Whip it, whip it good

[Biekervi]

One of my favorite parts of our research is the recipe search. I have many (my wife thinks it might be a problem) cook books for breakfast. I try to do at least 3 new a week (I still work 50+ hours) and my wife, kids, and friends are the judges. In short, if I don’t get the majority of them to say they love it, then it doesn’t go through. Of course, I almost never make exactly like the recipe because I like to add my own style and approach. Once it “passes” the test, they go onto an old school index card. The one thing that I have mastered is the whipped cream. Just the right amount of sweetness, firm yet fluffy and smooth, and holds it’s shape for several days. The surprise for me was when I added a little cream of tarter which I’ve used in my egg whites for waffles. Are there any recipe surprises you’ve found along the way? Some ingredient you put in a dish that you would expect to work, but it does? Maybe a side dish that isn’t traditionally served for breakfast, but your guests love it? (Not looking for any recipes as there is a whole other thread for that.)

 

[Morticia]

Gorgonzola cheese in scrambled eggs. It was really good. Except for the day that half the guests said they didn’t like Gorgonzola and the cook slammed down his spatula and walked out of the kitchen saying, ‘never again!’ To give you a clue how picky guests can be, when using the Gorgonzola, we put about 4 oz in 4 dozen It was a mere soupçon of flavor.

In re recipes—we practiced for six weeks prior to buying this place. After that we cooked without nets. I find the recipes, we serve them to guests on the first run. We have a weekend where all the same guests come back. We told them about 7 years ago they were the guinea pigs. Every year they want to know what new stuff we’re trying out on them. We also have regulars who are vegan. We try all of those recipes on them. It’s been illuminating.

We had one guest who told Gomez there was no way he could be sure the eggs were cooked enough in a French toast sandwich so he stopped making it. One of our guest favorites, too. I waited two years before putting it back in rotation. Still a guest favorite.

I have a three inch binder full of recipes. I scribble notes on the sheets. Once/year I go thru it and toss out recipes that are just too hard or too expensive to make.

While practicing, consider also how your breakfast seatings will be arranged: everyone all at once, different timed seatings, buffet-style, open seating. That helps you pick out the recipes that will work for your place.

Happy cooking!

 

[dumitru]

Gorgonzola cheese in scrambled eggs. It was really good. Except for the day that half the guests said they didn’t like Gorgonzola and the cook slammed down his spatula and walked out of the kitchen saying, ‘never again!’ To give you a clue how picky guests can be, when using the Gorgonzola, we put about 4 oz in 4 dozen It was a mere soupçon of flavor.

I can eat gorgonzola cheese in anything, even in apple pie.

 

[Biekervi]

Gorgonzola cheese in scrambled eggs. It was really good. Except for the day that half the guests said they didn’t like Gorgonzola and the cook slammed down his spatula and walked out of the kitchen saying, ‘never again!’ To give you a clue how picky guests can be, when using the Gorgonzola, we put about 4 oz in 4 dozen It was a mere soupçon of flavor.

In re recipes—we practiced for six weeks prior to buying this place. After that we cooked without nets. I find the recipes, we serve them to guests on the first run. We have a weekend where all the same guests come back. We told them about 7 years ago they were the guinea pigs. Every year they want to know what new stuff we’re trying out on them. We also have regulars who are vegan. We try all of those recipes on them. It’s been illuminating.

We had one guest who told Gomez there was no way he could be sure the eggs were cooked enough in a French toast sandwich so he stopped making it. One of our guest favorites, too. I waited two years before putting it back in rotation. Still a guest favorite.

I have a three inch binder full of recipes. I scribble notes on the sheets. Once/year I go thru it and toss out recipes that are just too hard or too expensive to make.

While practicing, consider also how your breakfast seatings will be arranged: everyone all at once, different timed seatings, buffet-style, open seating. That helps you pick out the recipes that will work for your place.

Happy cooking!

I love Gorgonzola and will definitely try it with the scrambled eggs.
I do wonder how I’ll react when I have a guest that really doesn’t like one of the recipes. That has to be a little bit of a blow to the ego, so it will be interesting.
I absolutely think about the timing. I actually make notes if it’s something that can be prepared the night before AND how much time it took me to make the dish. I haven’t started listing the costs yet because I want to do that closer to when we open to get some accurate costs.

 

[Arks]

I can eat gorgonzola cheese in anything, even in apple pie.

Yes, cheese goes amazingly well with apple pie. Also, the national food of Arkansas is cheese dip and tortilla chips!

 

[gillumhouse]

I have found a few dishes online that intrigued me so found recipes online. The potato crust quiche was easy and good although I just add some frozen veggies and chopped spinach to it instead of what they added to the eggs. It is excellent and even better, easy. Another I have made a few times is the potato roll - it has the layer of potato slices coated with shredded Parmesan, a mixture of ricotta, garlic, and chopped spinach, then a layer of ground beef (venison in my case) browned with onion & dices tomatoes, , and ending with mozzarella which is then rolled up and topped with fresh chopped parsley and sliced to serve. Takes longer to tell about it than to make it. A winner - and you can put any filling in it you want as I have made it with eggs (prebaked) instead to the meat. I also tell guest when they are guinea pigs - and yes, they love being asked to thumbs up or down a dish.

