Bed and Breakfast owners, who are members of the Bed and Breakfast Association of Virginia, share their favorite mouthwatering recipes in their new “Virginia Bed & Breakfast Cookbook.”

One of the recipes from the William Miller House included in the 2011 Virginia Bed and Breakfast Cookbook

This collection of recipes includes inn’s signature dishes; breads, muffins, biscuits & biscotti; coffee cakes, scones, granola & parfaits; pancakes and waffles; french toast and bread puddings; breakfast entrees; appetizers & side dishes; soups and salads; luncheon and dinner entrees; fruit  specialties, and desserts!

Chef Mike, from Richmond’s premier bed and breakfast, submitted his recipe for crepes with ham and fontina cheese (a recipe picked up by an on-line blogger a few months ago), his Gluten-free cherry bread (created for guests whose diet was gluten free and who were delighted to have a “bread” option again), cinnamon scones (inspired by a trip to Lancaster County PA), French onion and bacon tart (a treat that is perfect for lunch as well as breakfast), and sunshine yogurt surprise (a first course here at the William Miller House Bed & Breakfast but great for dessert as well).  But, perhaps Mike’s best, most popular, and well-received breakfast recipe is the seared grits cake with poached eggs and chipolte cream sauce that appears on page 237. Mike serves it with sides like bacon or sausage and other accompaniments to round out a hearty gourmet breakfast.  A photo of one of our dishes appears on the cover of the cookbook: poached eggs on asparagus with a boursin sauce, a recipe that appeared in the last edition of the cookbook.

William Miller House Most-Requested recipe: Seared Grits Cakes with Poached Eggs topped with Chipolte Cream Sauce

Even if you have previous editions of the Bed and Breakfast Association of Virginia’s Cookbooks, you need to add this one (2011) to your collection.  Whether you purchase it for yourself or as a gift, you’ll find that the recipes are new and updated, the categories have been expanded, and 65 of Virginia’s bed and breakfast inns from country retreats to historic city homes, like the William Miller House Bed and Breakfast, share their secrets. Order from Bed and Breakfast Association of Virginia! Or better yet, make a reservation,  visit the William Miller House Bed and Breakfast to purchase a copy. Mike will be happy to sign your cookbook and include at no additional cost his recipe photographed on the cover.

And, if you make a reservation for a stay in one of our fabulous guest rooms, you’ll be treated to our hearty gourmet breakfast featuring fresh, local ingredients in great recipes that bring the flavors of Virginia to your tastebuds!

Every year the holiday season fills up the mailboxes (electronic and old-fashioned snail mail) with invitations from friends to celebrate the season.

One of winter's favorite foods is back in production

Here at the William Miller House Bed and Breakfast we have the perfect hostess gift in production already. Our own old-fashioned peppermint bark! We have shared the recipe as well as tips for packing for mailing to family and for wrapping for those being delivered in person. So here it is again — one fabulous food of winter!

Make some for your family and your friends – they’ll enjoy this wonderful treat!

Summertime and its blistering heat always brings the desire for ice cream or gelato to cool down your insides.  What do you do if you’re lactose-intolerant or allergic to milk products?  We tried a new recipe here at our bed and breakfast this morning for a guest who had that exact issue.  We had planned on our signature lavender panna cotta as our first course – well, that wouldn’t work very well.

So Saturday, Mike came up with a sherbet/granitas-like concoction using watermelon.

Refreshing watermelon makes a cool treat for breakfast's first course! Try the recipe!

Here are the ingredients:
2 cups of cubed and seeded watermelon
1/2 cup sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup cranberry juice

First, place watermelon cubes in a food processor, or a blender. Cover, process or blend until smooth. You should end up with about 3 cups of pureed watermelon.

Stir in sugar.

Then combine the gelatin and cranberry juice in a small saucepan.  Let it stand for 5 minutes. Stir  the cranberry juice and gelatin mixture over low heat until the gelatin is dissolved.

Pour dissolved gelatin into the pureed melon and stir.  Then, pour entire mixture into an 8X8X2-inch baking pan. Cover and freeze two hours until firm.

