Breakfast in Bed For Mom

kitchen tested by Marc and Matthew Marshall

Since love is the main ingredient in whatever you serve to your mother on Mother's Day, you can't go wrong no matter what you fix for her. But how about making a simple but simply spectacular breakfast fit for a queen? Marc and Matthew Marshall have been making the Golden Crown Quiche (pronounced keesh) for their mother (with some help from their dad) since they were in preschool. These recipes will serve four so the whole family can help mom celebrate, but we think it's more fun to serve hers in her room on a beautifully set breakfast tray. Any tray will work--just use her favorite china, silverware, and table linens.

Breakfast Fit for a Queen

Golden Crown Quiche
Ambrosia
Marzipan Crescents
Queen Mary Tea

The night before Mother's Day grate the cheese for the quiche and store it in covered bowl in the refrigerator. (Tip: If you have a food processor, get someone to help you use it, and it will only take a minute to shred the cheese.) Put the unopened cans of mandarin orange sections and pineapple chunks in the refrigerator.

About an hour and a half before breakfast, assemble the ingredients of the Golden Crown Quiche while the oven is preheating. While the quiche is baking, prepare the Ambrosia and the Marzipan Crescents. While the Marzipan Crescents are baking, make the tea.

Golden Crown Quiche

This crustless quiche puffs up to a golden pie that can be served at any occasion from sunrise to sunset. We think it will become one of your favorite dishes as it is in our house.

1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 4-ounce can chopped green chilies, drained
4 eggs, mixed up with a fork in a cup or bowl

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Butter a pie or cake pan.
3. Arrange cheese and green chilies in baking pan, mixing a little with a fork if the cheese has stuck together.
4. Pour eggs over the cheese and chilies.
5. Bake for one hour or until quiche is lightly golden and a knife comes out clean.
6. Let cool for a few minutes while the crescents are baking, then cut into wedges to serve.

Variation: Add or substitute for the chilies, a 4-ounce can of sliced mushrooms, drained. If omitting chilies, you may want to add salt and pepper to taste or a pinch of herbs.

Ambrosia

Ambrosia is supposed to be "food for the gods and goddesses" so it might be just good enough for your mother. This simple recipe for ambrosia is delicious with or without the strawberries throughout the year.

Tips: Get the Ambrosia ready while the quiche is baking. Confectioner's sugar is also called powdered sugar. Hulled strawberries are strawberries that have the green leaves and a little bit at the base of the leaves scooped out with a tip of a teaspoon.

1 16-ounce can mandarin orange sections, drained
1 16-ounce can pineapple chunks, drained
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar (use up to 3/4 cup if you include the strawberries)
1 pint fresh strawberries, washed and hulled (optional)

1. Save several of the best looking strawberries for decoration (you can sprinkle them with a teaspoon of regular sugar if like).
2. Put some of the orange sections, pineapple chunks, and remaining strawberries in a serving bowl and sprinkle with coconut and confectioner's sugar. Keep making layers of all the ingredients until everything but the saved strawberries are in the bowl.
3. Gently mix all the ingredients in the bowl.
4. Chill until you are ready to serve breakfast.
5. Spoon your mother's serving into a pretty bowl or stemmed glass and top with a strawberry.

Marzipan Crescents

You can round out this menu by baking a frozen coffee cake or refrigerated sweet rolls but even preschoolers can make these dainties that look like the work of a bed-and-breakfast inn chef. Get them ready to go in the oven while the quiche is baking.

1 8-ounce can refrigerated crescent rolls
Marzipan or almond paste (available in cans or packages)

1. Unroll dough and separate into 8 triangles.
2. Make 1-inch balls of marzipan.
3. Flatten and roll into 2-inch long logs.
4. Place a marzipan log at shortest side of each dough triangle.
5. Roll log and dough loosely to the opposite point.
6. Pinch dough on the ends to seal the marzipan log in the roll.
7. Place crescent rolls on baking sheet.
8. Turn the oven up to 375 degrees after taking the quiche out of the oven.
9. Bake the rolls until golden brown (about 10 to 15 minutes).

Meanwhile, boil the water for tea. Be especially careful carrying the hot tea pot. Don't try to carry a hot beverage on the breakfast tray. (You may want to get your father's help when its time to make the grand presentation.)

Main Page

Recipe Index