Great Gatherings: Beautiful Breakfast,
With Recipes

Recipes for This Story
Orange Dream Mimosas
Blinis with Lavender-Honey Syrup
Smoked Salmon Benedict on a Potato Pancake
Spring Fruits with Sabayon

Written by Rebecca Christian
Photography by Peter Krumhardt
Produced by Krissa Rossbund

Why wait until the end of the day to enjoy an exceptional meal in a beautiful setting? If breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day, celebrate by giving it prominence. In creating this breath-of-spring setting—replete with a fresh, upscale take on breakfast classics—Traditional Home senior style editor Krissa Rossbund wanted the tablescape and the food to go beyond—far beyond—the usual morning muffins and coffee in paper cups.

The menu created by chef Mary Payne Moran—whose namesake  catering firm is Hail Mary Food of Grace in L.A.—heralds spring with mini blinis served with Lavender-Honey Syrup for a delicate floral flavor. Creamy Dreamsicle-style mimosas imbue the morning with a celebratory air, while Smoked Salmon Benedict on a Potato Pancake is served with capers and pancetta to add notes of salt and tang.

Memorable? Yes. Stuffy? No. Hence Krissa’s choice of tableware was suggested by the garden colors of the draperies: purple, fuchsia, and green. Purple placemats ground the place settings. Adding texture, rattan chargers are topped with stoneware plates in a purple glaze whose variance creates that artisanal, touched-by-hand look. A grandmotherly milk-glass cake stand gives height to a bouquet spilling exuberantly from a friendly woven basket. Instead of placecards, nostalgic egg cups at each guest’s place are filled with wheat grass and tucked with an inspirational quote. 

“It’s never too early to make something look polished,” Krissa says. “We start each morning focusing on a put-together personal appearance, and the same should be true for the environment around us.”

A springtime table and a beautiful meal presentation—what better way to inspire guests to seize the day?