After two hours, break up frozen mixture and place in a chilled mixing bowl. Beat with a mixer on medium to high speed until it is fluffy. Return it to the pan. Cover and freeze about 6 more hours until firm.

To serve, let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes and scoop into serving dishes. We made this the night before and, for our first course, served it in a sherbet dish with a triangle of watermelon on the side.

Makes 8 1/2 cup servings.

Here at Richmond’s premier bed and breakfast, we incorporate our guests dietary restrictions into our menus to create hearty gourmet breakfasts that everyone can enjoy. We focus on seasonal items available from local producers to bring the best flavors and regional favorites to our guests’ plates. If you’re looking for a very special treat, make a reservation for a getaway soon!

I’m always thinking about food, at least new items for breakfast here a the William Miller House Bed and Breakfast.  Last week I was out planting some vegetables and herbs for the season and while planting the basil it occurred to me that I always plant too much basil.  While I do use some for pesto for our vegan guests I rarely make it for Pat and myself, mostly because Pat does not really care for it.

So what to do this summer when the basil is in full swing?  How about a new first course, so with the basil I have on hand, store bought, I embark on a crazy idea, making a basil mousse, now I do not think the idea of making mousse from herbs is new, but it is for me and our guests as well.  The dish is actually a Basil white-chocolate mousse over a layer of strawberry (did I mention that its strawberry season here in Virginia) greek yogurt.  After they finished the dish and licked the glasses I suggested that they have the honor or coming up with a name and the name they chose was a “June Bug”, sort of a play on a grasshopper, the cocktail made with creme de menthe.

Basil white-chocolate mousse layered over strawberry yogurt (June Bug)

The process. Because I knew that this would not be something to whip up in the morning I decided to make it the night before.  Besides the gelatin in the mousse really needed time to set up.

The first step was to puree some of the fresh strawberries that we had picked at the local berry farm.  I always lean towards fresh local ingredients if at all possible and it is the beginning of the strawberry season here in Virginia. Following the pureeing of the berries I grabbed some of my favorite Greek Yogurt and added some of the pureed strawberry to the yogurt and stirred it to combine and placed it in the bottom of 4 - 9.25 ounce martini glasses. I then place the glasses in to the fridge.

The next step was to make the mousse.  I grabbed a pot and put some heavy cream into the pot and then brought it up to a slight simmer and added the basil leaves and removed it from the heat.  I allowed the mixture to steep for 10-minutes, then pureed in my Vita-prep.  I got mine several years ago when Jimmy Snead of the restaurant The Frog and the Redneck closed his restaurant and was selling of his equipment.

I then strained through a fine china-cap and returned to the heat, brought it up to a boil and poured the mixture over some Callebaut White-Chocolate and let it melt and then made the mousse (see actual recipe). I tasted the the mousse and it was a bit strong, but it was still warm so I was confident that chilling would make the basil a bit more subtle, which it did.

The results are 4 happy guests with expanded palettes and one chef with a new knife in his drawer.  If you make the recipe please comment on this blog so it can be shared with our guests.

For the Basil Mousse:

284 ml heavy cream or about 9.6 oz
30g or 1-oz basil, leaves only
150g or 5-oz white chocolate, broken into pieces
2 leaves of gelatin
100 ml water or 3 1/2 oz
1 medium egg plus 1 egg yolk

1. Warm cream gently to about 100 degrees, add the basil leaves and stir to ensure they are submerged. Remove from heat and let leaves steep for 10-minutes. Puree the mixture in a blender and strain.
2. Place white chocolate in a bowl and reheat strained cream to just boiling and then pour over white chocolate and let sit for about 5-minutes, after about 5-minutes whisk mixture until creamy.
3. Break up the gelatin into a small bowl with 100 ml of warm water and let it soften.
4. Put the egg and egg yolk in a medium bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk until thick and creamy, this should only take a few minutes.  Add the softened gelatin, and the white chocolate and basil creme mixture and stir well.  Strain the final mixture again and pour in to 4 prepared martini glass with the strawberry greek yogurt.

