Morning Glory Bed And Breakfast Owners Share Their Secrets To Starting The Day With High Style

For those of us who think of the morning meal as little more than a hastily gobbled bowl of cereal or a bagel eaten at our desk, local innkeepers have some advice:

Wake up and smell the coffee.

The hours after daybreak should be relaxed rather than rushed. Breakfast should be savored - at least occasionally.

A few owners of area bed and breakfast hostelries shared some insight on how they pamper guests, whether it’s setting a pretty table, playing soothing music or making the meal a multi-course feast.

“When people stay with us, they really look forward to breakfast,” said Marge Arndt, who shares kitchen duties with her daughter, Tammy, at Waverly Place near Spokane’s Corbin Park. “If they have stayed before, they might have a special request.”

Swedish pancakes are the specialty of the house at Waverly Place. “It’s something people probably wouldn’t make for themselves at home, so it’s special,” she said.

Sleepy-headed guests are lured into the dining room by the smell of fresh-brewed Starbuck’s coffee and, sometimes, the aroma of fresh banana bread baking. The Arndts like to set a leisurely pace, so the meal is served in courses.

“We always start out with fresh fruit, served in a crystal sherbet dish,” Arndt said.

The signature Swedish pancakes - carefully arranged on Haviland china - are often topped with a homemade huckleberry sauce made from tiny berries plucked by her family each summer at a secret picking spot.

“We freeze them and make it fresh throughout the year,” she said.

Other staples at Waverly Place include home-baked breads and muffins and another fancy flapjack - a baked Finnish pancake. Arndt said it’s similar to the better-known Dutch baby, but the Finnish version has a custard-like texture inside. She serves them filled with strawberries or, when a guest brought her a box of apples, she sauteed those with butter and brown sugar for a sumptuous topping.

When plates come back clean, Arndt takes it as the ultimate compliment.

“There are people who don’t usually eat like this at home, but they are willing to splurge once in a while,” she said.

The menu changes frequently at the historic Marianna Stoltz House located near Gonzaga University.

“I don’t like to serve the same thing twice to a guest,” said innkeeper Phyllis Maguire. “We once had a fellow here from Ireland who stayed for 31 days in a row. That was a challenge.”

Maguire studies her collection of 200 or so cookbooks for inspiration and has come up with a huge repertoire of egg dishes, along with endless variations on pancakes and french toast. She’s also concocted her own recipe for homemade granola, something that’s served with yogurt and fruit as a first course each morning.

One of the meals most often requested by return guests is a baked egg dish made with sauteed onions, mushrooms and ham followed by a layer of sour cream, dill and black pepper in an individual ramekin. Then, Maguire cracks a couple of eggs over that, tops it with grated Parmesan cheese and bakes it for 10 minutes or so. It’s fairly simple to put together, but tastes like an elaborate preparation.

“The flavors work really well together. People always comment on that one,” she said.

Guests also notice the effort Maguire makes to create an interesting-looking plate. She’ll garnish a fruit-yogurt parfait with a small bunch of grapes or sliced strawberries.

“People will remark about how nice something looks. It adds to the experience,” she said.

Other favorites at the Stoltz House include Maguire’s own huckleber-ryrhubarb jam and a baked Dutch baby, which Maguire serves with homemade apple syrup. “That comes to the table smelling wonderful,” she said.

All of her recipes are first taste-tested by her family.

“When we first opened, everyone got sick of eating breakfast for dinner. Our cholesterol was probably sky high,” she said.

While most bed and breakfast guests are loathe to count calories or monitor their cholesterol, The Berry Patch in Coeur d’Alene has made low-fat, healthy fare its trademark. It’s an approach not all guests embrace.

“Last summer, I had an older, stately couple staying and when I was explaining the low-fat breakfast, (the husband) said: ‘Do you mean to tell me I can’t have my two fresh eggs? I’ve eaten two fresh eggs every day of my life and I’m 80,”’ said owner Lee M. Ray.

If someone has to have their eggs, Ray gets them from her neighbor, Farmer Brown (“no kidding, his name is really Brown,” she said). Otherwise, she uses a low-cholesterol egg substitute.

“Most people don’t even realize that they’re eating low-fat because it tastes so good,” Ray said.

At The Berry Patch, the meal starts with a huge variety of fresh fruit, which she deliberately cuts into large pieces.

“When people get here, they’re still in full-speed-ahead mode, so giving them big pieces of fruit is designed to slow them down. They’re forced to pick up a fork and knife,” Ray said.

Fruits, which are served with a heavenly low-fat poppy seed dressing, are followed by the main course.

