Giada De Laurentiis' Mother's Day Brunch Menu Includes an Easy Appetizer & an Herbaceous Dessert That's Perfect for Spring

Diet & Food

Giada De Laurentiis is ready to celebrate all the mothers in her life — including herself! Her Mother’s Day menu is packed with some of her favorite recipes that scream spring, starting with a savory and spicy roasted tomato appetizer and ending with a light and sweet lavender cake.

“Giada’s Mother’s Day Menu is here!” the caption of a recent Giadzy post reads. “This culinary extravaganza features a delicious crostini topped with creamy ricotta and sweet & spicy roasted tomatoes, Giada’s famous sundried tomato pesto pasta, a savory spinach artichoke frittata, and a delectable lavender cake for dessert… and an Aperol punch to wash it all down!”

It continues, “Whether you’re celebrating your own mom, a stepmom, an aunt, or any other mother figure, this meal is sure to make her feel like she’s dining in a gourmet restaurant in Italy. Why not treat her to a day of indulgence?”

And the best part of making this four-course meal for Mom is that you’ll get to enjoy it, too!

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To start this delicious adventure, serve your mom De Laurentiis’ Ricotta Bruschetta appetizer that you can prepare ahead of time. First, roast your cherry tomatoes with garlic, basil, olive oil, and salt for about 40 minutes. While they’re roasting, prepare your spicey honey by mixing together honey, Calabrian chile, salt, and water over medium heat.

Then, just before Mom arrives, grill slices of ciabatta bread until toasted and then whisk together ricotta, salt, and olive oil. Top each grilled piece of bread with a dollop of ricotta, a few roasted tomatoes, and a drizzle of spicy honey. Grab the full recipe here.

And when the meal is all said and done, serve your mom a slice of De Laurentiis’ Lavender Honey Cake that is made entirely from scratch using light semolina flour, dried lavender, and citrus-flavored honey.

The cake is made super moist by a syrup, made with lavender, sugar, and water, that is made before the rest of the cake is prepared. When cooled, this sugary syrup is added to the wet ingredients before being mixed into the dry ingredients and acts as the main source of sweetness in the cake. And when the entire cake is baked and cooled, you can serve it with a spoonful of fresh vanilla cream. Check out the full recipe at Giadzy.

Take a look at De Laurentiis’ full Mother’s Day menu to garner some inspiration for your own brunch, lunch, or dinner. With these recipes in your back pocket, this Mother’s Day is going to be the best one yet (for everyone seated at the table!).