Caroline Fike tops strawberry crepes with whipped cream at her home off Bitney Springs Road. (Photo by Ben Furtado)

Mother's Day is Sunday, and the Fike family members will get to do one of the things they love best: cooking for a crowd.

They will be preparing the Mother's Day Brunch at the Senior Center. The menu will include eggs and bacon, as well as Caroline's Secret Recipe Blue Ribbon Biscuits and Fresh Strawberry Crepes.

Caroline and Chuck, with son Trace and his wife, Kathy, are proprietors of Caroline's Coffee Roasters in Grass Valley. All the Fike sons and their families, along with Grandmother Lula (27 in all) frequently get together and cook huge gourmet feasts. Cody and Jake, the young sons of Tim Fike, Nevada County Consolidated Fire District chief, and his wife, Debra, are chefs in training. No doubt Trace's boys, Will and Andrew, will follow their dad's lead, preparing memorable feasts.

Several family members have earned ribbons for their cooking skills.

Daughter-in-law Nancy won a blue for her baklava, and recently, Caroline was a contestant at the California State Fair Baking Competition. Caroline's biscuits were judged California Grand Champion.

For more information about the Mother's Day Brunch and to make reservations, call the Senior Center at 273-4961. Expect good food and an outstanding performance from Trace, his parents and his brothers Sunday.

Caroline's (Secret) Blue Ribbon Biscuits

2 cups unbleached white flour
21/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup shortening
1 cup sour cream or clotted cream
1/4 cup melted butter

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a shiny cookie sheet. Combine and sift dry ingredients. Cut shortening into dry mix using pastry blender or two knives in a crisscross slicing motion. Add sour cream and mix just until blended. Over-mixing causes tough biscuits.

Press dough into a ball and roll out on a floured surface to about 1/2-inch thick. Cut with a biscuit cutter or 2-inch diameter glass. Place biscuits on greased cookie sheet. Do not allow biscuits to touch. Gently spread each biscuit with melted butter. Bake 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Remove from oven and serve immediately with lots of butter and strawberry jam.

Chuck loves to create marinades for meats, fish and fruit. This one came from a chef in France.

Fresh Strawberry and/or Grape Marinade

1/2 cup chardonnay
3 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup strawberry liqueur or sweet wine
Dash salt
1 basket fresh strawberries
1/2 cup fresh grapes

Combine all ingredients except fresh fruit in a saucepan. Bring to simmer while stirring. Set aside and chill while preparing fruit. Slice each strawberry vertically four or five times while keeping stem intact. Fan the strawberry and place stem-side up in fancy serving dish. Stem grapes and arrange around the berries. Pour marinade up to shoulders of berries. Let stand about one hour. Serve as you would a sorbet.

Stirred Eggs in Sour Cream

1 teaspoon butter
2 slices medium cheddar cheese
1 pint sour cream
1/3 cup half-and-half
6 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Butter an 8-inch square baking dish. Cut each piece of cheese into thirds and arrange evenly over bottom of dish. Dilute sour cream with half-and-half. Drop an egg on top of each piece of cheese and pour diluted sour cream around the eggs. Salt and pepper if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Although this potato recipe is meant to serve two people, you better prepare plenty.

Crunchy Oven Fries

3/4 pound red potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon sour cream

Parboil potatoes until just tender, drain and refrigerate to chill.

Cut chilled potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Heat olive oil in large cast iron skillet. Add onions and saute until soft. Turn up heat and add potatoes, salt and pepper. Use a spatula to combine ingredients without mashing them. Cover pan with tight-fitting lid. Turn down heat and cook 10 minutes, turning potatoes occasionally. Remove lid and cook another five minutes or until potatoes are crispy. Transfer to plate and garnish with sour cream and parsley.

"These are the crepes we will be featuring at the Mother's Day brunch at the Senior Center. We recently prepared 45 of them for a family Sunday brunch," Caroline Fike said.

Fresh Strawberry Crepes with Cream

Crepe Batter:

4 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
2 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup melted butter

In a bowl, combine eggs and salt. Gradually add flour alternately with milk beating until smooth. Beat in melted butter. Refrigerate batter. This allows flour particles to swell and soften so crepes will be light in texture.

Brush bottom of crepe pan or heavy skillet with oil. Place pan over medium heat until just hot but not smoking. Pour 2 tablespoons batter into pan. Quickly tilt pan in all directions so batter covers pan with a thin film. Cook about one minute.

Lift edge of crepe to test for doneness. Crepe is ready for flipping if it can be shaken loose from pan. Flip crepe and cook about 30 seconds on other side.

Place cooked crepes on a towel and allow to cool. Repeat until all batter is used. Stack crepes between layers of wax paper to prevent sticking.

Strawberry Filling:

3 cups fresh strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups Cr¸me Fraiche
1/2 cup powdered sugar
10 to 12 cooked crepes

Slice strawberries; add sugar and set aside. Blend Cr¸me Fraiche and powdered sugar. Fill each crepe with small amount cr¸me mixture and sugared berries. Fold over crepe and top with more berries and cr¸me.

Creme Fraiche

2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons buttermilk

Combine cream and buttermilk in a saucepan over medium heat. Heat just until chill is off, about 90 degrees. Pour into a glass jar, cover lightly with waxed paper and let sit in a warm place for 12 to 20 hours, until the cr¸me has thickened. Replace the waxed paper with a lid and refrigerate for at least six hours before using. Keeps up to two weeks.

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