At our Amish Country bed and breakfast, we are foodies. I will readily admit that. We are people who love food but are not snobby about it.
We enjoy the endless variations of flavor and texture, the pure enjoyment of picking peaches at 7am that grace our breakfast table at 8:30, or the satisfaction of baking a new creation that goes beyond just "good food". We love the "tried and true" of an heirloom snicker doodle recipe as well as the endless quest to see just how many different ways there are to prepare eggs! Our guest book is full of enthusiasm for our breakfast table and afternoon coffee sweets. So, when I read the above quote it struck home. Our entire inn is about heart and enthusiasm for life and its multitude of simple pleasures. Breakfast at Swiss Woods is no exception and may in fact, along with the gardens, be our crown.
Good food and good conversation often go hand in hand. We serve a full, gourmet country breakfast seating between 8:30 and 9:00. An early continental-style, breakfast is available for the business guest. Entrees may include anything from a wonderful strata chock full of local cheeses, bacon, and ham, or a veggie quiche featuring whatever Werner is growing this season! Zucchini, leeks, carrots, and broccoli all find their way into wonderful savory pies topped with Switzerland's Emmentaler and Gruyere cheeses. Sweet mornings find our own blueberry French toast with hints of orange, stuffed raisin French toast, or maybe an upside-down apple pancake. We use the best, fresh-as-possible ingredients, many of them grown here at the Inn.
This year, in an attempt to share more requested bed and breakfast recipes with our guests, 7 other innkeepers, from Seattle to Lenox, and I joined forces and started a blog that we appropriately call, "Eight Broads in the Kitchen." Here we post recipes, kitchen wisdom, local food happenings, and anything else that is foodie related. Visit for the latest on what is happening in inn kitchens nationwide.
Pumpkin Pancakes with Brandied Lemon Apples
As the weather cools down, what better way to start your day than with this fall favorite? These can be served with the apples simply heated, but try the flambe version for the exquisite flavor as well as the extra??drama!
- 2 Cups Flour
- 4 Tbsp. sugar
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 4 Tbsp. melted butter
- 1 Cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 Cup canned pumpkin
- 1 Cup sour cream (or yogurt)
- Pinch of salt
Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. In separate bowl, whisk butter, milk, eggs, pumpkin, and sour cream. Stir into dry ingredients. Pour by 1/2 cupful onto hot griddle. Flip when bubbles form on surface and break. Cook a few minutes more until browned on both sides.
Apples:- 5 apples (we like Golden Delicious--use any sweet apple)
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- Zest & juice of one lemon
- 1/4 Cup brandy
Peel, core, and slice apples thinly directly into a small pan. Add lemon zest and juice. Drizzle the honey over the apples.
Place a tightly fitting lid on the pan and turn burner to medium heat. Wait until steam starts to escape lid and turn burner off. Check to make sure they are soft.
In a separate metal saucepan, slightly warm the brandy. Carefully touch a flame to the warmed brandy in the pan, to light it. Allow the flames to subside, then pour over apples.
Serve immediately with the pancakes.