Parfaits for breakfast? It sounds like it must be sweet. It is, but it’s full of fruit, tastes wonderfully, and it’s a fun, fresh beginning to breakfast.

This recipe combines two different recipes: one for a Zabaglione (from the Bauli Recipe Book); another for curried fruit (from the Much Ado About Food – A Guthrie Theater Cookbook).

First, you must make the curried fruit.
Ingredients:
• 2 ¼ cups peach halves, drained
• 2 ¼ cups pear halves, drained
• 2 ¼ cups apricot halves, drained
• 1 ½ cups pineapple chunks
• 1 fresh orange peeled and sectioned
• ¾ cup toasted slivered almonds
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• T tsp. curry powder
Mixing:
• Drain fruit and pat dry between paper towels.
• Arrange fruits and nuts in 1 ½ to 2 qt. baking dish.
• Melt butter, brown sugar and curry.
• Mix well and pour over fruit and nuts.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

While the fruit is cooking, make the Zabaglione. (Note the completed Curried Fruit in the background)

Ingredients:
• 6 large egg yolks
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup Prosecco (can be omitted)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ¾ cup heavy cream whipped
• 3-4 cups of Panettone (we’ve used extra muffins that are cubed – ½ half inch)

Mixing:
• In a large mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar until fluffy and pale yellow in color.
• Add the Prosecco and whisk until well blended.
• Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler, place over simmering warer and whisk constantly until the mixture is quite thick and heavily coats a spoon.
• Don’t let the mixture come to a boil or the eggs will curdle.
• Immediately transfer to a large mixing bowl and whisk in the vanilla.
• Refrigerate the zabaglione until completely cool.
• Fold in the whipped cream and chill until serving.

Assembly:

• To assemble the parfaits, you will need 6 tall glasses. (We prefer the ones you see above)
• Spoon about 2 heaping tablespoons of the zabaglione into the bottom of each glass.
• Top with a thick layer of the Panettone cubes, using about ¼ to 1/3 cup
• Add two heaping tablespoons of the curried fruit
• Layer more zabaglione, Pannettone and fruit.

• Finish with one last pour of the zabaglione.
• If you have time (we didn’t) cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple of hour before serving.
• Also, if you like, top the chilled parfaits with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of almonds and fresh mint.

Serving:

Normally, we, at Stone Hill Inn, have a separate fruit course, fresh baked goods, yogurt and home-made granola as a starter for breakfast. We used this dish as a substitute for all of them!
The finished product…we didn’t bother with the whipped cream – it’s already plenty tasty!! (six servings):

Finished product — six servings!

Hash is a dish consisting of diced or chopped meat, potatoes, and spices that are mixed together and then cooked either alone or with other ingredients such as onions. The name is derived from the French verb hacher (to chop). Corned beef hash became especially popular in some countries including in Britain and France during and after World War II as rationing limited the availability of fresh meat.

Although the exact beginnings of corned beef are unknown, it most likely came about when people began preserving meat through salt-curing.

Evidence of its legacy is apparent in numerous cultures, including Ancient Europe and the Middle East. The word corn derives from Old English, and is used to describe any small hard particles or grains. In the case of “corned beef”, the word may refer to the coarse granular salts used to cure the beef. (Wikipedia)

Hash has recently made a comeback as more than just a dish for leftovers or breakfasts of last resort.

High-end restaurants now offer sophisticated hashes and the first cookbook dedicated exclusively to a wide variety of hashes – Hashcapades — was self-published in 2012. (Wikipedia) Evidence for the revival of Hash can be found in almost any city in some very trendy restaurants: Sweet potato hash with crab at the Blue Water Grill in New York. Smoked Salmon Hash at Brix Tavern in Portland, Oregon; Haggis Hash Deluxe in Edinburgh; Roasted Sweet Potato Hash at Julians in Providence; or Smoked Brisket Cornbread Hash at Smoke Restaurant in Dallas. Hashcapades is also a blog.

At Stone Hill Inn we favor a Corned Beef Hash offering whose success results both from the meat selection and the meat preparation. Flavor is key but tender beef is the first priority. We like to start with about a three pound cut of corned beef which is more than enough to feed a full house of guests at breakfast (18 people) when combined with another entrée (e.g., Crème Brulee French Toast) at Stone Hill.

We begin with a recipe from the Williams-Sonoma kitchen library: Breakfasts & Brunches.
This is a 1997 Weldon Owen Inc. production.
Then we make some changes!!

Ingredients (We’ve doubled the ingredients since they are based on 1.5 pounds of beef and we are using 3 pounds.)

2.5 lb Yukon Gold or other waxy yellow potatoes; unpealed cut into ½”(12mm) cubes . We actually use more potatoes than this — we like to have an equal number of potato cubes as we have cubes of prepared corned beef.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large mild yellow onion, cut into ½” dice. We also like to add another small yellow onion.
2 green pepper (capsicum); seeded, deribbed and cut into ½” squares. We like to also add on or two yellow peppers.
2/3 cup (160 ml) milk
1 cup (40gm) finely chopped fresh parsley, plus sprigs for garnish
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
4 tablespoons (2 fl oz -60ml) vegetable oil

The Magic. The preparation of the meat begins with the instructions on the package, but primarily we place the meat in a deep container on the stove and fill with water until the meat is completely covered. We bring this to a boil and then turn down to simmer for about three hours. Then we let the meat sit in the bath until cool, allowing it to continue to absorb flavors from the water. Wrap the meat and put in the refrigerator so it is ready for the final stages of CBH production. Don’t throw away this water – keep covered and you will use it to cook the potatoes in the morning.

