Booze at Breakfast

Casting aside societal taboos regarding drinking before the cocktail hour, I’ve found potent potables a wonderful addition to breakfasts at Bryn Brooke, especially for our opera guests. The summer brings many Glimmerglass Opera fans to Bryn Brooke Manor, and a rarified lot they can be. Breakfast conversations can dabble in all things esoteric, from Handel to high finance to the Himalayas. This group generally possesses an educated palate.

Not holding a liquor license, I can’t sell the spirited elixirs, but nothing stops me from cooking with them. Liquor can be a dynamic addition to both sweets and savories and using it increases my compliment ratio markedly.

Of course, morning drinking is hardly uncommon; it’s even genteel, in the form of Mimosas, Bloody Marys, and, my favorite, Bellinis, at brunch. As I’ve explored the borders beyond the usual American breakfast fare, I found myself visiting the bar more and more often, frequently spiking the fruit fillings for cobblers and crisps with cassis, Chambord, or Cointreau. Golden Buck, (featured on page 115 of Home Plate: The Traveler’s Food Guide to Cooperstown and Otsego County,) fortifies a beautiful cheese sauce with local brews.

The following is a brand new addition to the tipsy offerings in the morning hours at Bryn Brooke, created when I wanted to do something different. Mushrooms and eggs are natural companions, and the liquid golden yolk of the poached eggs coats the drunken mushrooms, forming a luscious sauce.

Learn how to make Vermouth Mushrooms over Poached Eggs.

Vermouth Mushrooms over Poached Eggs

What You Need: (the best quality available, of course)

• Large eggs
  
• Fresh mushrooms, practically any type, ¼ pound per person
  
• Tanna’s Tuscan Sea Salt
  
• Olive Oil
  
• Really Good Multigrain Bread
  
• Butter
  
• Dry white vermouth
  
• Chopped fresh spinach, optional
  
• Snipped chives, if you happen to have any growing in the flower bed
  
• Allow two eggs per serving, and one or two slices of bread.
  

Slice mushrooms and chop stems. Sauté in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with Tanna’s Tuscan Sea Salt, to taste. The salt will help the mushrooms give up their liquid, impart a wonderful flavor, and it marries beautifully with the vermouth. When the mushrooms begin to soften, add a splash of vermouth and stir. As the vermouth is absorbed, add more vermouth as desired. Chopped spinach may be added now, if you like.

Poach eggs. Toast bread and butter lightly; cut into toast points. Arrange as many points as desired on plate and top with two eggs. Spoon mushrooms over eggs and sprinkle with chives. Serve with fresh tomatoes.

Avocado Toast

We cook to order at Bryn Brooke which allows us to accommodate a variety of requests. We added Avocado Toast to our repertoire this past summer. It’s perfect for vegans and anyone who enjoys flavorful fresh food.

• 3 ripe avocadoes
  
• 2-4 tablespoons of good quality salsa (not a sweet variety)
  
• Fresh lime juice
  
• Tanna’s Tuscan Sea Salt
  
• Minced sweet onion
  
• Fresh, chopped cilantro
  
• Good quality multigrain bread
  

Peel and seed avocadoes. Thoroughly mash with a fork in a medium sized bowl. Add salsa and the juice of half a fresh lime. Mix together.

Toast bread and spread liberally with avocado mixture. Cut diagonally into toast points. Arrange attractively on plate and sprinkle with Tanna’s Salt. Top with minced onion and a little chopped cilantro.

We serve Avocado Toast with Salt Potato Home Fries, Braised Swiss Chard, and wedges of fresh tomatoes.

A Decade of Summers

Bryn Brooke Manor, the bed and breakfast of Savor New York, is winding up its tenth season, a milestone anniversary that we take this opportunity to acknowledge. As we reflect on ten years of experiences, restorations, and life’s inevitable changes, we have watched our darling daughter, Liz, evolve from an intelligent, precocious child into an intelligent, charming young woman. Project by project we have restored our glorious, unique house and, while we’re acknowledging, we salute all the talented, industrious workmen who made it happen. During one short half-score of years we have accumulated, through our hundreds of guests, enough experiences for half a lifetime.

All tallied, we’ve come through pretty well. We’ve had a few bumps and bruises along the way, and there are some things we would have done differently. We’ve invested an incredible amount of hard work and a fair share of money. All in all, it’s been a Nantucket sleigh ride of an adventure; rich in laughter, expanded knowledge, intangible rewards and priceless memories.

We thank you all who have stayed with us through our growing pains, and who have shared the flight of fancy that made us abandon our tediously safe life in the Cleveland suburbs for an utterly unknown future in Cooperstown, NY. We appreciate your faith in us and look forward to seeing you again. If we have yet to have made your acquaintance, please consider joining us as we begin our second decade next summer.