Favorite or most popular recipe and how you plate or present it

[Aspiring Martha]

Happy New Year Innmates!
I want to put together some "starter" recipes for when we open our bed and breakfast in (hopefully) the spring. I've been pouring over the recipes posted here, there and and everywhere and am a bit overwhelmed as they all look amazing. And if you have a picture of it plated - that would REALLY be cool!

 

[Morticia]

First thing to do is figure out if your guests are looking for local cuisine. What's your theme? We're very casual, almost diner-like for breakfast. That's OK with the majority of our guests, but we do get some who think they should have had a Michelin chef cooking for them.
How much space do you have in your kitchen? Can you have plated courses sitting on the counter, ready to go, or are you severely restricted on space?
What's your own skill level? Will you have help?
Think thru a full breakfast. What are you going to be doing? Are you only cooking? Serving also? Chatting at the same time? Pouring coffee? Refilling juice? Will everyone eat at once, staggered, or whenever they want?

 

[Aspiring Martha]

First thing to do is figure out if your guests are looking for local cuisine. What's your theme? We're very casual, almost diner-like for breakfast. That's OK with the majority of our guests, but we do get some who think they should have had a Michelin chef cooking for them.
How much space do you have in your kitchen? Can you have plated courses sitting on the counter, ready to go, or are you severely restricted on space?
What's your own skill level? Will you have help?
Think thru a full breakfast. What are you going to be doing? Are you only cooking? Serving also? Chatting at the same time? Pouring coffee? Refilling juice? Will everyone eat at once, staggered, or whenever they want?.

Hi Mort,
Let me see if I can answer your questions...
"How much space do you have in your kitchen? Can you have plated courses sitting on the counter, ready to go, or are you severely restricted on space?"
I have a big island kitchen, lots of counter space, 3 ovens, 2 warming drawers. We have a big refrigerator but it never seems to have enough space. (What's up with that?)
"What's your own skill level?"
I would say my skill level is average to above average. No formal training but I have been cooking for 40 years. I am usually the "cook" for our large family gatherings and I always get lots of kudos. Having said that, my "skill" is totally dependant on the quality of the recipe. I am not one who will necessarily identify a mistake in the recipe nor am I confident enough to make major changes.
"What are you going to be doing? Are you only cooking? Serving also?"
In a perfect world, I would do the cooking and serve each meal plated but that may be more than I can pull off by myself. I will have help with cleaning rooms and have wondered if I could get away with drafting the housekeeper away from room duty to help serve. (We will have 4 rentable rooms plus a small twin room that will probably remain empty most of the time unless someone is traveling with a teen.) I do have adequate room and equipment to set up a buffet if it comes down to it.
"Pouring coffee? Refilling juice?"
We are coffee aficionados and have a full professional coffee and beverage bar set up that has a variety of freshly roasted coffee beans for coffee, espresso, and latte, as well as tea, hot chocolate, etc. If they don't feel comfortable pulling a shot themselves, we have a machine that automates the process so guests can serve themselves and still get a nicer layer of crema than you get at Starbucks. It has a nice selection of cream, creamers, syrups (hazelnut, french vanilla, toasted coconut, etc) and toppings (marshmallows, cocoa, nutmeg, cinnamon) so they can get as creative as they want with their hot drinks. I think I will have the milk and juices sitting in the same area for self-serve.
"Will everyone eat at once, staggered, or whenever they want?"
I am hoping to have everyone eat at the same time. I may have a limited continental buffet out for guests whose schedules don't allow them to join the rest (Granola, fruit, muffins, bagels).
"Chatting at the same time?"
THIS is where I am challenged. I am NO GOOD at cooking and chatting at the same time. It's one or the other for me, baby. I am 100% focused when I'm doing either. Chatting while cooking results in forgetting to add ingredients (or IF I added them), or forgetting that something is cooking. At a big meal at our house immediately before eating when I am giving out last minute instructions to helpers -- I invariably let something overcook. Its become a joke around here that the family knows dinner is ready when they can smell the rolls burning.

