Celebrating Mom is a little different this year

Delicious homemade cheesecake will make mom feel special. JACK CLEMONS PHOTO

Denise Clemons

May 8, 2020

Sunday, May 10, is Mother’s Day and the landscape for celebrating Mom is a little different this year. Instead of restaurant advertisements for a festive brunch or lavish dinner, many places are offering take-out options of complete meals with enough food to feed an entire family, from roasted salmon or chicken to crab cakes and beef tenderloin.

If your mom lives nearby and you can’t visit in person, you can deliver a vase of flowers or a wrapped gift to her doorstep. If she’s further away, there are any number of mail order sources for floral arrangements, home-spa treatments, comfy pajamas and delicious gourmet food baskets. Of course, you still need to send a card and make sure you call her.

If you’re lucky enough to be able to spend Mother’s Day with your mom, mother-in-law, grandmother, stepmother or mother of your children, there are lots of lovely dishes you can prepare for a special breakfast, lunch or dinner. We’ll start the day with blueberry almond pancakes and a mimosa cocktail.

The latter can be made with any dry white sparkling wine, whether you prefer Champagne, Prosecco or Cava. Be sure to select orange juice without pulp to avoid ruining the delicate, mouth feel and forming a raft of pulp that will float on the surface. When you assemble the drink, first pour in the wine, then the juice. This will give the bubbles a chance to settle and not overflow the rim of the glass.

If you want an extra bit of sweetness, include a dollop of triple sec. Or, to intensify the orange essence, a splash of Grand Marnier is in order. Add some color and a tasty nibble with a strawberry or orange slice to garnish the glass. Although the recipe below is for a single cocktail, you could also make enough to share by stirring ingredients together in a pitcher.

Blueberry almond pancakes are just a slight twist on your favorite pancake recipe. Substitute almond milk for regular milk and almond extract instead of vanilla. For a crunchy topping, sauté slivered almonds in a bit of butter to scatter over the cooked pancakes. Reach for the artisanal maple syrup instead of a commercial brand made with high fructose corn syrup.

Your Mother’s Day dinner should be whatever is her favorite meal or perhaps a chance to fire up the grill (as long as this spate of warm weather persists). I like to select meals that need a long time to cook, so they’ll fill the house with enticing aromas. I’m particularly fond of beef brisket, which is better the following day, but still delicious out of the oven.

This year, our dessert plans include the most simple, basic and delectable cheesecake (see photo). Although I usually make my own graham cracker crust for a standard cheesecake that cooks in a springform pan (one with separate bottom and side pieces) this recipe makes just the right amount of batter to fill a store-bought crust.

There are all sorts of hints and tips to cheesecake, including water baths and turned-off ovens, but all this needed was about an hour at 300 degrees. Be sure to take the pan out of the oven while the center still jiggles just a little so the surface is less likely to crack. Because cheesecake is rich enough without any extras, I didn’t add a sweetened sour cream topping or a layer of whipped cream. Fresh blueberries and raspberries are all you need for a pretty garnish. Happy Mother’s Day!

Mimosa Cocktail

1/3 C chilled sparkling wine

1/3 C freshly-squeezed orange juice

1 T triple sec (optional)

orange slice or strawberry

Pour wine into a chilled champagne flute. Pour in juice. Add triple sec (if using). Serve garnished with an orange slice or strawberry. Yield: 1 serving.

Blueberry Almond Pancakes

1 T butter

1/4 C sliced almonds

1 T melted butter

1 C almond milk

2 T sugar

1/2 t cinnamon

1 egg

1/2 t almond extract

1 C flour

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

pinch salt

In a small skillet, melt 1 T butter and toss in almonds. Cook over low until fragrant; set aside. Preheat griddle. In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, almond milk, sugar, cinnamon, egg and almond extract. In a small bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Pour the flour mixture into the milk mixture and stir until smooth. Pour 1/4 C portions of batter onto the griddle. Turn when bubbles form and edges look dry. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve pancakes topped with toasted almonds. Yield: 8 to 10 pancakes.

Beef Brisket

5 lb beef brisket

2 t flour

pepper

2 T olive oil

6 sliced onions

2 T tomato paste

1 t salt

2 quartered garlic cloves

1 sliced carrot

Preheat oven to 375 F. Trim fat from the brisket and dust lightly with flour. Sprinkle generously with pepper. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium high. Sear the brisket until browned spots appear; turn and brown the other side. Remove meat to a platter and add onions to pan. Stir and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom. Cook onions until softened and well browned, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the stove and place the brisket on top of the onions. Spread the surface of the meat with tomato paste. Sprinkle with salt; add garlic and carrot. Cover and bake for 90 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place the meat on a carving board. Cut into 1/4-inch thick slices and, without disassembling, return the meat to the pan. Cover and bake an additional 2 hours. Yield: 8 servings.

Cheesecake

1 prepared graham cracker crust

1 1/2 lbs cream cheese, softened

1 C sugar

1 t vanilla

3 eggs

Preheat oven to 300 F. Place the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth, about 30 seconds. Gradually beat in sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Pour the batter into the crust and bake until center is almost set but still jiggles slightly, about 55 to 60 minutes. Place on a rack to cool for 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving. Yield: 12 servings.