For the Strawberry Yogurt

10 oz greek yogurt
118 ml or 1/2 cup

1. Fold the strawberry puree into the greek yogurt. and divide equally into the 4 9.25 oz martini glasses.

Note: This could be converted to a dessert by adding a bit of sugar to the strawberry puree.

Mike Rohde
Chef and Co-owner of the William Miller House
Richmond, VA

Mustard Caviar

1/4 cup mustard seeds
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons glucose
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 red Thai chili, minced
1 teaspoon turmeric

Method:

1. Toast mustard seeds and add remaining ingredients.
2. Cook until ingredients come together and reserve at room temperature.

Making your own Glucose

2- envelopes (2 Tablespoons) Knox unflavored gelatin
¼ C – Tablespoons Cool water
2- Cups light Karo syrup
1- Tblsp. Cornstarch
1- Tblsp. White Sugar
1- Cup Cool Water

Soak gelatin in water & let set about 5 minutes; then heat over medium heat source until clear & dissolved. Add Karo (corn syrup) syrup, sugar, cornstarch & the ½ cup cool water mix thoroughly & boil about 30 seconds or until thickened.  Cool & store in refrigerator for up to 2 months.  This recipe will also thicken after it is cooled.

If this recipe is to runny – take another ¼ cup cool water & 1 Tablespoon corn starch, mixed thoroughly & add to gel mixture then boil about 30 seconds cook down to about 2/3

Saturday night 5-members of the Fan Woman’s Club and their spouses enjoyed a visit from Top Chef: All-Star winner Richard Blais albeit vicariously through Chef Mike Rohde. Mike says “All of the credit goes to Richard who created the dish, however, there were some challenges along the way.”  I actually had to make some modifications to the recipe, unfortunately the Black Cod or Sable fish was not up to par, so I had to substitute Chilean Sea Bass or Patagonian Toothfish, also a fish with a high oil content that could stand up the the recipe and take to brining.  Preparation began with the Mustard Caviar, which turn out to be beyond belief and will surely find its way into more of my dishes.

I was somewhat indecisive about the recipe that I was going to prepare for the Fan Woman’s Club Progressive Dinner, and annual event in Richmond’s Historic Fan District in Richmond, Virginia.  I have been a long-time followers of both Top Chef and Richard Blais’ career and have learned a great deal from his two TV shows were he use science or molecular gastronomy to challenge stand methodology.

While I have become a BIG sous vide cook, I thought I would keep my dish a bit on the simple side, although I doubt that many of the diners here will be taking on any of Richard’s dishes.

I had finally settled on braising either beef or pork, but was not sure of what.  It was only last week that I watched the final episode of Top Chef: All-Stars and when I saw the dish Pork Belly, Black Cod Cutlet, Bone Marrow, Beets, Brussels Sprouts & Kumquat.  I figured Richard is from new York so if Richard can do it I should be able to do it as well after all its in the water in NY.  Its a great dish and I would highly recommend any serious cook to give it a try.

Richard, if your ever in Richmond Virginia stop by so I can say thanks, for myself and the other diners!

Here is a link to my final version of the dish.

Richard Blais winning dish on Top Chef: All-Stars

For several years now, we have been making peppermint bark for our friends and family for the Christmas holidays.  We send it to family far away – even my cousin when he was stationed in Iraq – as reminder of the love we have for them.  We give it to friends in appreciation of their friendship, camaraderie, and the laughs we share.  We also keep a supply on hand to take as hostess gifts for all those holiday parties.

Peppermint Bark - a holiday favorite from The William Miller House Bed and Breakfast

We have been getting rave reviews and comments on our version of peppermint bark and thought we would share our recipe as our gift to our blog and Facebook followers.

