Waypoint House

Address: 211 S Church St. Berryville, Va    Reservation Line: 540-955-8218

Recipes

New Year, New Recipes

I love trying new recipes all year long, but especially at the start of a new year I get itchy to try new recipes and freshen up the menu.

Jonathan, of course gets to be the official tester before I serve any dish to guests.  Often I’ll do “breakfast for dinner” so we can try it together since, ironically, we very rarely eat breakfast together!  He’ll make a critique or two, or suggest a way to garnish, etc.  After trying my latest breakfast creation he just said, “Can we have that for dinner again tomorrow?”  So, I guess that means I did good!

As with most things in this day and age, I got my initial inspiration from Pinterest, then found a similar recipe in a cookbook not too long afterward so, I took that as a sign that I was on to something.  Then, a title for the dish came into my head, and after a few “Rachael” modifications, viola.

Greens, Eggs and Ham.  It’s my homage to Dr. Seuss.  Sauteed leeks, kale and baby spinach with feta cheese on top of Canadian bacon and my homemade English muffin bread served with fried eggs.  So, would you eat greens, eggs and ham?

Greens, Eggs and Ham - one of our new recipes for 2016

Greens, Eggs and Ham


Bed and Breakfast Conference Excitement!

I just got back from a two day conference in Richmond hosted by the Bed and Breakfast Association of Virginia. The Association does a great job all year long of providing members with information and education, but the conference is also a great chance to catch up with your fellow innkeepers and really talk shop.

My dear Jonathan went with me this year, and on our three hour drive back home today we chatted away about all the great things we picked up and all the new ideas we had that we now want to implement here at the grand old inn.

One of the most exciting features of the conference this year was the first ever cooking contest, and I was a participant!  The criteria were that your dish had to be either vegan, gluten free, or dairy free.  There were five participants all together and we each could come in with our own recipe, but we only had 40 minutes to cook.  One other catch:  No equipment was provided by the facility so we had to come in with all our own gear.  That part was actually not much of a problem for me.  Remember, I spent 6 years as a professional stage manager and toured with a road show for 6 months and also worked in off site catering for more than seven years!   Now, the hotel had a problem with us tripping breakers when four hot plates, two toaster ovens, a griddle and an immersion circulator all got plugged into the same circuit!  But then, to the rescue came my dear husband, Jonathan. Remember, he had 10 years of experience running high end special event lighting for concerts and the like!

Well, I was still a bit nervous though come go time, as there were some pretty good chefs among my competition.  I was feeling really good during the event however, and had a great time talking with all the spectators as I explained my dish and answered questions.  Talking and cooking at the same time can be quite a challenge if you are not careful!

My recipe hit the trifecta for the recipe requirements in that it is both gluten free and vegan (and therefore dairy free). I made a Dijon and Chive Tofu Scramble. Don’t let the T-word scare you.  This is a great recipe and looks and tastes just as good as any scrambled egg dish you could ever make.  Plus, the benefit for most innkeepers is that all of the ingredients can easily be obtained at your local supermarket, just in case that last minute guest also has dietary restrictions.  This dish does not require a special trip the the natural foods store.

So, with all of that said, what you really want to know is how I did, right?  Drum roll please…….A very close second place!  I lost the top spot by just two judging points!  But, I was very thrilled with the outcome, and after handing out samples to the crowd, heard nothing but rave reviews on the dish.

Are you interested in the recipe now?  Give it a try, and let me know what you think!  And trust me, tofu can be delicious!

Waypoint House Dijon and Chive Tofu Scramble

Prep time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 20-30 minutes Servings: 4

¾ tsp Turmeric
½ tsp Onion Powder
½ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Garlic Powder
¼ tsp Pepper
1 Tbl Dijon Mustard
¼ C Almond Milk
2 Tbl Chopped Fresh Chives
(1) 14 oz block Firm Tofu
½ Tbl Olive Oil

Combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl and mix well to create a seasoning slurry. If your tofu is packed in water, remove it from packaging, cut it into 6 or 8 slices, and pat it dry with paper towels. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. When oil is shimmering, add tofu slices and fry 10-15 minutes, flipping half way through, until slices begin to brown slightly. Break up the slices with your spatula to begin to create a scrambled egg-like texture. Add the seasoning slurry and chives and cook another 10-15 minutes, stirring well so the tofu has a chance to absorb all the seasonings. Serve warm.

*For an entire gluten free and vegan meal, serve with freshly made home fries or hash browns and fresh fruit.

 


Exciting Things Ahead – New Ideas for 2014

We just keep going with updates around here.  Never let it be said that we fear change!  We’re not the types to be satisfied with “good enough” and so we continue to find new and better ways to bring an excellent experience to our customers.  So, with that in mind, I’ve been working in the kitchen on some new ideas for items that I hope to incorporate into our menu rotations.  I’ve had a few good successes and a few things I need to tweak still, but we are progressing.  It also looks like we are going to be making some changes to our website soon.  Right now the site isn’t very mobile friendly, but we are going to remedy that and freshen up the site in the process.  Fresh and New for 2014 seems to be our motto right now!

Next month the Bed and Breakfast Association of Virginia will also be hosting its annual conference, and last year I came away with a lot of ideas and energy, so I am sure it will be the same this year!  Look forward to some good posts around that time!

In the meantime, I thought I would share a recipe that I had great success with in the kitchen this week: Cranberry Orange Scones.  If you’ve had the impression your whole life that scones are hard, dry biscuits, I think your mind will be changed once you try these!  Enjoy!

Waypoint House Cranberry Orange Scones with Orange Glaze

For Scones:

1/4 C Half and Half
1/2 C Orange Juice, divided into (2) 1/4 cup portions
1 Large Egg
1/4 C Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Orange Extract
2-1/4 C All Purpose Flour
1 Tbl Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
8 Tbl (1 Stick) Unsalted Butter, cut into small cubes
5 oz Dried Cranberries

For Glaze:

Reserved juice from soaked cranberries (see below)
1/4 tsp Orange Extract
2 to 2-1/2 C Powdered Sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Begin by soaking the dried cranberries in 1/4 cup orange juice.  Let soak for at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine half and half, remaining 1/4 cup orange juice, egg, brown sugar and both extracts in a small bowl.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.  Cut in butter with your fingers or a pastry blender until texture resembles coarse corn meal.  Drain the soaked cranberries, reserving the remaining orange juice for the glaze.  Add the cranberries to the flour mixture and stir to coat.  Add the liquid ingredients to the flour mixture and stir to combine.  Mixture will be sticky.  Transfer dough to a floured work surface and knead lightly to finish combining the ingredients.  Divide dough in half and form two round balls.  Press dough balls to flatten, approximately 1/2″ thick and 5″ in diameter.  Pat with just enough flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the counter.  Cut each flattened circle into 6 wedges with a floured knife.  Transfer scones to an un-greased baking sheet and chill for 10-15 minutes in refrigerator.  Cut scones can also be wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for later use at this point.

Once scones have chilled, bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown on top.  Remove from oven and allow to cool before glazing.

While scones cool, mix together reserved orange juice from soaking the cranberries and orange extract.  Whisk in powdered sugar gradually until you get a thick, yet pourable glaze.  When scones are cool, place them on a wire rack with paper underneath to catch the drips, then drizzle the glaze over the scones.  Allow glaze to dry slightly before serving.



Waypoint House Cranberry Orange Scones with Orange Glaze

Waypoint House Cranberry Orange Scones with Orange Glaze