Begin. Next morning: retrieve the beef from the fridge, trim off excess fat and begin to cube into ½” dice. Set aside.

Get the potatoes cooking. Place in a large saucepan with lightly salted cold water to cover. (We like to use the cold water remaining in the pot that cooked the beef for more flavor– you won’t need salt). Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, until just tender enough to pierce with a fork. About 5-7 minutes. Do not overcook.
Meanwhile, in a nonstick frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and bell peppers and sauté until onion is tender-crisp: about 4-5 minutes. Set aside.

Mix. Drain the potatoes and place in a bowl. Add the onion and bell peppers; set the frying pan aside and do not wash. Now add the corned beef, milk, chopped parsley and chives. Toss to mix well, taking care not to mash the potato pieces. Season to taste with salt and ground pepper and toss again. Heat the vegetable oil in the reserved frying pan over medium heat; add the hash mixture and blend. Set aside.

To the Tables! You’re ready to take orders from the guests. Scoop out enough of the hash mixture for one serving and place into a small frying pan with some light vegetable oil. As this begins to warm, prepare the egg(s) that you will place on top of the reheated hash. We like the eggs Sunnyside up for looks and because the broken yolk mixes and adds flavor to the overall hash dish. However, any egg preparation will work. Just before adding the eggs, we like to sprinkle a small amount of freshly shredded sharp cheddar on top of the hash.

How we pitch it. This morning we are serving Corned Beef Hash. We take corned beef and cook it completely covered in water for three hours and then let it cool while still in the water to absorb all the flavors. We place the beef in the fridge overnight and in the morning we trim and cut into small cubes. Then we begin adding all the vegetables until it is a warm, fresh, flavorful mixture! Usually we serve it with one or two eggs right on top of the hash.

The strongest flavor in this distinctively tasty breakfast results from a vegetable that is related to variety of species of thistle (scolymus – commonly referred to as the golden thistle).  Now, right away, doesn’t that sound tasty?  (ugh!)  Yes, but studies have shown this vegetable to aid digestion, hepatic and gall bladder function, raise the ratio of HDL to LDL and strong in antioxidants.  (No it is not cod liver oil!)  It was also used as a food among the ancient Greeks and Romans in the 1500’s.  Native to the Mediterranean area, its initial processing includes removing all but 0.2–0.4” of the stem along with about a quarter of scales so as to delete its residual thorns.  (Fortunately when you purchase them in the store, this has already been done.)   With such a history, no wonder they have such a unique taste.  What is it?  An artichoke (Cynara scolymus)!   We love them and they have become a delicious addition to Stone Hill Inn Breakfasts!

Artichoke and Goat Cheese Strata

• 10 ounces of artichoke hearts (or I 10 ounce package of frozen artichoke hearts thawed)
• 1/3 cup (about 1 ½ ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• ½ loaf country-style white bread (we like to use sourdough) cut into 1-inch cubes (about 5 cups)
• ¾ cup (3 ounces) crumbled goat cheese, divided
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ teaspoon dried herbs de Provence
• 1 ¾ cups 1% low-fat milk
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• Cooking spray

Begin

Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add olive oil; swirl to coat.  Add shallots and cook for two minutes, stirring frequently.  Stir in artichoke hearts and garlic; cook for eight minutes or until artichoke hearts begin to brown – stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in herbs de Province.  Cool 10 minutes.

Mix

Combine milk, black pepper, salt and eggs in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Add the yummy Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and bread; toss gently to combine.    Stir in artichoke mixture.  While you let this stand for 20 minutes, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

The Magic

Spoon half of bread mixture into an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with half of goat cheese, and top with remaining bread mixture.  Sprinkle remaining half of goat cheese over the top.  Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes or until browned and bubbly!!

To the Tables

Our breakfast service usually lasts for about two hours, and guests often arrive depending upon the activities in Stowe they have planned for the day.  Thus everyone is rarely available when the strata initially comes out of the oven.  So we remove the strata from the oven to avoid its drying out, and we warm a piece when requested by the guest.  We plate the strata with a small mixture of fresh lettuce and cherry tomatoes flavored with a light oil dressing – adding toast and meat accompaniment, as requested.

How we pitch it

Our breakfast this morning includes a wonderful combination of flavors – an artichoke/goat cheese strata.  We form a base of sourdough bread in a baking dish and add a mixture of artichoke hearts, goat cheese, and some additional herbs so as to enhance its naturally Mediterranean flavor.  We bake that in the oven until browned and serve warm with along with a small salad.

Another classic Stone Hill Inn breakfast

Perhaps you have noted among the recent reviews for the Stone Hill Inn, the mention of one breakfast dish that seems to claim particular favor.  While many guests have generally praised Linda’s breakfast creations, this devilishly tasty entre is often mentioned by name.  Such distinction requires, of course, exceptional taste, but one wonders if the name itself plays a role, for how could you say Baked Crème Brulee French Toast without causing a sly smile to adorn the face?   Now a favorite at our Stowe bed and breakfast, especially among returning guests who quickly intercept Linda to request this bewitching  meal  soon after they arrive!  As said in A Real American Breakfast Cookbook:  “A true luxury, this is worth every last calorie.” Read the rest of this entry »