This Mother’s Day, moms everywhere will wake up to a familiar and heartwarming sight: their children and partners serving them breakfast in bed. It’s a sweet tradition where the effort matters most (as a child, I once proudly presented my mom with slightly under-toasted bread). This year, we asked food stylist Paris Starn to put her own spin on the classic breakfast-in-bed gesture—creating a Mother’s Day inspiration board for the rest of us in the process.

“I loved imagining the perfect Mother’s Day spread,” Starn says about her breakfast tray. “I included all my mom’s favorites: lilacs, a latte, and pancakes.” The result? Delicate crêpes served with lemon, sugared lilacs, and butter—inspired by the James Beard Award-nominated Café Mutton in Hudson.

Starn picked up pesticide-free flowers at the Union Square Farmer’s Market, arranging some in a vase and transforming others into edible decorations. “I dipped lilac blossoms in egg white, gently blotted them, sprinkled them with sugar, and let them dry overnight in the fridge,” she explains.

She also prepared the batter the night before, infusing it with lemon zest and superfine sugar. “The next morning, all I had to do was finish the batter and cook the pancakes,” she says. “While they were frying, I set up the tray—placing a lilac sprig in an egg cup, making a latte, and arranging everything on my mother’s wedding china with napkins and silverware.”

Below, find Starn’s recipe to recreate this special breakfast—or to inspire future Mother’s Day celebrations.

### Paris Starn’s Breakfast-in-Bed Crêpes
On my first visit to Café Mutton in Hudson, NY, I tried their crêpes—and couldn’t stop thinking about them. They were tender in the center with crisp, airy edges, unlike any I’d had before.

At home, I experimented with a mix of Swedish pancake and crêpe techniques. The batter comes together quickly in a blender (just 10 minutes of active prep), but it needs to rest overnight for the best texture.

#### Ingredients (Serves 2)
– 2 eggs
– 400g milk
– 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
– 15g white sugar
– 110g all-purpose flour
– 40g melted butter (or ghee/clarified butter)
– 100g sparkling water
– ½ tsp baking powder
– ~80g melted ghee or clarified butter (for frying)

#### Directions
1. The night before: Blend eggs, milk, salt, sugar, and flour for 30 seconds. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. In the morning: Preheat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Re-blend the batter for 10 seconds to recombine (the flour settles overnight). Add melted butter, sparkling water, and baking powder; blend another 10 seconds.
3. Cook the crêpes: Add 1–2 tsp melted ghee to the hot pan (1 tsp for an 8″ pan, 2 tsp for 12″). Swirl to coat, then pour in batter (45–50g for 8″, 90–100g for 12″). The batter will bubble—swirl the pan to spread it evenly, leaving the center slightly thicker.
4. Fry undisturbed for about 90 seconds until golden, then flip and cook another 30 seconds. Serve warm with butter, lemon, and sugared lilacs.

Video: Courtesy of Paris StarnThe cooking time will vary slightly depending on how hot your pan is—if you’re using a 12-inch pan, it may take an extra minute. You’ll see the edges turn a darker brown when it’s ready. Gently slide a spatula around the edge to loosen the pancake, then carefully flip it. Let it cook for another 45 seconds to a minute before transferring it to a plate.

Repeat the process for the remaining pancakes. You can keep them warm in the oven on the lowest setting while you cook, or enjoy them as you go. Serve them with your favorite toppings—maple syrup (like they do at Cafe Mutton) is delicious, or simply with sugar and lemon.

Video: Courtesy of Paris Starn