the top is golden brown). Remove from oven and top with fresh or frozen raspberries. Serve with warm maple syrup, whipped cream, additional raspberries, and raspberry compote butter (if using).

Raspberry Compote Butter

1 stick butter at room temperature

1/4 cup fresh raspberries

Cream butter in the bowl of an electric mixture until soft and fluffy. Mix in raspberries until distributed (just a few seconds). Turn mixture onto plastic wrap and roll into a log. Seal tightly and refrigerate until hard.

Strawberry Breakfast Smoothie

1 banana

Handful of strawberries

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup oatmeal

Honey to taste

Blend all ingredients in blender and smooth. (I love adding oatmeal into smoothies because it's an easy way to pack in a few more nutrients. You can easily omit the oatmeal if you're a little skeptical).

What other recipes do you use for Mother's Day brunch? I'm always looking for new ones to try every year! (And on a side note, I've decided that tulips are my new favorite flowers. I just can't get enough of them! They are the perfect Spring addition to my kitchen!).