This Mother's Day will be a special one for me because in addition to getting to spend it with my mom, my grandma and grandpa will be coming down for the weekend. They haven't been to Milwaukee in four years, so they haven't seen our house yet (still a work in progress), and they haven't met Scott's father yet, so it'll be a busy whirlwind weekend trying to show them everything at home, in our lives, and all about the city while keeping the perspective of Mother's Day in mind.
In years past we've enjoyed Mother's Day brunch with Scott's dad (sadly, they lost his mother several years back), since my mom still lives in my hometown, so it will be a nice change to have everyone here. On Sunday, it's time for mom to put her feet up, though, so we will still stick to brunch, although in our case, brunch sometimes seems to be more of a meal than dinner is; to me, any type of breakfast is the perfect food.
Our menu this year will be light since we're hoping the weather will be nice enough to allow us to dine in the sun ... ham, asparagus and red onion quiche, shrimp cocktail, fruit salad, and sour cream coffee cake. We'll be drinking a concoction we borrowed from Tess, the "Champango" -- champagne and mango liqueur, Scott's Bloody Mary's with Jalapeno stuffed olives, and my grandmother's Irish Coffees. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate mom and her parents than lovely brunch and champagne toasts in the warm (hopefully!) Milwaukee sun.
Ham, Asparagus and Red Onion Quiche
1 9-inch pie crust pastry
1 cup shredded swiss cheese
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup diced ham
1/2 cup asparagus spears, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/3 cup diced red onion
4 large eggs
2 cups whipping cream
Salt and pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a small sauté pan, melt the butter and add the onion, asparagus and ham. Cook until the ham is completely heated through and onion is nearly translucent. Season with salt and pepper.
Put the onion, asparagus and ham into the pastry shell and top with the cheese. In a medium size bowl, mix the eggs, whipping cream and cayenne pepper and pour the mixture into the quiche dish.
Cut two thin strips of foil and make a ring over the pastry edges so they do not burn. Bake 45 to 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (remove the foil the last 5 minutes so the edges brown). Let stand for 10 minutes. Serve.
Amy L. Schubert is a 15-year veteran of the hospitality industry and has worked in every aspect of bar and restaurant operations. A graduate of Marquette University (B.A.-Writing Intensive English, 1997) and UW-Milwaukee (M.A.-Rhetoric, Composition, and Professional Writing, 2001), Amy still occasionally moonlights as a guest bartender and she mixes a mean martini.
The restaurant business seems to be in Amy’s blood, and she prides herself in researching and experimenting with culinary combinations and cooking techniques in her own kitchen as well as in friends’ restaurants. Both she and her husband, Scott, are avid cooks and “wine heads,” and love to entertain friends, family and neighbors as frequently as possible.
Amy and Scott live with their boys, Alex and Nick, in Bay View, where they are all very active in the community. Amy finds great pleasure in sharing her knowledge and passions for food and writing in her contributions to OnMilwaukee.com.
