Grass-fed Steak Tartare: with raw egg, caperberries, chives, lavender sea salt, and toast

I love brunch. With an intense passion. In fact, it may just be my favorite pastime. When else are you given full license to sleep in late, ease into a leisurely day with a light cocktail, and indulge a little, because after all, you are eating through two meals. Why not have something sweet to go with that savory?

The girl & the fig in Sonoma has perfected brunch. And that is no hyperbole. It's my newest happy place (too bad it isn't closer).

Sunday Brunch

The restaurant is ridiculously charming with a Frenchy-bistro-meets-wine-country vibe that extends from the décor to the menu. I couldn't stop oohing and ahhing over all the cute little touches, and virtually everything on the menu was calling my name.

Salon de Fromage

The salon area well accommodates those waiting to be seated, with a "Salon de Fromage" station where you can sample some artisan cheese and house-made charcuterie, floating servers who can help you get started with a tasty drink, and even a gift shop selling all sorts of figgy goods (both edible, like Ficoco, a fig and cocoa spread, and home/bath products, like Fig & Orange Blossom Body Butter).

Balsamic Bloody Mary

My drink of choice on this joyful morning? The Balsamic Bloody Mary, a phenomenal twist on the classic, made with house-made Bloody Mary mix and a splash of balsamic vinegar, garnished with a briny caperberry, green olive, and celery stalk. All the vegetables I really need on a Sunday.

For our starter, the Grass-fed Steak Tartare caught my eye. When it arrived, the presentation was almost too pretty to eat. And yes, I just called raw beef "pretty." The steak was succulent and sweet, and even more sumptuous with the egg mixed in. The flavor of the caperberries carried over nicely from the Bloody, and cut through the richness of the meat. The shower of chives brought a splash of color and touch of onion, and the lavender sea salt bloomed when sprinkled over each bite. The dish was well-conceived, well-constructed, and fun to dig into.

Duck Confit & Potato Hash: with poached eggs, applewood smoked bacon, and mixed greens

Next up, Duck Confit & Potato Hash with a side of fresh mixed salad greens. It wasn't quite what we were expecting, which was larger pieces of duck confit over potato hash. Rather, it was a hash made of duck confit, applewood smoked bacon, and potato. The duck was overshadowed by the bacon, but nevertheless, it was satisfyingly savory and crispy. And the eggs were poached precisely, with luxurious yolk flowing out as we cut into it.

Stuffed Brioche French Toast: with sweetened Bellwether Farms fromage blanc, meyer lemon and huckleberry compote

And, the crowning jewel, a gigantic piece of Brioche French Toast stuffed with sweetened, meyer lemon fromage blanc (from Bellwether Farms) and huckleberry compote. Gorgeous. Sweet and tart, full of bright citrus-berry notes, creamy and decadent, but incredibly light at the same time.

The girl & the fig, it's as if you've dived into my soul and materialized every brunch wish and want I've ever dreamed. Now if only you could do something about teleportation…

the girl & the fig
110 W Spain St
Sonoma, CA 95476
(707) 938-3634
Sunday Brunch: 10 am - 3 pm

I am what some people might call a realistic mother. As I sometimes tell people, I love my kids with all my heart, but I do so with my eyes wide open. This means I try to see them in all their glory -- sweet, giving, snarky, crabby, funny and everything in between.

So, as Mother's Day approaches, I am sensible enough to see the occasion for what it is: a made-up holiday to sell greeting cards and flowers, but also an opportunity for me to spend some quiet time with my kids and to collect some lovingly-made pieces of artwork with "Mommy" scrawled on them (all of which are saved in a drawer for my dotage: a time when I'll most likely forget about that incident where someone drew in Sharpie on the wood floor and remember only how cute they were). I'd also like a little time alone to read the newspaper or my book on Mother's Day, because after spending every other day doing homework with my kids, cooking, folding laundry and working, I just want a little peace and quiet by myself.

As you may have guessed by now, the last thing I want to do on a Mother's Day is get all dressed up and go out for some big brunch with my family. As with Valentine's Day, restaurants are the eye of the made-up holiday storm and I've spent my share of them dragging my own mother and mother-in-law out for brunches in years past. I have serious empathy for any server waiting tables on Mother's Day, with the big queue out the door, kids banging cutlery on the table, and everyone wanting to make their meal super special for the big occasion. Mother's Day brunch can also be as pricey as a nice dinner out. Plus the food is almost always mediocre as even a decent restaurant is usually stretched to its limits by the number of guests.

But Mother's Day does not have to be stressful and expensive. Instead of going out with the masses, why not make it a day where you or your spouse spends some time with your kids in the kitchen? Sure, you may end up with burnt toast and soggy waffles, but the payoff of eating in peace instead of in a crowded room with other peoples kids screaming while a parent tries to console them by singing "You are my sunshine" off key has a certain appeal to it, right?

