A Bigger View Article: Mother's Day

What would Mother's Day be without those crayon scribbled "I Love You's" and that quintessential homemade meal? Sissy enlists the help of executive chef, Ivy Stark of Amalia Restaurant in New York City, to show A Big Life how to make that Mother's Day brunch a Big treat.

Everyone loves pancakes. That's why Ivy shows A Big Life how to turn your average flapjack into a unique creation. Check out her recipe for polenta pancakes that will brighten any Mother's Day.

Polenta Pancakes with Warm Berry Compote:
1-1/2 cups cornmeal
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs, beaten
4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Warm Berry Compote:
1 cup raspberries
1 cup blueberries
1 cup blackberries
1 cup strawberries
2 tablespoons sugar
½ vanilla bean, split and scraped
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
powdered sugar for dusting

For the pancakes:

1. Sift together dry ingredients to combine. Add eggs and buttermilk with and mix thoroughly with a rubber spatula. Stir in melted butter and set aside batter to rest for at least 1 hour.
2. Heat a nonstick griddle over medium heat. Ladle 3 ounces pancake batter onto hot griddle, and cook until bubbles form around the edges. Flip pancakes and continue cooking on second side until set and golden brown.

For the compotes:

1. In a saucepan, combine berries, sugar, vanilla bean, cinnamon, and nutmeg and bring to a simmer.
2. Simmer until berry juices are released and reduced to a compote.

To serve, stack 2 pancakes on a plate and top with 4 tablespoons warm berry compote and dust with powdered sugar.

Leave room for dessert! Ivy shows A Big Life a Turkish treat called a Kenefe. Here's her delicious recipe.

Fresh Ricotta Kenefe with Green Almond Sorbet:

2 1/2 c milk
1 c polenta
1 c sugar
4 eggs
1/2 c milk
2 T corn starch
2 oz. Butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c fresh ricotta

In a medium saucepan combine the 2 1/2 c milk with the polenta and sugar. Stir over medium heat with a wooden spoon until the mixture begins to thicken slightly. Remove from the heat and set aside for a moment.

In a small mixing bowl whisk corn starch into remaining 1/2 c milk then add vanilla extract and eggs.  Add this mixture to the polenta mixture and return to the stove over medium heat. Stirring consistently, continue to cook until the mixture is thick.

Next, remove from the heat and whisk in butter, and fresh ricotta. Cover and let mixture cool to room temperature, approximately 20 minutes.

While the filling cools, melt about 4 tablespoons of melted butter. You will need this to assemble the fillo layers.

Brush the bottom of a 13 by 18 inch sheet tray. Begin laying out the first layer of the fillo dough, and then lightly brush with melted butter. Repeat this step until you have successfully brushed ten layers of the fillo dough. Now cut the brushed fillo dough in half lengthwise. By this time your filling should be cool enough to work with. With a spatula, spread a thin layer of the filling over one half of the brushed fillo dough. Now place the other half of the brushed fillo over top of the filling. Score the top layer of fillo with a sharp knife to mark the portions. Bake at 350 F for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until golden in color. Once removed from the oven, immediately drizzle with the honey syrup, and allow to chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Syrup for Drizzling on the Kenefe

1 c simple syrup
2 T honey
1/4 tsp orange flower water

Combine ingredients together in a small saucepot and bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Set aside for later use.

Green Almond Sorbet

5# fresh peeled green almonds
1/2 c simple syrup
2 T light corn syrup

Combine almonds with simple syrup and puree in a blender.
Strain puree through a fine sieve and add light corn syrup.
Spin sorbet through an ice cream machine following the manufacturer's directions.

Don't forget the cocktail! What is Mother's Day without a bit of indulgence? Ivy gives us the perfect combination for an "Orange Blossom Gin Fiz" cocktail your Mother can sip from the comfort of her own bed.

Orange Blossom Gin Fiz:
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
2 ounce orange juice
2-1/2 ounce gin
2 dashes orange bitters
1/2 ounce triple sec
club soda
cracked ice  

1. Fill a cocktail shaker with cracked ice.
2. Add sugar, lemon juice, orange juice, gin, orange bitters and triple sec to shaker.
3. Shake briskly.
4. Strain into a tall glass filled with ice.
5. Top with club soda.
6. Garnish with an orange twist.

Thanks to Amalia Restaurant in New York City and executive chef Ivy Stark for sharing their space and time with A Big Life. For the next time you're planning a night out on the town, check out: www.amalia-nyc.com.

Read more on Sissy's Tips. Have a great Mother's Day story you want to share? We want to hear all about your unique and special Mother's Day experiences. Email us or come share your ideas, recipes and shopping tips with Sissy and the rest of the Big Life community on our new message boards.

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