 

[gillumhouse]

Since I serve family-style, I serve on a platter (sometimes actually remember to add garnish) or in the glass dish it was baked in. I was throwing out so much fruit when making individual fruit sherbets that I started just serving the fruit in a footed dish and letting them pick out the fruits they liked. Once in a while I play with the fruit - make banana cars or a butterfly of fruit on a platter, or a fruit pizza on a platter or if I am short on fruit, make a fruit banana split in Granny's antique banana boats, it does not take much fruit on the half banana (3 kinds though) with a stemmed cherry on top of the middle fruit.

 

[Lee2014]

We do a buffet so our guests check over the tables and pick out what they want. They usually start with our yogurt parfaits/fruit cups or coffee and muffins. We make the yogurt and granola ourselves and the guests love it. We use antique glass ice cream sundae dish with the yogurt, fruit, and granola layered. Put the yogurt in first at the bottom of dish, than the granola, and then fruit. Build it layer by layer until the top is reached. Top with a glob of yogurt, a strawberry, and granola sprinkled lightly. Each kind of fruit used is shown against the glass in the cup so the guest knows the fruit selection inside. The smaller sundae dishes just hold a mixed fruit salad or watermelon balls with blueberries.

 

[Morticia]

First thing to do is figure out if your guests are looking for local cuisine. What's your theme? We're very casual, almost diner-like for breakfast. That's OK with the majority of our guests, but we do get some who think they should have had a Michelin chef cooking for them.
How much space do you have in your kitchen? Can you have plated courses sitting on the counter, ready to go, or are you severely restricted on space?
What's your own skill level? Will you have help?
Think thru a full breakfast. What are you going to be doing? Are you only cooking? Serving also? Chatting at the same time? Pouring coffee? Refilling juice? Will everyone eat at once, staggered, or whenever they want?.

Hi Mort,
Let me see if I can answer your questions...
"How much space do you have in your kitchen? Can you have plated courses sitting on the counter, ready to go, or are you severely restricted on space?"
I have a big island kitchen, lots of counter space, 3 ovens, 2 warming drawers. We have a big refrigerator but it never seems to have enough space. (What's up with that?)
"What's your own skill level?"
I would say my skill level is average to above average. No formal training but I have been cooking for 40 years. I am usually the "cook" for our large family gatherings and I always get lots of kudos. Having said that, my "skill" is totally dependant on the quality of the recipe. I am not one who will necessarily identify a mistake in the recipe nor am I confident enough to make major changes.
"What are you going to be doing? Are you only cooking? Serving also?"
In a perfect world, I would do the cooking and serve each meal plated but that may be more than I can pull off by myself. I will have help with cleaning rooms and have wondered if I could get away with drafting the housekeeper away from room duty to help serve. (We will have 4 rentable rooms plus a small twin room that will probably remain empty most of the time unless someone is traveling with a teen.) I do have adequate room and equipment to set up a buffet if it comes down to it.
"Pouring coffee? Refilling juice?"
We are coffee aficionados and have a full professional coffee and beverage bar set up that has a variety of freshly roasted coffee beans for coffee, espresso, and latte, as well as tea, hot chocolate, etc. If they don't feel comfortable pulling a shot themselves, we have a machine that automates the process so guests can serve themselves and still get a nicer layer of crema than you get at Starbucks. It has a nice selection of cream, creamers, syrups (hazelnut, french vanilla, toasted coconut, etc) and toppings (marshmallows, cocoa, nutmeg, cinnamon) so they can get as creative as they want with their hot drinks. I think I will have the milk and juices sitting in the same area for self-serve.
"Will everyone eat at once, staggered, or whenever they want?"
I am hoping to have everyone eat at the same time. I may have a limited continental buffet out for guests whose schedules don't allow them to join the rest (Granola, fruit, muffins, bagels).
"Chatting at the same time?"
THIS is where I am challenged. I am NO GOOD at cooking and chatting at the same time. It's one or the other for me, baby. I am 100% focused when I'm doing either. Chatting while cooking results in forgetting to add ingredients (or IF I added them), or forgetting that something is cooking. At a big meal at our house immediately before eating when I am giving out last minute instructions to helpers -- I invariably let something overcook. Its become a joke around here that the family knows dinner is ready when they can smell the rolls burning.
.