 

[Morticia]

Something else about your favorite recipes: be sure to give your guests an idea on your website of what you serve. That will help them self-select whether this is the right place for them or not (if they care to check).

Given our photos and recipes that we showcase on our website and blog and social media, I’m always surprised when a guest is visibly upset that they didn’t get A) a menu from which to pick what they want; B) a gourmet candlelit breakfast; C) a bowl of corn flakes.

Depending on where you are planning to run your place, you might want to consider offering a menu. One place in my town has the exact same three item menu every single day. They get rave reviews for their reheated egg dishes and French toast. So, you might not want to waste your time making a completely different meal every day of a guest’s stay.

Another place used to make one dish only. You could have omelets any way you like them, microwave bacon, and fruit salad from a can. Yes, when new owners took over and went ‘gourmet’ repeat guests were upset.

Something I caught onto ten years in (I’m slow) is creating a menu for the week based on what food allergies were coming in. It really helped to be able to lay it all out. I had a notes section that told me what allergies and how many breakfasts that guest was here for. We like to avoid repeating a dish during a stay.

 

[Biekervi]

We’ll having a boring menu does not sound fun. Practical, but not fun. It is a good thought to give me pause as I think about how we approach the meals. We do plan to ask specifically about allergies and meal needs (Gluten free, vegan, etc.) I do hope we are able to offer a variety of different meals and maybe repeat guests will ask for a “favorite” they’ve had.

 

[An Old Tavernkeeper]

Gorgonzola cheese in scrambled eggs. It was really good.

I read this and tried it for myself this morning with fresh eggs from our chickens. Heavenly.

But I would not serve to guests without pre asking.

 

[Morticia]

I read this and tried it for myself this morning with fresh eggs from our chickens. Heavenly.

But I would not serve to guests without pre asking.

We did tell them what was in the eggs before cooking them. That’s why the cook walked off the job. Fed up, so to speak.

 

[Morticia]

We’ll having a boring menu does not sound fun. Practical, but not fun. It is a good thought to give me pause as I think about how we approach the meals. We do plan to ask specifically about allergies and meal needs (Gluten free, vegan, etc.) I do hope we are able to offer a variety of different meals and maybe repeat guests will ask for a “favorite” they’ve had.

I’m not being a wet blanket here. Honestly. You can ask ten different times in six different ways about dietary restrictions and guests will still say, ‘oh, I can’t eat that,’ as you place the plate in front of them of the item you just lovingly described ten minutes ago. (worst one here was a family of four from overseas who said, ‘potatoes are not a breakfast food, make us something else!!!’ and shoved their plates at me. We were new back then. Would not make new food now. When in Rome and all that is my attitude now.)

And, yes, we take requests from previous guests! It’s wonderful when repeats have favorites.

 

[An Old Tavernkeeper]

Wow Morticia, 20 years and I have never had anything like that happen. So sad that people treat other people that way.

 

[Morticia]

Wow Morticia, 20 years and I have never had anything like that happen. So sad that people treat other people that way.

A long time ago this forum had a PITA award. My guests got it all the time. Some innkeepers on here said they would have shut down if they had my guests. Then the Hilton opened up and all those guests disappeared. I guess I know where they went.

 

[JimBoone]

As a motel we don't serve food, I escape the fun or problems with that feature, but my one BnB visit as a guest probably spoiled me as it would be difficult to beat in my eyes. About 30 of us at one long table, ranging in age from toddlers to old folks like us. Menu wasn't exact everyday but many choices and you could sample it all if inclined, let's say I didn't feel the need for lunch.

 

[gillumhouse]

As a motel we don't serve food, I escape the fun or problems with that feature, but my one BnB visit as a guest probably spoiled me as it would be difficult to beat in my eyes. About 30 of us at one long table, ranging in age from toddlers to old folks like us. Menu wasn't exact everyday but many choices and you could sample it all if inclined, let's say I didn't feel the need for lunch.

I hear that comment about lunch ofte.n

 

[SarahC]

I've gotten a lot of recipe inspiration from asking the guests for requests/preferences. Usually repeat guests, or those celebrating an anniversary or birthday.(COVID's slowed us down to the point where I often only have one room at a time, so I can do that right now- certainly wouldn't try it with several rooms). I haven't had any unreasonable requests yet(touch wood), it's often something simple like "something sweet" or "I don't like eating too heavy in the mornings." But it gives me something to work with.

 

[Lee2014]

A long time ago this forum had a PITA award. My guests got it all the time. Some innkeepers on here said they would have shut down if they had my guests. Then the Hilton opened up and all those guests disappeared. I guess I know where they went.

Hooray for Hilton! But glad I'm NOT there!