Chapter One
Breakfast
French Toast Buttermilk Pancakes Buckwheat Pancakes Corn Cakes Warm Blueberry Banana Compote Hot Apple Oatmeal Cereal Bran Muffins Buttermilk Biscuits Aunt Phinney's Granola
French Toast
Using a real French baguette gives French toast an entirely different nature than that made with ordinary sliced bread. This is French toast with character ... and creamy insides.
6 eggs 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 2 cups milk French baguette 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter for sauting
Preheat the oven to 400F. Whisk the eggs, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and milk in a medium bowl. Slice the baguette on the diagonal into eight 1/2-inch slices. Dip them in the egg mixture until thoroughly soaked. Heat the butter in a medium saut pan over medium-high heat. When the butter is hot but not burnt, add the bread slices. Brown on one side then turn and brown the other side. Transfer to a baking dish and bake until golden brown and fluffy, about 8 minutes. MAKES 4 SERVINGS, 2 SLICES PER PERSON
Buttermilk Pancakes
Our favorite memory of eating pancakes at the Dorset Inn is sitting in the sunny breakfast room and watching Sissy's late bassett hound, Fergie, saunter up to our table and plaintively look up in hopes of getting a snack. Who could resist? We gave Fergie her pancake without maple syrup, but for human consumption, syrup is a must!
2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 2 cups buttermilk
In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk together the eggs and the buttermilk in a separate bowl. Slowly whisk the egg mixture into the flour mixture. That's it! Drop small dollops of the pancake batter on a lightly buttered griddle or pan over medium heat. Brown the pancakes on both sides.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
Buckwheat Pancakes
The tawny character of buckwheat cakes gets a delicious tang from the buttermilk in this batter. For some reason buckwheat pancakes seem more right when they have a smaller diameter.
1 cup buckwheat flour 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 2 cups buttermilk
Mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk. Slowly whisk the egg mixture into the flour mixture. Drop small dollops of the pancake batter on a lightly buttered and heated pan or griddle. Brown the pancakes on both sides. MAKES 4 SERVINGS
Corn Cakes
Corn cakes are a favorite New England variation on the theme, and they are especially wonderful if you have fresh, sweet kernels just cut off the cob. If you do, save some of that "milk" that comes away when you cut them and add it to the batter for flavor.
2 cups yellow cornmeal 1 cup flour 2 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 4 eggs 2 cups buttermilk 2 cups fresh or frozen (and thawed) corn kernels
Mix the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and the buttermilk. Gently whisk the egg mixture into the flour mixture. Fold in the corn. Drop the batter onto a well-buttered griddle or pan over medium heat. Brown on both sides.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
Warm Blueberry Banana Compote
A luxurious topping for French toast or pancakes ... or even for ice cream at dessert. Be sure to serve it warm.
2 cups fresh blueberries, washed, or frozen blueberries, thawed 2 bananas, sliced 1/2 cup honey 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine the blueberries, bananas, honey, and cinnamon in a small roasting pan. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The blueberries and bananas will be soft. Serve at once or refrigerate for later use. MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
Hot Apple Oatmeal Cereal
It's amazing just how wonderful real oatmeal tastes if you've grown accustomed to the quick-cook kind. Sissy's version, sweetened with brown sugar, apples, and raisins is a hearty, healthy meal.
4 cups milk 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 cups rolled oats 2 cups chopped apple 1 cup raisins
Preheat the oven to 350F. Mix the milk, brown sugar, butter, salt, and cinnamon in a heavy, ovenproof pot and bring to a boil. Immediately remove from the heat and add the oats, apple, and raisins. Return the pot to the heat and bring to a simmer. Then put the pot in the oven, covered, and bake for 30 minutes. MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
Bran Muffins
Every region of the country has its own favorite morning breadstuff, including cinnamon rolls in Iowa, biscuits throughout the South, and buttered Cuban toast in Tampa. In New England, donuts are big, but muffins are even more beloved. Muffin making is an art from Connecticut to the Canadian border. Sissy's bran muffins have a rugged texture that make them a joy to tear into hunks along with that morning cup of coffee.