Tools you will need:
4 cookie sheets, lined with parchment paper (ours are 14 inches by 16 inches)
double boiler or bain marie (we use a stainless steel bowl over water in a saucepan – copper, of course, from E. Dehillerin’s in Paris)
chocolate fork or a knife to break up the chocolate
offset cake spreader/angled spatula
kitchen scale

Ingredients
2.2 pounds or 1 kilogram of dark chocolate (buy the best you can afford, we use Callebaut from Belgium which we get in 5 kilogram/11 pound blocks)
2.2 pounds or 1 kilogram of white chocolate – again we use Callebaut
Candy Canes or Starburst Mints, unwrapped and crushed for topping

Spread the white chocolate in a thin layer over the dark chocolate

To make the bark:

1. With chocolate fork or knife break 2.2 pounds of dark chocolate into pieces, the smaller the pieces the easier it melts
2. Boil the water in the bottom of the double-boiler and then reduce the heat to medium
3. Place all dark chocolate pieces in the top of the double boiler, place it over the water in the bottom of the double boiler and melt until smooth
4. Spread one fourth of the melted dark chocolate thinly over each parchment lined cookie sheet
5. Place cookie sheets in refrigerator until dark chocolate is set and firm, about 20  minutes or more
6. With chocolate fork or knife, break 2.2 pounds of white chocolate into pieces
7. Again, boil the water in the bottom of the double-boiler and then reduce the heat to medium
8. Place all white chocolate pieces in the top of the double boiler (make sure it has been cleaned), place it over the water in the bottom of the double boiler and melt until smooth
9. Remove each cookie sheet from the refrigerator, and spread one fourth of melted white chocolate in a thin layer over the firm dark chocolate
   

   Sprinkle crushed peppermint starburst mints or candy canes over the soft white chocolate

10. Immediately sprinkle crushed peppermint on the white chocolate layer and lightly press into soft white chocolate
11. Place cookie sheet back in refrigerator until the bark is set and firm about 20 minutes.
12. Once set and firm, break the chocolate into pieces, place in an airtight container to store. We keep ours in the garage, since chocolate should not ever be refrigerated.

To box as a gift, use a box about 7 inches by 4 inches by 3 1/2 inches tall.  It will hold about 1 pound of bark.  Line the box with food-safe cellophane cut to fit.  Tie a ribbon with a bow around the box for presentation.  We often cut up last year’s Christmas cards and use them as gift tags – a little way to be “green”!

To mail as a gift, we found that the small “If It Fits, It Ships” Flat Rate box from the US Postal Service holds almost a pound of bark.  We put the bark in a quart-size plastic zip bag, put the bag in the box, attach a label and off it goes – handled by USPS as priority mail.  The presentation is not as nice, but the box is more durable than a candy box!

Best of all, ENJOY!

After the peppermint bark has set, break it into pieces

Completed peppermint bark can be stored in an airtight container

Package the peppermint bark in one pound boxes as gifts for friends and family

A box, a kitchen scale, food-safe cellophane, and ribbon is all you need to package peppermint bark

For several weeks, we have been featuring authentic French recipes for you to try.  Here’s another!  Bon Appetit!

From Astier
44 Rue Jaen-Pierre -Timbaud  75011 Paris

Citrus Terrine with Orange Coulis

Astier is a true neighborhood bistro.  Small with elbow to elbow tables; Chef Clerc’s menu is terrific!

A slice of this pretty, flavorful dessert makes a light and refreshing finish to any meal.

1/2 cup (4 fl oz/125ml) water
3 sheet of gelatin or 1 envelope plain gelatin
2 small pink grapefruits, peeled and sectioned, removing the supremes
4 oranges, peeled and sectioned, removing the supremes
1/2 cup (4 fl oz/125ml) simple syrup
1/4 cup (2 fl oz/60ml) Grand marnier

Orange Coulis
1 orange, zested peeled, quartered and seeded
1 cup (8 fl oz/250ml) simple syrup

32 fresh raspberries or 1/3 cup (3 fl oz/80ml) crème de cassis for garnish

Soak the 3 gelatin leaves in 1/4 cup (2 fl oz/60ml)or pour 1/4 cup (2 fl oz/60ml) of water into a saucepan and sprinkle in the gelatin let soak for 1-minute.  Add the remaining 1/4 cup (2 fl oz/60ml) water and stir over low heat for 5-minutes.

