Mother’s Day brunch

LET’S GET IT STARTED The Ranch Style Eggs with Chorizo and Tomato Red Chile Sauce from Peace Meals is good on its own, or with chicken or grilled flank steak. (Photo courtesy of the Junior League of Houston)

Cooking Buzz is produced in partnership with the Junior League of Houston, a women’s charitable and education organization founded in 1925.

Mother’s Day brunch has always been one of my favorite family gatherings. Maybe you are lucky enough to celebrate your mom, mother-in-law or another special woman in your life in person this year, with a special meal, maybe even on treasured china.

Or maybe, because of quarantine, you are limiting your celebration to a phone call or video chat, or postponing it until later. Or you’re safely delivering brunch-to-go to her porch, possibly with some inventive ingredient substitutions.

In any case, I hope these recipes give you some inspiration in the kitchen this season.

I like to start off brunch with my mother-in-law’s favorite Peace Meals recipe, Ranch Style Eggs with Chorizo and Tomato Red Chile Sauce, already plated and replacing the soup course. Since this menu has more courses, we keep it to just the eggs, but you can also serve it over chicken or grilled flank steak. 

I like to enlist my father-in-law, the bacon guru, to help with the Brown Sugar Bacon Twists from Peace Meals. The secret is to use thin bacon for the twist. This will be plated with two hearty dishes from The Star of Texas Cookbook, Lucy’s Company Ham, Cheese, and Eggs and Salmon and Fresh Mushroom Quiche. We round it all out with the Houston Junior League Cookbook’s Breakfast Potatoes. 

Then comes my mom’s favorite, German Pancake with the Blueberry Basil Compote from Peace Meals, as its own course and acting as dessert. The pancake is puffed up when it comes out of the oven and falls as it cools. Happy Mother’s Day!

Ranch Style Eggs with Chorizo and Tomato Red Chile Sauce

From Peace Meals

Ingredients: 

Sauce:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 cup dry red wine
3 cups (24 ounces) canned tomato puree
2 Tablespoons ancho chile powder
1 Tablespoon pasilla chile powder
2 Tablespoons honey
Coarse salt
Eggs:
Canola oil
6 to 8 (6-inch) yellow or white corn tortillas
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
8 ounces Mexican chorizo sausage, casings removed
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into Tablespoons
12 eggs, lightly beaten with 2 Tablespoons water
⅔ cup sour cream
¾ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Chopped fresh cilantro
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped

Recipe directions: 

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Sauté the onions, stirring until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until completely reduced. Stir in the tomato puree, chile powders and honey; season with salt. Cook over medium-high heat until the sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally, about 20 to 30 minutes. Set aside.

Pour the oil in a medium skillet to a depth of 2 inches. Heat to 360 degrees F over medium-high. Fry the tortillas, turning once, until lightly golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and season immediately with salt. Heat a large skillet over medium-high; add the chorizo and brown, using a spoon to break up the meat. Remove the chorizo with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate and let cool slightly. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the chorizo drippings and add the butter to the pan. Once the butter is melted, turn the heat to medium-low, add the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture resembles soft curds. Return the chorizo to the pan and stir gently to mix, making sure the chorizo is in small pieces. Place 1 teaspoon of sour cream in each of 6 to 8 large shallow bowls to secure the tortillas. Top each dollop of sour cream with a tortilla, then spread 1 tablespoon of sour cream on the top of each tortilla. Place equal portions of eggs on each tortilla and ladle the warm Tomato Red Chile Sauce over the eggs. Sprinkle each with the cheese, cilantro and avocado. Serves 6 to 8.

Brown Sugar Bacon Twists

From Peace Meals

Ingredients: 

1 pound bacon (16 slices)
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

Recipe directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; place a wire rack on top of the sheet. Arrange the bacon in a single layer on the rack. Sprinkle the bacon evenly with the sugar or pepper. Tightly twist each slice to form a spiral. Bake until the bacon is crisp and browned, about 30 to 35 minutes. (For a sweeter alternative, replace the brown sugar and pepper with ½ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon.)

Lucy’s Company Ham, Cheese, and Eggs

From The Star of Texas

Ingredients: 

14 to 15 slices white sandwich bread
1 pound chopped ham (boiled or baked)
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
2 cans (3 ounces each) chopped green chilies
7 eggs
½ Tablespoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
1 cup crushed cornflakes, or enough to cover
¼ cup melted butter

Recipe directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove crusts from bread and cut slices in half. Place half the bread in a buttered Pyrex dish. Layer with ham, Cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and green chilies. Cover with remaining bread. Beat eggs with dry mustard, salt, and milk. Pour over casserole and let stand in refrigerator 12 hours or overnight. Before baking, cover with cornflakes and drizzle with butter. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Serves 8 to 12.

Salmon and Fresh Mushroom Quiche

From The Star of Texas

Ingredients: 

1 9-inch pie shell
2 Tablespoons butter
3 or 4 green onions, chopped
¼ pound fresh mushrooms, thickly sliced
4 eggs
1 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon dill weed
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup boned salmon, fresh or canned
¾ cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

Recipe directions: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake pie shell for 15 minutes; cool. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Sauté onions and mushrooms in butter. Beat together eggs, half-and-half, and seasonings. Place mushroom mixture and chunks of salmon in baked pie shell, sprinkle with cheese, and pour egg mixture on top. Bake at 375 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes or until center is firm and top is browned. Serves 6.

Breakfast Potatoes

From the Houston Junior League Cookbook

Ingredients: 

1 can or 1 pound fresh whole Irish potatoes
Salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons butter, diced
½ pound Velveeta cheese, diced
Paprika

Recipe directions: 

Drain potatoes and grate into 1 quart buttered casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in chunks of butter and cheese. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Serves 4.

German Pancake

From Peace Meals

Ingredients: 

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
Juice of 1 lemon
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Blueberry Basil Compote (see below)

Recipe directions: 

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Place the butter in a 9- or 10-inch round springform metal pan; heat in the oven until the butter is melted, about 1 to 2 minutes. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Add the milk, then the flour and salt, mixing until just smooth. Stir in the vanilla and lemon zest. Pour the batter into the hot pan over the melted butter and return to the oven. Bake until the pancake is puffy and golden brown, about 12 minutes; the sides will rise tall above the middle. Drizzle the lemon juice over the pancake and dust with powdered sugar. Slice into wedges and serve immediately with the Blueberry Basil Compote. Serves 8.

Blueberry Basil Compote

From Peace Meals

Ingredients: 

3 tablespoons water
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups fresh blueberries, divided
1 tablespoon fresh basil chiffonade

Recipe directions: 

Combine the water, sugar, lemon juice and 1 cup of the blueberries in a small saucepan over medium heat; simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the remaining blueberries and simmer an additional 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in the basil. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 1 cup.