October 5, 2020
Most Delicious Cookie, Bar None!
Are you a bar cookie fan? Cookies and brownies of all kinds are popular afternoon treats at Buckhorn Inn. But fall makes us yearn for a sweet date filling, crunchy nuts, and a buttery cookie crust. This recipe was inspired by one found in “Easy Entertaining” by Marlene Sorosky. The cookbook is available on http://www.amazon.com. The addition of prunes adds a chewy texture to the sweet dates. The recipe below makes about 24 bars.
Dates and prunes add natural sweetness to these delicious bars.
Butter-Crust Date Bar Cookie
Crust Layer
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 pound butter, cold and cut into 8 pieces
Fruit-Nut Layer
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup chopped walnuts
2/3 cup chopped pitted dates
1/3 cup chopped prunes
Confectioners sugar for sprinkling on top
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with heavy foil. The foil should extend over the sides of the pan. Butter the bottom. For the crust, pulse flour, sugar and butter in a food processor until crumbly. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 16 minutes until the edges are lightly browned.
Make the fruit and nut layer while the crust bakes. In food processor mix sugars, eggs and vanilla until frothy. Add flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Mix until incorporated. Pulse in nuts, dates, and prunes until well combined. Spread the topping over the hot cookie dough. Return to oven and bake 15 to 17 minutes. The top should be golden. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Use the foil to lift out the cookies. Place on a flat surface and cut into bars. The cookies may be stored at room temperature, tightly covered, for several days or frozen. Before serving, sift confectioners sugar over the top.
September 9, 2019
You Will Want to Eat “Olive” this Bread!
Much like cilantro, the olive is a food that you either love or hate. We happen to love the chewy, rich fruit of the olive tree and use them in many recipes. This delicacy has a long history. Research indicates that olives were first cultivated more than 7,000 years ago in the Mediterranean. They were grown commercially in Crete as long ago as 3000 BC. Spanish travelers brought olives to plant in Peru, Chile, and Argentina. Spanish missionaries planted the tree in California, the start of a highly successful commercial crop.
Black olives are nutritious as well as delicious.
Oil from olives was once considered sacred, symbolizing wisdom, fertility, power, and purity. The olive branch is still a symbol of peace. The fruit is nutritious, too. Olives, and their oil form an integral part of the Mediterranean diet which may help us live healthier lives. They are low in cholesterol, a good source of dietary fiber, and rich in iron and copper. They are a good source of monounsaturated fatty acid and antioxidants. Whether you eat them for health benefits or taste benefits, we are sure you will love this bread!
Olive Bread
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In an electric mixer, combine:
1 Cup All-purpose flour
1 Tbl Dry yeast
2 Tbl Olive oil
1 Tbl Salt
Add and mix until smooth:
1 ½ Cups Warm water
Add (1 cup at a time) approximately 2 ½ cups flour or until a pliable dough is formed. Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, loosely cover and let rise until double in size.
In a food processor, process until smooth and set
aside:
1 Cup Black olives
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Shallot
1/4 Cup Olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
When doubled in size, press down dough. Divide
into thirds. Form flat rectangle. Spread part of
olive mixture on each dough. Roll up jellyroll
fashion. Pinch seams. Put on a greased and corn-
mealed baking sheet. Let rise until almost doubled.
Cut 2 or 3 diagonal slashes in each loaf. Bake 20-
25 minutes or until golden brown.
Yield: 3 loaves
November 12, 2018
Stay Toasty with Mugs of Something Warm
This cool and crisp weather makes it the perfect time to fill your Buckhorn Inn mugs with a warm beverage. Coffee and hot tea are good ways to start the day but we have some other ideas to warm your hands and heart.
Our orange Buckhorn Inn mugs are quite popular with guests.
Hot Chocolate
This “from scratch” recipe makes a superb hot chocolate.
2 1/2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup cold water
3/4 cup sugar
Dash of salt
6 cups milk
Whipped cream
Cinnamon and/or chocolate sprinkles
Melt chocolate with water over direct heat, stirring constantly. When creamy and smooth add sugar and salt. Return to heat and cook four minutes longer. Slowly add milk and heat until chocolate mixture and milk are well-blended and hot throughout. Pour into mugs, top with whipped cream, and garnish with cinnamon and/or chocolate sprinkles. Fills four large mugs.