We've been doing this for 12 years, 7 rooms, staggered breakfast - essentially show up when you're hungry.
Today I muttered to Gomez that I hadn't slept all night and I wasn't getting up to help with breakfast.
3 rooms. You would think I told him to make eggs Bennie blindfolded and in a strange kitchen. (We've never made eggs Bennie.) Immediate panic. And he's the cook!
I heard laughing and I know he played the helpless spouse card. He was fine.
Generally, we have the starter plated and waiting in the fridge - we have no counter space to speak of. He cooks the main after I deliver the starter.
Guests help themselves to coffee, tea, juice. No intricate machines but we still get folks grumbling their tea is cold because they never started the heating process.
You have to figure what you can make and serve by yourself, if you're relying on housekeepers to show up everyday. A lot of them don't.
The key to a lovely breakfast is the presentation - a cute garnish, good plates and silverware, tablecloths, etc.

 

[gillumhouse]

First thing to do is figure out if your guests are looking for local cuisine. What's your theme? We're very casual, almost diner-like for breakfast. That's OK with the majority of our guests, but we do get some who think they should have had a Michelin chef cooking for them.
How much space do you have in your kitchen? Can you have plated courses sitting on the counter, ready to go, or are you severely restricted on space?
What's your own skill level? Will you have help?
Think thru a full breakfast. What are you going to be doing? Are you only cooking? Serving also? Chatting at the same time? Pouring coffee? Refilling juice? Will everyone eat at once, staggered, or whenever they want?.

Hi Mort,
Let me see if I can answer your questions...
"How much space do you have in your kitchen? Can you have plated courses sitting on the counter, ready to go, or are you severely restricted on space?"
I have a big island kitchen, lots of counter space, 3 ovens, 2 warming drawers. We have a big refrigerator but it never seems to have enough space. (What's up with that?)
"What's your own skill level?"
I would say my skill level is average to above average. No formal training but I have been cooking for 40 years. I am usually the "cook" for our large family gatherings and I always get lots of kudos. Having said that, my "skill" is totally dependant on the quality of the recipe. I am not one who will necessarily identify a mistake in the recipe nor am I confident enough to make major changes.
"What are you going to be doing? Are you only cooking? Serving also?"
In a perfect world, I would do the cooking and serve each meal plated but that may be more than I can pull off by myself. I will have help with cleaning rooms and have wondered if I could get away with drafting the housekeeper away from room duty to help serve. (We will have 4 rentable rooms plus a small twin room that will probably remain empty most of the time unless someone is traveling with a teen.) I do have adequate room and equipment to set up a buffet if it comes down to it.
"Pouring coffee? Refilling juice?"
We are coffee aficionados and have a full professional coffee and beverage bar set up that has a variety of freshly roasted coffee beans for coffee, espresso, and latte, as well as tea, hot chocolate, etc. If they don't feel comfortable pulling a shot themselves, we have a machine that automates the process so guests can serve themselves and still get a nicer layer of crema than you get at Starbucks. It has a nice selection of cream, creamers, syrups (hazelnut, french vanilla, toasted coconut, etc) and toppings (marshmallows, cocoa, nutmeg, cinnamon) so they can get as creative as they want with their hot drinks. I think I will have the milk and juices sitting in the same area for self-serve.
"Will everyone eat at once, staggered, or whenever they want?"
I am hoping to have everyone eat at the same time. I may have a limited continental buffet out for guests whose schedules don't allow them to join the rest (Granola, fruit, muffins, bagels).
"Chatting at the same time?"
THIS is where I am challenged. I am NO GOOD at cooking and chatting at the same time. It's one or the other for me, baby. I am 100% focused when I'm doing either. Chatting while cooking results in forgetting to add ingredients (or IF I added them), or forgetting that something is cooking. At a big meal at our house immediately before eating when I am giving out last minute instructions to helpers -- I invariably let something overcook. Its become a joke around here that the family knows dinner is ready when they can smell the rolls burning.
.

