Mother’s Day is the mother of all special occasions, an entire 24 hours dedicated to celebrating Mom.

She’s the reason you’re here, after all, reading this story.

Consider the hours of labor she endured when giving birth. The multitude of boo-boos she’s kissed. The sibling squabbles she’s refereed. The lunches she’s packed and the dinners she’s cooked. All those loads of laundry. The spelling words she tested you on. The applause at performances and cheers at sporting events. The works of art she proudly posted on the refrigerator. All that chauffeuring to friends’ houses, birthday parties, play dates, and more. And all those sleepless nights, waiting up for you.

Wow. Mom sure is a superhero.

And she worries. You should call her.

Then, when you get off the phone, you can start making plans for a magnificent Mother’s Day menu to serve Sunday.

You won’t need to be tied to any apron strings with these easy dishes that show off Mother Nature’s springtime bounty.

Baked Eggs and Asparagus with Parmesan is beautiful in its simplicity, featuring only three key ingredients prepared to perfection.

Sautéed Morels are a special indulgence. Admittedly, they are expensive if bought in great quantity — often more than $50 per pound. (Mum’s the word on the price; it’s not polite to talk about the cost of a gift, and Mom is certainly worth it.) But you don’t need to serve that many of them. Truly, some butter, a splash of cream, a little wine, and just a few minutes of cooking will all contribute to creating a magnificent and memorable meal with a boost from just a handful of morels.

Sour Cream Pancakes with Maple-Pecan Butter are a sensational showcase for some of spring’s sweetness, a seasonal treat that takes the classic breakfast dish and makes it even better than you could have imagined.

And finally, of course, we love the tradition of Mom and apple pie. But that’s for fall feasting, whereas Rhubarb Cream Pie is just the thing to serve for a springtime celebration. This is pure rhubarb revelry, with no strawberries sneaking in to steal the show.

Whether you’re serving a beautiful breakfast in bed or planning a bountiful brunch for the family, we’ve got dishes that everyone — not only a mother — would love.

 

Baked Eggs and Asparagus with Parmesan

4 eggs

8 thick asparagus spears

2 teaspoons olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 tablespoons coarsely grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400F and grease two small baking dishes. Break each egg into a small dish and let eggs come to room temperature while you roast the asparagus. (Starting with the eggs at room temperature is important.)

Cut off the few inches of tough woody part at the bottom of each asparagus spear and discard. Cut the rest of each piece of asparagus on the diagonal into short pieces slightly less than 2 inches long. Divide the asparagus pieces among the dishes, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put dishes into the oven to roast the asparagus, setting a timer for 10 minutes.

When the timer goes off, remove gratin dishes from the oven one at a time; test to see that the asparagus is just fork tender (cook 1 to 2 more minutes, if not). Carefully slide two eggs over the asparagus in each dish. Put back in the oven and set the timer for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes (or when the egg white is starting to barely look set), remove gratin dishes one at a time again and sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons of Parmesan. Put dishes back in the oven and cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until the white is set, the cheese is slightly melted, and the yolk is cooked to taste.

Serve hot with toast.

Yield: 2 servings

Source: Adapted from kalynskitchen.com

 

Sautéed Morels

1/​4 pound morels, rinsed well, drained and patted dry

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablepoons finely chopped shallots

2 tablespoons Madeira wine

1/​4 cup heavy cream

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

If necessary, trim off ends of morels. If they are large cut in half or in quarters, depending on size.

Heat butter in saucepan and add shallots. Cook, stirring, until wilted. Add morels and cook, shaking saucepan and stirring often, about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook about 1 minute. Add cream, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil and cook about 1 minute.

Serve as a side dish or, if desired, on toast or over pasta.

Yield: 2 servings

Source: Adapted from Craig Claiborne

 

Sour Cream Pancakes with Maple-Pecan Butter

Maple-Pecan Butter:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/​2 cup pure maple syrup

2 ounces pecans, lightly toasted

Pancakes:

3 cups flour

6 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 1/​2 teaspoons baking soda

1/​2 teaspoon salt

3 cups sour cream

1 3/​4 cup milk

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3 large eggs

Pure maple syrup, for serving

Make the butter: In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium-high, beat all ingredients until combined. Divide mixture in half and spoon onto two 15- by 12-inch pieces of parchment paper. Roll butter, in parchment, into 1 1/​2-inch-thick logs; twist ends of parchment to seal. Refrigerate until set.

Make the pancakes: Preheat oven to 175F. Place a sheet pan in oven.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together sour cream, milk, butter, and eggs. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Batter should have small- to medium-size lumps.

Grease a large skillet and place it over medium-low heat. 

Working in batches, pour about 1/​3 cup batter per pancake onto skillet, spacing each pancake about 2 inches apart. When bubbles appear around edges and bottoms are golden brown, flip pancakes and cook until other sides are golden brown, about 4 minutes total. Transfer to sheet pan in oven and cover loosely with foil while cooking remaining pancakes.

Serve the pancakes warm with maple syrup and the prepared butter.

Yield: About 32 pancakes

Source: Adapted from Susan Sugarman, countryliving.com

 

Rhubarb Cream Pie

Pastry for a single-crust 9-inch pie

Filling:

1 1/​2 cups sugar

1/​4 cup flour

3/​4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 slightly beaten eggs

4 cups sliced fresh rhubarb

Streusel:

1/​2 cup flour

1/​4 cup sugar

1/​3 cup butter, cold

Preheat oven to 400F. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the pie crust and crimp edges.

Make the filling: In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, and the nutmeg. Add the eggs; mix well. Gently stir in the rhubarb. Turn the mixture into the pastry-lined pie plate.

Make the streusel: In a small bowl, combine flour and sugar. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut or rub in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle streusel over the pie.

Cover edge of pie with foil to prevent overbrowning. Bake for 20 minutes. 

Remove foil. Bake about 30 minutes more or until topping is golden and filling is set when tested with a knife inserted into the center.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Source: Adapted from Midwest Living

Contact Mary Bilyeu at mbilyeu@theblade.com or 419-724-6155 or on Twitter @BladeFoodPage.

First Published May 9, 2017, 4:00 a.m.