Bed-and-Breakfast Recipes

Southern Living, Nov 2004 by Lowery, Deborah Garrison

Guests at the Byrn-Roberts Inn leave with one of the owner's delicious recipes.

Julie Decker's kitchen experiences started early. As the seventh of eight children in a farm family, she was washing dishes by age 5. "My mom set a chair at the sink so I could reach it," recalls Julie. "Then as soon as I could read I was working with recipes and cooking."

Now, as owner with her husband, David, of the historic Queen Anne-style Byrn-Roberts Inn in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, she's still in the kitchen and "working with recipes." Her passion for food and cooking has created a style all her own, relished by the inn's overnight guests.

"I like to serve food that's familiar, but with a different twist. Then I take the presentation up a notch; it makes guests feel special," she explains. For more information about the inn, visit www.byrn-roberts-inn.com, or call 1-888-877-4919. DEBORAH GARRISON LOWERY

CITRUS-STRAWBERRY SALAD

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

PREP: 20 MIN., CHILL: 1 HR.

Arrange grapefruit shells filled with this refreshing salad on a tray for an attractive presentation.

2 pink grapefruit

2 tangerines

3 cups strawberries, coarsely chopped

4 kiwifruit, peeled and cubed

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon orange flower water (optional)*

Garnish: fresh mint sprigs

CUT grapefruit in half. Carefully remove grapefruit segments with a paring knife, leaving shells intact. Remove and discard seeds and bitter pith from segments. Cut segments into bite-size pieces; place in a bowl. Peel tangerines with a paring knife, removing membranes between segments; cut segments into bite-size pieces, and add to bowl.

ADD strawberries, kiwifruit, powdered sugar, and, if desired, orange flower water to bowl, stirring gently. Cover and chill 1 hour. Spoon mixture evenly into grapefruit shells; garnish, if desired. ½ teaspoon grated orange rind may be substituted for 1 teaspoon orange flower water.

NOTE: Orange flower water can be found in some ethnic markets such as Asian, Mediterranean, or Italian.

CANADIAN BACON-AND-BRIE QUICHE

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

PREP: 10 MIN., BAKE: 35 MIN., STAND: 5 MIN.

Julie says the surprise crust in this recipe makes it "the quiche that men will eat."

16 Canadian bacon slices

1 (8-ounce) round Brie cheese

8 large eggs, lightly beaten

½ cup mayonnaise

½ teaspoon white pepper

½ teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

Garnishes: edible flowers, fresh rosemary sprigs

ARRANGE bacon slices on bottom and up sides of a lightly greased 9-inch pieplate, slightly overlapping slices.

REMOVE rind from Brie, and cut into cubes.

STIR together eggs, cubed Brie, mayonnaise, and next 3 ingredients in a bowl. Pour mixture into prepared pieplate.

BAKE at 375° for 30 to 35 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let quiche stand 5 minutes before serving. Garnish, if desired.

ALMOND-VANILLA BREAKFAST RING

MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS

PREP: 10 MIN.; STAND: 3 HRS., 10 MlN.; BAKE: 30 MIN.

For a flavor variation of this easy coffee cake, use butterscotch pudding mix instead of vanilla.

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

24 frozen unbaked yeast dinner

rolls

2 tablespoons vanilla-flavored cook-and-serve pudding mix

1/2 cup sliced almonds

HEAT brown sugar and next 2 ingredients in a glass microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 minute. Stir until blended; microwave 1 more minute or until bubbly.

ARRANGE frozen rolls in a lightly greased 10-cup Bundt pan. Drizzle sugar mixture evenly over rolls; sprinkle with pudding mix and almonds. Cover and let stand at room temperature 3 hours.

BAKE, uncovered, on lower oven rack at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven, and let stand 10 minutes. Invert pan onto a lightly greased plate. Serve warm.

NOTE: For testing purposes only, we used Jell-O Cook & Serve Vanilla Pudding and Pie Filling and Bridgford Parkerhouse Style Rolls made with fresh yeast.

BAKED APPLE PANCAKES WITH CARAMEL SAUCE

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

PREP: 20 MIN., BAKE: 29 MIN.

Julie loves serving this recipe in individual dishes. Look for oval baking dishes in cook shops or kitchen sections of department stores.

8 large eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1½ cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vegetable cooking spray

½ cup butter or margarine

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

½ cup chopped pecans

Powdered sugar

Vanilla ice cream

Caramel Sauce

Chopped, toasted pecans

WHISK together eggs and next 4 ingredients. (Mixture will be lumpy.) Add buttermilk and vanilla, whisking until batter is blended.

COAT 8 (7- × 4- × 1½-inch) oval baking dishes with cooking spray. Place 1 tablespoon butter in each dish.

BAKE at 425° for 3 to 4 minutes or until butter melts. Place apple slices evenly into dishes; bake 5 more minutes. Spoon about ½ cup batter into each dish. Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar and ½ cup chopped pecans. Bake 20 more minutes.

SPRINKLE pancakes with powdered sugar, and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream; drizzle with Caramel Sauce, and sprinkle with chopped, toasted pecans.