We've been doing this for 12 years, 7 rooms, staggered breakfast - essentially show up when you're hungry.
Today I muttered to Gomez that I hadn't slept all night and I wasn't getting up to help with breakfast.
3 rooms. You would think I told him to make eggs Bennie blindfolded and in a strange kitchen. (We've never made eggs Bennie.) Immediate panic. And he's the cook!
I heard laughing and I know he played the helpless spouse card. He was fine.
Generally, we have the starter plated and waiting in the fridge - we have no counter space to speak of. He cooks the main after I deliver the starter.
Guests help themselves to coffee, tea, juice. No intricate machines but we still get folks grumbling their tea is cold because they never started the heating process.
You have to figure what you can make and serve by yourself, if you're relying on housekeepers to show up everyday. A lot of them don't.
The key to a lovely breakfast is the presentation - a cute garnish, good plates and silverware, tablecloths, etc.
.

With mine, I think they are surprised to find chargers, silver, goblets, etc. in West Virginia. I swear I think some expect a serving trough - OK, a bit exaggerated, but not by much.
The Media spreads so much garbage about Appalachia that people think that is the way we live.

 

[Innkeep]

Welcome back Martha
I was a non-cook when I started this adventure 10 years ago. I experimented around with how I was going to do breakfast. I have 4 guest rooms and do everything by myself. I'm in a town of 60,000 with a state university and a teaching hospital, but no significant tourist attractions.
For awhile when I started I tried to do breakfasts with more than "diner food". Being in "flyover" country, many of my guests have been B&B first timers. They were not appreciating rice pilaf, cheese grits, corn pudding, etc, to mention a few less typical breakfast foods. I found lots of effort didn't make people want to eat stuff that they just didn't want.
I use eggs from chickens I've met (seriously) to make scrambled eggs and omelets (Gomez taught me how to make them on the griddle), breakfast meat and usually some sort of potato for the plated breakfast. Fruit and a muffin is already at their place on the table as well as coffee/tea. Now my most adventurous dishes are lemon ricotta pancakes and bacon broccoli quiche. I can sometimes get away with asparagus and sliced tomatoes.
You may want to decide if you will have enough business guests through the week to plan flexible breakfast times as an incentive for those who will need to start their day earlier. Food prep can be done at the same time even if you put stuff in the oven at different times for staggered breakfasts. The disadvantage is that you're in the kitchen longer, but if you have housekeeping help, that might not be a disadvantage. Now that I'm a pro at scrambled eggs, I can choose to keep the kitchen door open and talk while plating the hot breakfast if I want to. If I were poaching eggs or doing something I was uncomfortable with, of course the door would stay closed. With 4 rooms occupied I've had 2 separate breakfast times when it works out better for the guests.
Even though you start your adventure with the skill set you have it can be helpful to really find out what demographic your B&B will appeal to. Simple breakfasts that are served on china with someone else (me) doing the cooking and clean up actually has gotten me reviews that are better than what I'd ever expected.

 

[2cat_lady]

Anything that you can set up the night before would be great, like make your crepes, put together a bread pudding or a strata, mix the dry ingredients of something you might bake first thing in the morning, etc. I find if something smells really good when they come down, it sets the whole mood. I'm mostly tourists in my area--some business, some hockey tournies--so people are relaxed and not in a rush. That give me the opportunity to put a little more into my breakfasts. I try not to fry too much as people are more health conscious these days, so I do more poaching of eggs, scrambling them into little casseroles, baking my sausages in the oven--that kind of stuff. And fresh fruit is always welcome. Everyone has different abilities but maybe if you go on some of our websites, you can see pictures of breakfasts that we put out. That should give you some ideas. Some on this forum don't like to give our recipes but they might share if you approach them directly.