Her homemade spicy turkey sausage and organic oat and green apple griddle cakes have won the raves of many a reluctant guest.

“I had a nutritionist who told me when she was making her reservations that she was intrigued because she couldn’t believe I could make a low-fat breakfast,” Ray said. “After eating it, she said she would give me an A-plus.”

Guests who stay in the summer are rewarded with special treats: goodies from the namesake raspberry and strawberry patches along with fresh herbs, asparagus and edible flowers from Ray’s organic garden.

“I like everything to be balanced, to have a variety of textures, colors and tastes,” Ray said.

Ray has found that guests don’t want their breakfast too exotic, though. She’s had mixed results with squash blossom stuffed with mozzarella cheese or egg dishes served with couscous, a Mediterranean side dish. People like them, once they try them, though.

“People will eat Cream of Wheat, and couscous is similar,” she said.

Monty Danner agrees that breakfast food should be familiar, no matter how formal the setting.

Danner, who owns the gorgeously refurbished Clark House on Hayden Lake with partner Rod Palmer, said comforting classics help put guests at ease.

“We stay away from real off-the-wall things because we’re trying to appeal to a wide range of tastes,” Danner said.

The menu changes daily at the Clark House, based on what’s freshest and most appealing at the store (Danner shops daily). Some of the biggest hits include banana split pancakes and a cheese-filled omelet tucked into a flaky croissant.

With Billie Holiday or classical music playing in the background, the meal starts with fresh fruit, pastries and coffee. For those who take a little longer to wake up, there’s coffee and newspapers in the reception area.

In the winter, fires warm the reception area and the dining room. But when warm weather arrives, guests enjoy the morning meal on the veranda, watching the squirrels scamper and the occasional deer wander onto the grounds.

“People usually don’t take time to sit down and enjoy breakfast, but if it’s served in a beautiful setting, they will stop and take some time and enjoy that part of the morning,” Danner said.

At the Clark House, breakfast ends on a European note, with a cheese course.

“We usually serve a nice wedge of brie and a sliced apple,” Danner said. “It encourages guests to linger.”

This trio of pancake recipes from the files of area innkeepers shows the versatility of flapjacks.

Swedish Pancakes

Tammy Arndt of Waverly Place says the trick to making a proper Swedish pancake is finding the right temperature on your stove; medium heat works best. Serve these with jams, syrups or just a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

2 cups white flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 cups milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

Beat the flour, sugar, eggs and milk until smooth. Add the melted butter.

Over medium heat, add 1/2 cup batter to a well-seasoned, lightly oiled pan. Rotate the batter until it covers the bottom of the pan. Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 30 seconds. Fold in half and then in half again and keep warm in the oven until ready to serve. Repeat with remaining batter.

Yield: 6 servings.

Banana Split Pancakes

Monty Danner of the Clark House suggests serving these with sausage, bacon or ham. Offer a small pitcher of warm maple syrup.

2 cups pancake mix (such as Krusteaz)

2 cups water

2 tablespoons butter

1 banana, split in half

4 tablespoons prepared whipped cream

2 teaspoons chopped walnuts or pecans

Prepare pancake batter according to package instructions, using water and butter.

Over medium-high heat, grill 6 (6-inch) pancakes and place 3 on each plate. Top each with a banana half. Garnish with whipped cream and chopped nuts.

Yield: 2 servings.

Oat and Green Apple Griddle Cakes

Lee M. Ray of The Berry Patch modified this recipe from her German grandmother. She tops these with huckleberry conserves and a tiny dollop of nonfat sour cream or IMO, a nondairy topping. Or, use maple syrup and canola margarine.

2 cups pancake mix (such as Bisquick), or equal amount dry ingredients from your favorite pancake recipe

2/3 cup whole oats

1-1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk

1 egg (or 2 egg whites), or egg substitute

2 teaspoons canola oil

1/8 teaspoon allspice

2 cups unpeeled, cubed tart green apples, such as Granny Smith

Soak oats in buttermilk and add to the pancake mix along with the egg, 1 teaspoon of the canola oil and the allspice.

Steam the apples in 1/4 cup water over medium heat for approximately 2 minutes (or microwave apples without water on HIGH power for 6 minutes, stirring in the middle of the cooking time). Drain and reserve.

Heat a griddle or large pan over medium heat and oil lightly, using the remaining teaspoon of canola oil. Ladle 1/3 cup batter onto griddle and place 6 to 8 apple chunks on top. Cook for several minutes, until bubbles start to appear. Turn and cook 2 more minutes or until golden. Repeat with remaining batter and apples.

Yield: 4 servings.

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