Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

Oh, the sights we’ve seen.  But I will start at the beginning.  I flew into Anchorage on June 9th.  It was 10:30 at night and still light.  I have yet to see a complete sunset.  We spent the first two nights in Anchorage at The House of Jade, a lovely bed and breadfast with equally lovely hosts.

This is the entrance to the bed and breakfast.  The flowers here are enormous.  I’m not sure if it is because of the amount of sunshine that they receive or if it is because they need to be hardy to survive the harsh winters.

This is our talented hostess Dee in the middle with Tulin and me.  On the first morning we were there, she and her husband Yves served 16 people a multicourse breakfast effortlessly.

We were served fresh fruit with yogurt sauce, coffee cake, reindeer sausage, hash brown potatoes and quiche.  It was the perfect way to start the day.

  

Dee shared two of her recipes with me.  Her Apple Cranberry Coffee Cake and Alaska House of Jade Broccoli Quiche are both worthy of sharing and perfect for a crowd.

APPLE CRANBERRY COFFEE CAKE FROM ALASKA HOUSE OF JADE

Spray bundt pan with cooking spray.  Preheat oven to350 degrees.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter or marganine
1 Granny Smith apple, diced
2/3 cup dried cranberries (soak them in hot water for about 10 minutes first – then drain and pat dry)

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

6 tablespoons soft butter or margarine
1 cup firly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup pecans, chopped

Instructions:
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in sauce pan, add apple and cranberries.  Saute until tender (about 5 minutes).  Set aside.

Cream shortening, sugar and vanilla.  Add eggs, beating after each addition.  Sift flour, baking powder, salt and soda together.  Add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream.  Spread 1/2 batter in prepared 10 inch bundt pan.

Cream 1/2 cup butter or margarine, brown sugar and cinnamon together.  Add nuts and apple-cranberry saute and mix well.  Dot batter in pan evely with half of nut mixture.  Cover with remaining batter and top with remaining nut mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees about 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Do not overbake.

Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes then invert onto plate then  carefully invert one more time onto serving platter so the nut side is on top.

ALASKA HOUSE OF JADE BROCCOLI QUICHE

3 tablespoons butter
1 onion, minced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 to 4 cups chopped fresh broccoli
3 to 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 to 1 cup Mexican style cheese or cheddar cheese
12 eggs, well beaten
3 cups milk
1 1/2 cups half and half
salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste
dash to 1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbls Dijon mustard

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large sauce pan.  Add onions, garlic and cook slowly, stirring occasionally until soft.

Blanch broccoli in a large pan of boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes and drain.

Spoon vegetables into 9 x 13 inch pan that has been sprayed with Pam.

Combine eggs and milk and whip; then add cheese and seasonings.  Stir in onion, garlic and the butter you cooked them in.  Pour egg mixture over vegetables.  Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until center has set.

Note:  You can substitute any vegetables you prefer – or any meats such as ham or sausage.

Printable recipe Coffee Cake

Printable recipe Quiche
 

 

The weather cleared yesterday for the most delightful day.  As I mentioned in my previous post, Jane of Blondies Journals and her husband are vacationing in Asheville this week.  Penny of  The Comforts of Home and I got together with her for lunch on Wednesday and all of us got together yesterday at Lake Lure for brunch.  The menu included items that I have posted before.

Here I am preparing the Mexican Benedicts.

You can find the recipe here.  We also had Potato, Tomato and Rosemary Gratin,  Tropical Fruit Salad and Apple Bread.

David served Mimosa’s and Bloody Marys.  Jane and Alan know our home town well because their cottage is on a lake a few miles from where David and I grew up.

The day was cool but pleasant.  Captain David loves to share the lake and it’s history with everyone.  Does anyone look bored yet?

This is the reason I enjoy blogging so much.  Without having my blog I never would have met Penny and Jane.  We had a wonderful day together.  Our husbands are pretty special too.

