PAGE 16 • GO! MAGAZINE
MOTHER’S DAY
Thursday, May 6, 2021 • ThE BuLLETIN
Perfect platters for Mom
Story and photos by MAKENZIE WHITTLE • The Bulletin
W
hile some Central Oregon restaurants are open for dining on their marvelous patios, getting a table may feel like “The Hunger Games” for a
Mother’s Day breakfast or brunch. Instead of volunteering to wait for over an hour for a spot, create your own alfresco dining experience for your
mom or mother figure in your life with a trendy and fun brunch experience on your deck or patio for a vaccinated or socially distanced celebration.
The idea of crafting a trendy board seems
easy enough, but they take time to prepare
when creating the perfect platter. If you
want to make your board prep easier, you
can make certain items ahead of time and
warm them up shortly before the festivities.
The great thing about curating your own
brunch board is that you can pick your
mom’s favorite foods and present them for
a snacking feast accompanied by a mimosa,
bloody Mary or other morning cocktails of
their choice.
Here are just some ideas to get your board
started and some recipes to try:
Mini bagels with dill cream cheese and
salmon
Mini pancakes, use your favorite mix or
recipe
Bacon strips, cut in half
Sausage links
Egg bites
French Toast sticks
Prosciutto wrapped melon
Strawberries and chocolate to dip
Favorite fruits
Note: Charcuterie, technically speaking
is cold-cooked meats or a store that sells
them. While the term is bandied around as
a trendy catch-all for anything served on a
platter, for the sake of French speakers, this
brunch idea will be referred to simply as a
board.
FRENCH TOAST STICKS
I have never actually measured out my in-
gredients when I make my French toast (of
which I am a connoisseur, having ordered
them at pretty every breakfast place I’ve ever
been to and made countless batches on my
own), so add or subtract from the following
recipe as you see fit.
5 slices of bread, preferably brioche, Ha-
waiian or another sweet bread cut in thick
slices
3 eggs
¼ cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tbsp. cinnamon or more to taste
Preheat an electric griddle to 350 degrees
or heat a frying pan on the stovetop to me-
dium-high heat.
In a medium bowl using a fork, whisk
the eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Take
A brunch
board
featuring:
mini bagels,
smoked
salmon, dill
cream cheese,
maple syrup
dunkers.
egg bites,
strawberries,
prosciutto-
wrapped
melon,
French toast
sticks, mini
pancakes,
black table
grapes, bacon
and turkey
sausage.
breakfast sauce of choice.
each slice of bread and dredge
You may want to cook
both sides completely in
these the night before
the egg mixture, soaking
serving to save time. If
thoroughly, and place
so, slightly undercook
the slice on the grid-
them and refriger-
dle. Repeat for the
ate the slices whole
remaining bread
and cut them in the
slices.
morning before re-
After about a
heating them in your
minute or two, flip
oven at 350 for a few
the bread in order
minutes.
of when they were
placed, the cooked
side should be golden
SPINACH AND PEPPER
brown. Cook the other
EGG
BITES
Spinach and pepper egg bites.
side for the same amount
of time. If either side isn’t
The trick to these tiny,
quite done, continue cooking each side
fluffy morsels is to not overcook them. So
until the desired doneness.
keep a watchful eye on them once you put
When a slice is done, set it aside in a
them in the oven.
warm oven.
5 eggs
When all slices are cooked, cut each piece
¼ cup milk
of toast into 4 or 5 strips big enough for
¼ cup finely chopped bell pepper
dunking in syrup, whipped cream or other
¼ cup finely chopped spinach, washed
¼ cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
½ tbsp. Everything bagel seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a
mini muffin pan thoroughly.
In a medium bowl, whisk together all in-
gredients, leaving a few pinches of bell pep-
per, spinach and cheese aside.
Transfer mixture to a small measuring
cup with a spout and carefully pour the mix
into the muffin wells about halfway full on
each. Use a fork to ensure an even mix of in-
gredients in each well.
Once the mixture is gone, sprinkle the
remaining bell pepper, spinach and cheese
into the muffin wells.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, checking fre-
quently. When bites are just beginning to
brown on top, pull out of the oven.
While still hot, take a knife and begin cut-
ting the bites out of the pan (cooling can make
them stick more) or flip the pan upside down
and turn them out on a plate. Serve hot.
e e
Reporter: 541-383-0304, mwhittle@bendbulletin.com