 

[TheBeachHouse]

Break up a loaf of raisin bread.
mix into 6 eggs. 1 cup half and half, a teaspoon of vanilla and a shake of cinnamon.
Let sit overnight.
Bake 350 for 35 minutes. Cool for 5.
Raisin bread pudding. Smells awesome. Looks special and you can cook it with your eyes closed.
We do a buffet. A baked egg dish, something sweet like the bread pudding or pancakes, and meat. Also yogurt, fruit and assorted cereals and muffins.

 

[EmptyNest]

Keep it simple if if is just you. Lots of things you can prepare ahead and cook in the morning. Make up mini quick breads etc and freeze.
Dont overpromise. If you can't do special diets say so on your site. Offer fruit, juice, cereal for them. You are not a restaurant so don't let them think you are. Breakfast is complimentary and cooks choice. Maybe continental on weekdays and save your full cooked breakfast for weekends.
good luck

 

[user 26]

I did eight rooms, cooked and served and cleaned up on my own. If it was maximum occupancy, that was 21 breakfasts. Most of the time it wasn't at max.
I served basic breakfasts, fresh, hot and lots of it ... enormous waffles, blueberry pancakes, bacon and eggs with homemade biscuits ... mine was not a fancy place. I had seven breakfasts that I did well and I rotated them (although I got a lot of requests for the giant waffles)
Eggs from my 'eggman' - a local egg farmer who delivered them free of charge - butter and milk from a local dairy - and I emphasized these things. Lots with the local blueberries. Home made blueberry compote, blueberry muffins and blueberry pie. I got raves.
What kind of cook are you? Start with what you know and what you love. And go from there.
I could not prep the night before ... while I was baking check in goodies, I might get onions and cheese ready for huge quiches. Mostly I fell into bed after the last guest checked in. s'truth.

 

[Tom]

First thing to do is figure out if your guests are looking for local cuisine. What's your theme? We're very casual, almost diner-like for breakfast. That's OK with the majority of our guests, but we do get some who think they should have had a Michelin chef cooking for them.
How much space do you have in your kitchen? Can you have plated courses sitting on the counter, ready to go, or are you severely restricted on space?
What's your own skill level? Will you have help?
Think thru a full breakfast. What are you going to be doing? Are you only cooking? Serving also? Chatting at the same time? Pouring coffee? Refilling juice? Will everyone eat at once, staggered, or whenever they want?.

Hi Mort,
Let me see if I can answer your questions...
"How much space do you have in your kitchen? Can you have plated courses sitting on the counter, ready to go, or are you severely restricted on space?"
I have a big island kitchen, lots of counter space, 3 ovens, 2 warming drawers. We have a big refrigerator but it never seems to have enough space. (What's up with that?)
"What's your own skill level?"
I would say my skill level is average to above average. No formal training but I have been cooking for 40 years. I am usually the "cook" for our large family gatherings and I always get lots of kudos. Having said that, my "skill" is totally dependant on the quality of the recipe. I am not one who will necessarily identify a mistake in the recipe nor am I confident enough to make major changes.
"What are you going to be doing? Are you only cooking? Serving also?"
In a perfect world, I would do the cooking and serve each meal plated but that may be more than I can pull off by myself. I will have help with cleaning rooms and have wondered if I could get away with drafting the housekeeper away from room duty to help serve. (We will have 4 rentable rooms plus a small twin room that will probably remain empty most of the time unless someone is traveling with a teen.) I do have adequate room and equipment to set up a buffet if it comes down to it.
"Pouring coffee? Refilling juice?"
We are coffee aficionados and have a full professional coffee and beverage bar set up that has a variety of freshly roasted coffee beans for coffee, espresso, and latte, as well as tea, hot chocolate, etc. If they don't feel comfortable pulling a shot themselves, we have a machine that automates the process so guests can serve themselves and still get a nicer layer of crema than you get at Starbucks. It has a nice selection of cream, creamers, syrups (hazelnut, french vanilla, toasted coconut, etc) and toppings (marshmallows, cocoa, nutmeg, cinnamon) so they can get as creative as they want with their hot drinks. I think I will have the milk and juices sitting in the same area for self-serve.
"Will everyone eat at once, staggered, or whenever they want?"
I am hoping to have everyone eat at the same time. I may have a limited continental buffet out for guests whose schedules don't allow them to join the rest (Granola, fruit, muffins, bagels).
"Chatting at the same time?"
THIS is where I am challenged. I am NO GOOD at cooking and chatting at the same time. It's one or the other for me, baby. I am 100% focused when I'm doing either. Chatting while cooking results in forgetting to add ingredients (or IF I added them), or forgetting that something is cooking. At a big meal at our house immediately before eating when I am giving out last minute instructions to helpers -- I invariably let something overcook. Its become a joke around here that the family knows dinner is ready when they can smell the rolls burning.
.

