Mother's Day Brunch, Italian Style

Mother's Day in Italy is not celebrated with brunch the way it is in the US — but the Italian instinct for a generous table, a good drink, and something homemade at the end translates perfectly. These eight recipes are the bridge: Italian in spirit, brunch in format, and entirely worth making on a Sunday morning in May.

1. Bellini Venice's most famous cocktail — white peach purée and cold Prosecco, stirred gently and poured into flutes. Two ingredients, ten minutes, and the table feels festive before anyone has sat down.

Pro tip: use white peaches for the most delicate flavor — yellow peaches work but the color and sweetness won't be quite the same.

2. Flavored Water Four versions — cucumber and ginger, raspberry and rosemary, apricot and lime, blackberry and nectarine — each made by infusing fruit and herbs in still water overnight in the refrigerator. No sugar, no effort, and ready before the morning starts. The one to make the night before so the table has something beautiful and non-alcoholic alongside the Bellini.

Pro tip: use a glass bottle or pitcher — the colors of the fruit are part of the presentation.

3. Savory French Toast with Salmon French toast arrived in Italy and never quite left. Thick slices of bread soaked in egg yolk and milk, pan-fried until golden, then topped with cream cheese, smoked salmon, mixed greens, and a poached egg. The format is borrowed. The result is entirely its own.

Pro tip: prepare the poached eggs last — they take two minutes and are best served immediately.

4. Cheese and Cherry Tomato Bruschetta Apulian bread toasted under the broiler, rubbed with garlic, spread with crescenza — a soft, creamy cheese — and topped with cherry tomatoes dressed in olive oil and fresh basil. The kind of thing that disappears from the table before anyone has noticed it arrived.

Pro tip: crescenza can be hard to find — ricotta or stracciatella work just as well and are easier to source in the US.

5. Omelette with Tomatoes and Basil Eggs beaten with Parmigiano and sweet paprika, cooked with datterino tomatoes, red onion, and fresh basil until golden on both sides. Serve it sliced into wedges at the center of the table.

Pro tip: don't overcook it — the inside should stay soft and slightly moist. Ten minutes on medium heat with the lid on is enough.

6. Chocolate-Filled Pancakes Pancakes are not Italian — but a piece of 75% dark chocolate tucked inside the batter before it hits the pan very much is. The chocolate melts as the pancake cooks, turning the center molten and intense. Decorated with raspberries and a spoonful of semi-whipped cream. The dish that makes everyone at the table stop talking for a moment.

Pro tip: use chocolate pieces that aren't too thick — they need to melt completely during cooking.

7. Berry Tart A rectangular shortcrust pastry shell filled with vanilla pastry cream and covered entirely in wild strawberries, blackberries, red currants, blueberries, and raspberries. The Italian crostata at its most seasonal and its most beautiful. Make the pastry and cream the day before — the morning of, all that's left is arranging the fruit.

Pro tip: coat the berries with a thin layer of dessert jelly before serving — it keeps them glossy and fresh-looking for longer.

8. Yogurt Bundt Cake The ciambellone allo yogurt — the Italian breakfast cake that has been on family tables for generations. Greek yogurt and seed oil instead of butter make it unusually light and moist, with a lemon-scented crumb that stays soft for days. Bake it the evening before, so it's ready to slice when the morning starts.

Pro tip: bake it on the lowest rack of the oven — it needs to dry evenly without browning too much on top.