Thanks Penny for the pictures.  I didn’t get my camera out once.

This has been a busy time for us.  David will be leaving on his motorcycle ride to Alaska at the end of the month.  I will be flying to Anchorage on June 9th to ride along with him.  He has been outfitting the bike for the last few months, so we decided that we needed to take a test ride to see if all of our gear and the two of us would fit.  We went with our riding friends Ron and Jackie on a weekend trip along The Blue Ridge Parkway.  I think we have worked out most of the kinks. It’s the human kinks we can’t work out.   It’s a shame that we can’t also give ourselves younger bodies that would allow us to get on and off the bike with ease and allow us to ride for hours without aches and pains.  I am also trying to figure out how to pack everything I will need in two soft saddle bags. I will be away for three weeks.   It’s not easy even though we are shipping my riding gear and helmet to our first hotel in Anchorage.

We spent the night at a quaint inn just off the parkway in Little Switzerland.  The Alpine Inn is run by Susan and Ron. Susan serves a delightful light breakfast in the morning.  She makes many varieties of sweet breads and she shared this apple bread recipe with me.  Each room at the inn has a panoramic view of the mountains from it’s balcony.  Breathtaking.

I baked this apple bread once already.  It is in the oven again.  The first time I made it, it did not cook enough and the middle was still soft.  The recipe says to cook it for 45 minutes but mine took 1 hour.  Be sure to test the center with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean.  The flavor of the bread is wonderful.  That is why I am making it again.  Tomorrow I am having a brunch for a visiting blogger,  Jane of Blondies Journal and my good buddy Penny from The Comforts of Home.  Jane and her husband are vacationing in Asheville.  Yesterday Penny (who lives in Asheville) and I had lunch with Jane at a restaurant in the downtown area.  It is always so much fun to put a face and personality to the wonderful bloggers that you love to read.  Since Jane and her husband have a summer place on a lake in Michigan, I thought it would be fun to show them Lake Lure.  We will all have brunch and then go for a boat ride around the lake.  Here we are at lunch yesterday.

I will try to take more pictures tomorrow.  But in the meantime, you can enjoy this bread along with us.

APPLE BREAD

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups self rising flour
1/8 cup buttermilk
2 cups chopped apples

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter a loaf pan.  Cream sugar and butter until smooth.  Add other ingredients except apples.  Mix well.  Fold in apples.  Bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Printable recipe

We have been away from home for the long holiday weekend.  While at my Daughter-in-Law’s sister’s home, Kim made a wonderful brunch for the crowd.  She and I poached the eggs for her Mexican take on eggs benedict.  It is a challenge to poach 12 eggs, but by the time we had gotten to the twelveth egg we were pros.  We poached 6 eggs at a time in a large skillet.  The 1/4 cup vinegar called for is enough for any number of eggs.  Vinegar in the water helps the egg whites stay together.  To make it easier to drop an egg into the simmering water, break it into a small shallow bowl first and then slip it into the water.

The recipe for the Mexican Benedict came from The Blue Plate Diner in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Dried black beans are cooked and seasoned before the dish is put together.  If you are in a hurry canned black beans could be substituted and seasoned according to the recipe.

Everyone enjoyed this and there was no pesky hollandaise sauce to deal with.  The topping of picante sauce and cheese was just right.  Kim topped the finished dish with sour cream, cilantro and guacamole.  The mojitos hit the spot also.

MEXICAN BENEDICT

For 1 serving:
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 eggs
1 English muffin
1/4 cup Blue Plate Black Beans, heated
1/4 cup picante sauce, heated (such as Pace)
3 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons shredded provolone cheese
1 heaping tablespoon sour cream
2 tablespoons sliced black olives (optional)
2 sprigs cilantro
1 tablespoon guacamole

1. Fill a deep skillet with water ( 3 inches deep ), add vinegar and bring to simmer over medium heat.  Heat broiler.
2. Crack eggs into simmering water and cook until desired doneness, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Split and toast English muffin.  Place on an ovenproof plate.
4. Remove poached eggs from water with slotted spoon and place one egg on each half of muffin.
5.  Spoon black bean mixture over eggs.  Spoon picante sauce over black beans.  Sprinkle top with shredded cheeses and place under broiler until melted.
6 Remove from broiler and garnish with sour cream olives, cilantro and guacamole.

