By Katie Hurley
Mother’s Day. The day we scramble to make brunch or dinner reservations, get dressed up and take the family out to celebrate Mom or Grandma. Maybe this is the year to change things up and show your stuff in the kitchen! If you need a plan for Mother’s Day, a trip to Bayview Thriftway or Ralph’s Thriftway and an hour in the kitchen will yield a Mother’s Day menu that would make any mom happy.
If you think pancakes are only for breakfast, this versatile menu might surprise you. Big, puffy German pancakes are typically served with powdered sugar, syrup and fruit compote, but this savory puffy pancake with caramelized onions, fresh thyme and crumbled goat cheese can easily be served for brunch or dinner with just a simple swap of side dishes.
For brunch, serve the Red Onion and Goat Cheese Pancake with a Greek yogurt and berry parfait and a tall glass of Sunburst Tea. For a heartier meal, add Hempler’s Bacon or Isernio’s chicken breakfast sausage links on the side.
For dinner, the same Red Onion and Goat Cheese Pancake along side a large green salad makes a beautiful plate. Again, to make the meal heartier an easy addition would be grilled Italian sausage links, a piece of grilled fresh salmon or a chilled shrimp cocktail.
Red Onion and Goat Cheese Pancake
Adapted from EatingWell.com
Serves 4
1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
2 large red onions, thinly sliced (if you like a milder onion flavor, rinse sliced onions in a colander under cold water for a few seconds and drain thoroughly)
2 T. water
2 T. chopped fresh thyme
½ c. all-purpose flour
½ c. milk
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1 T. vegetable oil
1 T. sugar
¼ t. salt
¼ t. freshly ground pepper
3 oz. crumbled goat cheese
Balsamic Glaze (next to the balsamic vinegar at Ralph’s and Bayview)
In a large cast-iron or ovenproof nonstick skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are tender and light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Stir in water and thyme, scraping up any browned bits.
Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
Blend flour, milk, eggs, egg whites, vegetable oil, sugar, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor until smooth. Pour batter over the onions and sprinkle with goat cheese.
Place pan in the oven and bake until puffed and golden, about 15 minutes.
Slice into wedges and serve with a drizzle of balsamic glaze on top.
Greek Yogurt Parfait
For each parfait:
5 oz. Greek yogurt, any flavor
¼ c. fresh strawberries, sliced
¼ c. fresh blueberries
¼ c. Golden Temple granola (available in Ralph’s and Bayview’s bulk foods)
Put half of the yogurt in a short glass, sprinkle with half of the berries, half of the granola and then repeat with remaining ingredients.
Sunburst Tea
For each serving:
Two parts Republic of Tea Ginger Peach tea, brewed and chilled
One part orange juice
1 T. Torani raspberry syrup (at Ralph’s and Bayview in the coffee aisle)
Fill a tall glass with ice, add orange juice and then tea. Drizzle the raspberry syrup on top.
Top off your gourmet Mother’s Day feast with a floral bouquet or one of the gorgeous hanging fuchsia baskets that will be featured at both stores all week. Locally-owned Bayview Thriftway and Ralph’s Thriftway are the perfect one-stop Mother’s Day shops.
Bayview Thriftway
516 W. 4th Ave., Olympia
360.352.4897
Ralph’s Thriftway
1908 E. 4th Ave., Olympia
360.357.8011