I'm lucky in that my husband usually prepares a nice breakfast with our daughters while I lounge in bed reading the Sunday paper. If the planets are in alignment, someone will also have gone to a bakery that morning to pick up some lovely croissants or buns. Is the breakfast perfect? No. Are my kids beaming with pride after making mommy scrambled eggs or pancakes? Yes. Plus, I get to stay in my pajamas and we don't have to park.

If you are making breakfast or brunch for your own mother, I'm sure she'd appreciate a home-cooked meal as well. Decorate your dining area with a tablecloth and some flowers, or take the meal outside with a blanket and have a picnic. Even if a few ants join your party, it will be more pleasant than waiting 45 minutes on a busy sidewalk amongst the strollers.

Following are some recipes for an at-home or picnic Mother's Day breakfast or brunch. Made with the help of inexperienced little hands or proficient big ones, your meal will be lovely in the eyes of any mother.

Bay Area Bites Brunch Suggestions
Pancakes
Meyer Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Waffles
Stuffed Challah French Toast with Raspberries
Steel-Cut Oats
Homemade English Muffins

Recipes From Other Sites
David Lebovitz's Herbed Ricotta Tart
Homemade hash browns from the New York Times
A perfect omelet from Chez Pim

Whether it's a lazy weekend morning, or a busy holiday, there’s nothing nicer than having breakfast with family and friends. On Thanksgiving, I love to start my day by drinking coffee while I chat with my mom and sister as my kids and their cousins run around and play. Often, however, we need to chat and drink our coffee while also preparing for the big feast later in the day. As cooking a Thanksgiving or other holiday dinner is an all-day event, breakfast needs to be easy. So, while I am always tempted to make something elaborate, I rarely do as the morning plays second fiddle to the Turkey main event later that day.

But a recipe doesn't have to be difficult or time consuming to be delicious and look great. Case in point: Challah French toast stuffed with cream cheese and jam and topped with berries. Regular French toast is a universal favorite, but with just a little extra effort, you can make it exceptional. Even better, this breakfast couldn't be easier to make and you can even prepare most of the dish the night before.

I use Challah bread in the recipe as the egg dough makes it light and fluffy, which is perfect for French toast. You can use whatever bread you like, but just make sure it’s not sliced as you want to be able to cut nice thick pieces so you can create pockets for the cream cheese and jam.

The jam can be any flavor you'd like. I'm partial to using raspberry preserves for the filling and then topping the final product with fresh raspberries, but apple butter is a fantastic alternative and would go great with cooked apples on top.

The egg mixture is seasoned with vanilla, maple syrup, and cinnamon, which add sweetness and a great aroma. It also includes orange zest to brighten the flavors and add a little nuance to the raspberries. If you don’t have orange zest, you can just add in a tablespoon of orange juice.

Whether it's Thanksgiving, another holiday, or just a regular old morning, Challah bread French toast with cream cheese and jam is a pretty great way to start the day.

Cream Cheese and Jam Stuffed Challah French Toast with Raspberries

Serves: 6 - 8 people (double if feeding a larger crowd)

Ingredients:
1 loaf Challah bread
4 eggs
2/3 cup whole milk
Zest from one orange
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup of raspberry jam
Butter for frying
Warm maple syrup to top the French toast
Fresh raspberries
Powdered sugar

Preparation:
1. Cut bread into 1-inch thick slices.
2. Cut a pocket into the side of each piece and set aside.
3. With a butter knife, spread some cream cheese into the pocket of each slice and then spread some jam on top of the cream cheese. Note: If you tear a little hole in the bread while spreading the cream cheese or jam pinch the bread to seal.
4. In a large baking dish, mix the eggs, milk, orange zest, cinnamon, maple syrup and vanilla.
5. Set each slice of bread into the egg mixture, making sure each side is evenly coated. Turn each slice over so they're covered on both sides and then let sit for at least 5 minutes so the egg starts to soak into the bread. You can also let the mixture sit overnight. Just make sure you flip the bread in the egg so it's covered on both sides and then cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
6. Heat a large griddle or frying pan to medium high.
7. Coat the bottom of the pan with butter (and don’t be stingy). Once it's sizzling, lay your egg-coated Challah inside.
8. Cover the pan and lower the heat to medium or medium low and let the Challah sit for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom side.
9. Flip the Challah pieces and cover again until the French toast is browned on both sides.
10. Finish cooking the rest of the egg-dipped Challah (adding more butter between each batch) until finished.
11. Top finished French toast with maple syrup and raspberries.