BLUE PLATE BLACK BEANS

1 cup dry black beans
3 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons canned diced green chiles
1/4 cup diced white onions
1/4 cup picante sauce (such as Pace)
1 1/2 tablespoons oregano
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Place beans in a colander and rinse well.  Place in large saucepan, add water, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer 20 minutes.
Makes 2 cups

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Spring has been slow in arriving to the North Carolina mountains.  Last year when we returned from Florida, the dogwoods were in full bloom.  This year they are just beginning to show their colors.  It has been rainy and dreary all week.

My Brother and SIL followed us back and spent a day with us before heading home to Michigan.  Barb is an antique’s dealer so we spent the day shopping in my favorite haunts.  The Screen Door in Asheville was a treasure trove for her.  While she was busy loading up on goodies I spent some time in their wonderful bookstore. They have a huge selection of books relating to cooking, gardening, and interior design and they are all around half price.  The sale rack is even better.  This is what I came home with, along with a Mark Bittman book.

The Lady in the Palazzo; At Home in Umbria by Marlena De Blasi  is the story of an American chef, Marlena, and her Italian husband looking for and finding a home in Orvieto in the Umbrian region of Italy.  It is full of tantalizing descriptions of food, scenery and evocative characters.  It also includes recipes.

Marlena De Blasi’s description of this walnut focaccia bread was enough for me to run to the store for walnuts.  Imagine eating chunks of this bread with warm honey dribbled over it and sliced pears on the side while sitting before a roaring fire on a cold day.  That’s what I am doing right now.

WALNUT FOCACCIA

Note: I halved this recipe and did the first mixing, kneading and rise in my bread machine, adding the walnuts after the first 30 minutes.  I hit pause and removed the dough and worked them in.

2 1/2 cups tepid water
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
1 1/2 tablespoons fine sea salt
6 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup stone-ground whole wheat flour
1 cup white or yellow cornmeal
additional water, if necessary
2 cups walnuts, lightly toasted and lightly crushed
sea salt

Place 1/3 cup of the tepid water into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle or crumble in the yeast.  Stir to dissolve and let stand for five minutes.

Meanwhile mix together 6 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 cups of tepid water, and the fine sea salt.  Add the liquids to the yeast, add the three flours, all at once, and stir to form a rough mass.  Turn the mass out onto a lightly floured work surface and begin to knead.  If the mass seems dry, sprinkle over a few drops of additional water at a time until the mass is workable.  Continue to knead the mass until a soft, satiny, and elastic dough is achieved; flatten the dough into a rough rectangle and sprinkle over the walnuts.  Work the nuts into the dough and reshape it into a rough ball.  Set the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set it to rise in a warm, draft-free place. 

Allow rise until the mass is doubled.  This might take as long as two hours.  Deflate the dough and cut it into three pieces, shaping each one into a flat round.  Place the rounds onto oiled baking sheets which have been lightly sprinkled with cornmeal; cover with kitchen towels and allow to rise for half an hour.

Press your knuckles or fingers into the dough, creating lovely little pockets which will eventually hold oil and salt.  Cover the rounds once again and let them sit for the last rise, about an hour.  Now sprinkle or grind sea salt over the breads.  Do this generously.  Drizzle them with olive oil, hitting the pockets when you can, and bake in a preheated 375 degree F. oven for 20 to 25 minutes or longer, until the are puffed and nicel golden.  Transfer immediately to racks to cool slightly before serving.  These can be successfully reheated in a lively oven for a very few minutes.

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