Ouicook: A French Mother’s Day Brunch

Eggs Benedict. (Stepanek Photography/Shutterstock)

La Fête des Mères (Mother’s Day) is Sunday May 29th in France or Sunday, May 8th in the United States. Whatever day you chose to celebrate, try a typical French Mother’s Day brunch to tell Mom how much you care.

The Menu: Eggs Benedict, a Niçoise Salad, Vanilla and Apricot Tartelettes. This is the perfect day to spoil mom!

Eggs Benedict

Perfectly Easy Eggs Benedict made with a foolproof vinegar free poaching method with luxurious hollandaise sauce and ham steaks on an English muffin.

Yield 4 servings

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Hollandaise Sauce 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 3 large egg yolks 2 tablespoons water 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 1 pinch cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/8 teaspoon coarse ground black

Poached Eggs 1 teaspoon kosher salt 8 large eggs

To Finish 4 English muffins sliced in half and toasted 2 tablespoons butter 2 ham steaks quartered Chives for garnish

Instructions Hollandaise Sauce: Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat until it begins to foam then turn off the heat.

In a blender add the egg yolks and water and while it’s mixing slowly pour the butter into the blender pour shoot until fully creamy and combined before adding in the lemon juice, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.

Poached Eggs: Add water to a pot (about egg height) along with salt and bring to a simmer on medium heat (you don’t want the water boiling, it won’t cook the eggs gently enough).

Crack the eggs into a bowl or one at a time into small bowl and add them to the water gently one at a time before turning off the heat and adding the lid to the pan for 2 minutes before removing

To Finish: While the English muffins are toasting sear the ham steaks in a skillet with the butter until browned (about 2 minutes).

Layer with English Muffin, ham steak, egg, hollandaise and chopped chives for serving.

Salade Nicoise

Salad Nicoise. (Timolina/Shutterstock)

Ingredients

Dressing 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed 2 oil-packed anchovy fillets, drained 1 garlic clove, grated 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon dijon mustard kosher salt and black pepper

Salad 1 pound mixed baby potatoes 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed 3-4 ears corn on the cob, husked 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 4 cups fresh chopped greens, such as romaine or arugula 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved if large 1/2 cup mixed Greek olives, pitted 6 radishes thinly sliced or quartered 2 cans (6 or 7-ounce) tuna packed in olive oil, drained 1 avocado, sliced ½ cup mixed tender herbs, such as basil, parsley, thyme, and or dill 4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced (optional) The best salad bowls:

Instructions 1. Make the dressing! Combine the olive oil and anchovies in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until anchovies have broken down into the oil and disintegrated – 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the garlic, tossing to combine. Mix in the lemon juice, mustard, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste, adding more salt, pepper, and oil as needed.

2. Make the nicoise salad! Place the potatoes and a tablespoon of salt in a large pot and fill with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce the heat to medium, simmer 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are just fork-tender. Drain. Place the potatoes back in the hot pot. Cover the pot and let the potatoes steam for another 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, pre-heat the grill to medium-high heat. Toss the asparagus with olive oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Grill the asparagus for 3-5 minutes, turning 1-2 times throughout cooking, until light char marks appear. During the same time, grill the corn until charred all over, 5-8 minutes, turning 1-2 times throughout cooking. Once the corn is cool enough to handle, remove the kernels from the cob.

4. While still warm, cut the potatoes in half and add them to a large serving bowl, tossing them with half of the dressing. Arrange the salad greens, grilled asparagus, corn kernels, tomatoes, olives, radishes, tuna, and avocado around the potatoes. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad. Top with fresh herbs and eggs, if using. Serve slightly warm or at room temp.

Apricot and Vanilla Tartelettes

I feel like we rarely use Apricot in our recipes and it’s such a great fruit to cook with. Follow this very easy recipe and the dessert will be delicieux!

Ingredients

200g (7oz) ready rolled puff pastry 400g (14 oz) tinned apricot halves in syrup 1 vanilla pod, halved

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/400F/Gas 6. Unroll the pastry and cut into 6 x 12cm x 8.5cm (4¾in x 3¼in) rectangles and place on a non-stick baking tray.

Arrange three apricot halves on each piece of pastry and brush with a little of the syrup. Transfer to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes until puffed and golden.

Meanwhile scrape out the seeds of the vanilla pod and place in a saucepan with the pod. Pour over the remaining syrup and place over a high heat for 10 minutes until reduced and thickened.

Brush over the tarts before serving and top with a small slice of the vanilla pod. Serve with crème fresh if you wish.

Decorate the table with fresh flowers and make mom feel special on this special day.

Et voilà! With Mother’s Day just around the corner, say Oui! I can make this a wonderful day with a French inspired brunch!

This article was originally published on OuiPlease.com.