We've been doing this for 12 years, 7 rooms, staggered breakfast - essentially show up when you're hungry.
Today I muttered to Gomez that I hadn't slept all night and I wasn't getting up to help with breakfast.
3 rooms. You would think I told him to make eggs Bennie blindfolded and in a strange kitchen. (We've never made eggs Bennie.) Immediate panic. And he's the cook!
I heard laughing and I know he played the helpless spouse card. He was fine.
Generally, we have the starter plated and waiting in the fridge - we have no counter space to speak of. He cooks the main after I deliver the starter.
Guests help themselves to coffee, tea, juice. No intricate machines but we still get folks grumbling their tea is cold because they never started the heating process.
You have to figure what you can make and serve by yourself, if you're relying on housekeepers to show up everyday. A lot of them don't.
The key to a lovely breakfast is the presentation - a cute garnish, good plates and silverware, tablecloths, etc.
.

With mine, I think they are surprised to find chargers, silver, goblets, etc. in West Virginia. I swear I think some expect a serving trough - OK, a bit exaggerated, but not by much.
The Media spreads so much garbage about Appalachia that people think that is the way we live.
.

I swear I think some expect a serving trough

When we get a gang of bikers I cook as usual, but serve all - eggs, sausage, potatoes - heaped around in my biggest cast iron frypan in the middle of the table for self serve. Sets the tone for their ride: iron.

 

[Tamelon]

I serve a three course breakfast. I started out doing a buffet but I didn't really like. I enjoy people sitting around a beautifully set table, getting to know each other and feeling pampered.
I love to serve shakshuka as a main course. Try the NYTimes Cooking recipe. So easy, so different. I bake it in a big casserole and serve it at the table myself. You could also bake it individually if you had the dishware, but then you have to worry about people touching a hot dish. I serve it with a big basket of homemade hot pita bread.

 

[Tamelon]

I serve a three course breakfast. I started out doing a buffet but I didn't really like. I enjoy people sitting around a beautifully set table, getting to know each other and feeling pampered.
I love to serve shakshuka as a main course. Try the NYTimes Cooking recipe. So easy, so different. I bake it in a big casserole and serve it at the table myself. You could also bake it individually if you had the dishware, but then you have to worry about people touching a hot dish. I serve it with a big basket of homemade hot pita bread.
A simple wow course is grapefruit and orange sections (I do peel them and then cut out the sections, rather a labor of love) with halved black grapes and shredded basil, served in a goblet. Simple, elegant and delicious.

 

[Tamelon]

I serve a three course breakfast. I started out doing a buffet but I didn't really like. I enjoy people sitting around a beautifully set table, getting to know each other and feeling pampered.
I love to serve shakshuka as a main course. Try the NYTimes Cooking recipe. So easy, so different. I bake it in a big casserole and serve it at the table myself. You could also bake it individually if you had the dishware, but then you have to worry about people touching a hot dish. I serve it with a big basket of homemade hot pita bread.
A simple wow course is grapefruit and orange sections (I do peel them and then cut out the sections, rather a labor of love) with halved black grapes and shredded basil, served in a goblet. Simple, elegant and delicious.

 

[Tamelon]

sorry for the multiple responses : ) Can't figure out how to delete