In a medium bowl, gently combine the sectioned fruit, simple syrup, Grand Marnier and gelatin mixture . Pour into a 9×5-inch (23-by-13-cm) terrine or loaf pan and press down the fruit until it is compacted and completely covered with liquid.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4-hours or up to 48-hours before serving.

To make the clulis: In a food processor, pruee the orange zest, orange flesh and simple syrup.

To serve, spoon the coulis on each of 8 plates, top with a slice of the terrine, and garnish the couli with 4 of the raspberries or dot it with cassis.

Makes one 9×5 terrine; Serves 8

An interesting recipe in our series….

From Chez Pauline
5 Rue Villedo, 75001 Paris

Chez Pauline is an elegant restaurant that has retained the spirit of its bistro roots.

Skate is a fish with the delicate flavor somewhat similar to that of scallops.

Skate with Crunchy Cabbage

1 small savor or napa cabbage, cored and shredded
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons hazelnut oil or light olive oil
6 skate wing fillets (about 2 pounds/1 Kg)
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons crushed hazelnuts

In a large pot  of boiling water blanch the shredded cabbage for 1 to 2 minutes, or until bright green. Drain and plunge into a bowl of ice cold water.  Drain again and set cabbage aside.

Season the fish lightly with salt and pepper.  In a large saute pan or skillet over medium heat, heat the oil and saute the skate fillets for 4-minutes on each side, or until golden and cook through.  Using a slotted metal spatula, transfer to a plate.

In the same pan, saute the cabbage just until heated through, 1 or 2 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, vinegar, and hazelnuts and cook for 2-minutes.

Cut each skate fillet through on a diagonal several times, leaving the slices attached at the top.  Arrange a portion of cabbage on each of six plates.  Top each with a filllet and fan the slices open.  Spoon some of the sauce over each fillet and serve immediately.

Makes 6 Servings.

Another favorite French recipe, this time from New York City!  You can find French cooking almost anywhere and everywhere!

From Balthazar
80 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012

Opened in 1997 by chef Keith McNally.  Since it opened it can be difficult to find a table, so we thought we would bring it to you.

Serve a slice of this delicious tart as an appetizer, or a larger slice along with a salad as a main course.

Pastry
1 3/4 cups (9 oz/280 g) flour
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup (4 oz/125 g) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 egg yokes, beaten
3-4 tablespoons cold water

Filling
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
Leaves from 1 fresh thyme sprig, minced
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces goat cheese at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
2 eggs
2/3 cup (5 fl oz/160ml) heavy cream

To make the pastry: In a medium bowl, stir the flour and salt together. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or 2 knives until mixture is the texture of course crumbs.  Add the egg yolks and water and mix quickly with a fork.  Press the dough together with you fingers.  Pat the dough into a flat disk, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30-minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).  On a flat surface, roll the pastry dough out to a 12-inch (30-cm) circle.  Fit the pastry into a 10-inch (25-cm) tart pan with a removable bottom.  Line with aluminum foil and fill with dried beans or pie weights.  Place on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 9 to 10 minutes, or until set.  Remove from the oven and remove the foil and weights.  Prick the bottom of the shell with a fork.  Return the shell to the oven and bake for 3 to 4 minutes, or intil lightly browned.  Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on a wire rack.

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).  To make the filling: In a small saute pan or skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil and saute the onions, thyme, and bay leaf for about 7-minutes, or until the onion is golden.  Remove and discard the bay leaf.  Season the onion mixture with salt and pepper and set aside.

In a blender or food processor combine the goat cheese, cream cheese, eggs, cream, salt and pepper to taste.  Process until perfectly smooth.

Spread the onion mixture evenly on the bottom of the tart shell and fill with cheese mixture.  bake in the perheated oven for 12-minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool slightly, or to room temperature.  Cut the tart into wedges and serve.

Make 8 servings.