2 cups raisins 5 teaspoons baking soda 2 cups boiling water 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup molasses 4 eggs 5 plus 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 6 cups bran cereal 1 quart buttermilk 1 cup chopped walnuts
Combine the raisins and baking soda in a large bowl. Pour the boiling water over the raisins. Let cool. In a large bowl, mix the oil, brown sugar, and molasses. Add the eggs and beat well. Add 5 cups flour, the salt, and cereal. Pour in the buttermilk and mix together until blended. Stir in the cooled raisin mixture. Dredge the nuts in the remaining 1/2 cup flour and then fold them into the batter. Store in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours or overnight. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375F. Scoop the batter into greased muffin tins about three-quarters full and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
MAKES 24 MUFFINS
Buttermilk Biscuits
At the Yankee table, biscuits aren't just for breakfast. The same fluffy rounds that go so well with bacon and eggs in the morning are used as the basis for traditional strawberry shortcake. They're not at all sweet, but good berries will make up for that.
4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 5 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup butter 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 450F. Mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or with your hands. Add the buttermilk and mix until moistened. Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 1/2-inch thick on a generously floured board. Cut the dough into rounds with a juice glass or biscuit cutter. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. MAKES 24 BISCUITS
Aunt Phinney's Granola
Aunt Phinney is Sissy's eighty-three-year-old aunt who lives on a farm in Pennsylvania and still does everything from scratch: her own lard, meat, chickens, eggs. "She is my mentor," Sissy says. "She is the salt of the earth. She is slow food. She enjoys doing what she does and she has a family that enjoys eating." Aunt Phinney's granola has been a big hit among breakfasters at the Dorset Inn.
8 cups rolled oats, not instant 1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar 1 1/2 cups unprocessed bran 1 1/2 cups wheat germ 3/4 cup chopped walnuts 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds 3/4 cup honey 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 4 tablespoons ground cinnamon 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes 2 cups raisins 2 cups diced dried apricots 2 cups dried cherries
Preheat the oven to 225F. In a large bowl combine the oats, brown sugar, bran, wheat germ, walnuts, and sunflower seeds and mix well. In a small saucepan heat the honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and oil over medium heat until bubbly, stirring constantly. Pour the hot honey mixture over the dry mixture and mix well. Spread the mixture in a large roasting pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring well every 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and, when cool, stir in the coconut, raisins, apricots, and cherries. MAKES 20 (1-CUP) SERVINGS
BREAKFAST IN VERMONT
Vermont is a great place to eat breakfast. It is blessed with smokehouses that make superior sausage, ham, and bacon, as well as with countless bakeries where the repertoires range from serious cake donuts to featherweight croissants. Early-to-rise farmhouse hours plus a high wholegrain consciousness plus the legendary maple syrup harvest equal superior stacks of flapjacks. Consider also the custom of turning yesterday's boiled dinner leftovers into savory corned beef hash, and the North Country's abundance of short-order diners, charming B&Bs, and vintage country inns. For appetites on dawn patrol, the prospects are boundless.
Breakfast in the Dorset Inn's garden room is our vision of morning in heaven. Irregularly shaped buttermilk pancakes come studded with brilliant blueberries; crunchy, raised waffles have the old-style, small tread surface that holds countless droplets of swirled melting butter and maple syrup; and the corned beef hash is a patty with an outside crunch that surrounds a glistening center of ragged, brick-red beef shreds, nuggets of carrot, and caramel-brown ribbons of onion.
When we first came across the Dorset Inn one evening, a sign outside read "Lunch and Dinner." But as we had our first wonderful meal in the tavern, Nuni, the head waitress, explained that "yes, breakfast is served too; the sign-painter just didn't have room to include all three meals!" Since then, a new sign has been posted listing breakfast; and while many of the morning people in the dining room are overnight guests of the inn, locals and travelers consider Sissy Hicks' place a destination for a truly home-style way to start the day.
Sissy does everything herself in the mornings, plate by plate. And when she has the opportunity between cooking people's meals, she'll pull out "Big Orange," the rudimentary orange juicer she bought at K-Mart twenty years ago for a few dollars. "I've tried all the high-tech commercial juicers," she says as she squeezes fresh juice from oranges, half-by-half. "But I always come back to Big Orange."
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Elegant Comfort Food from the DORSET INNby JANE STERN MICHAEL STERN Copyright © 2007 by Jane Stern Michael Stern. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