Mugs Full of Mulled Cider
Served with a dash of nutmeg, mulled cider is wonderful to wake-up to on a chilly morning.
1/2 teaspoon allspice
2 sticks cinnamon
6 whole cloves
1 quart cider
1/3 cup brown sugar
Tie the whole spices in a cheesecloth bag. Heat the cider and sugar. Drop in the spice bag and let simmer until the cider is fragrant and spicy to your taste. Top each serving with a sprinkle of nutmeg and a curl of orange peel. This recipe is also refreshing served chilled during warm weather.
Mulled Wine with Cranberries
This easy recipe comes to us from Real Simple magazine http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes.
1 1/2 cups cranberry juice cocktail
1/2 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
2 pieces star anise
3 cups dry red wine (try a cabernet sauvignon)
1/2 cup fresh cranberries
Combine the cranberry juice cocktail, sugar, cinnamon sticks, and star anise. Simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the wine and cranberries and bring back to a simmer. Serve warm with a few cranberries in each mug.
These are some of our favorites, but we would love to hear yours. Please feel free to send us your warm-up recipes and we will share them on this blog.
May 30, 2018
Try the World’s Best Peanut Butter Cookies
Chef Bob Neisler is rightfully famous for his baked goods–and his cookies are no exception. When these cookies are in the oven, the delightful aroma has guests (and staff!) drooling with anticipation. They freeze well and are great to have on hand for a special treat. Tip: To easily measure out 1/2 cup of peanut butter, fill a glass measuring cup with water to the 1/2 cup mark. Add peanut butter until the level of water reaches one cup. Drain and use the peanut butter in your recipe.
Chef Bob’s peanut butter cookies are irresistible warm from the oven.
Chef Bob’s Peanut Butter Cookies
1 1/4 C Flour
1/2 t Baking soda
1/2 t Baking powder
1/2 C Butter, softened
1/2 C Brown sugar
1/2 C White sugar
1/2 C Smooth peanut butter
1 Egg
1/2 C Peanut butter morsels
1/2 C Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Put the oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 F. Cover a 14″ by 16″ baking sheet with foil, shiny side up, and coat with vegetable spray. You may instead use a silicone liner. Sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Cream butter, brown sugar, white sugar, and peanut butter. Add egg and mix thoroughly. Add sifted dry ingredients. Fold in peanut butter morsels and chocolate chips.
Chill dough in refrigerator for one hour, or until firm enough to handle. With floured hands roll dough into 1″ diameter balls. Place balls on baking sheet two inches apart and flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in flour. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet and cool on a wire rack. Store between sheets of waxed or parchment paper in a covered tin. This recipe makes about 24 cookies. Note: These cookies also make delicious ice cream sandwiches. Spread softened vanilla ice cream on the bottom of one cookie and top with a second cookie. Roll the soft edges in chopped peanuts or chocolate sprinkles, and then freeze until firm.
May 7, 2018
Spring Salad Days at Buckhorn Inn
The beautiful salad greens we have been growing in the Buckhorn Inn gardens have made us love our dinner salads even more! This spring we have been harvesting and serving a sweet mesclun mix from Burpee Seed Company http://www.burpee.com. The mix includes Beet Bull’s Blood, Spinach Bloomsdale, Black Seeded Simpson lettuce, Red Salad Bowl lettuce, and Mustard Tendergreen.
Your salad, from the garden to the kitchen to the table.
Soon we will be harvesting our Heatwave mix which includes a blend of crisphead, romaine, and looseleaf types that mature a bit later than the spring mix.
Caesar’s Salad Dressing
Guests love our Caesar salad. It was first made by restaurateur Caesar Cardini in Tijuana. In 1924 a rush of diners depleted his ingredient supply. He made do with what he had and added his own flair by making it tableside. Our version of the tangy dressing omits the raw egg. We recommend you serve it at room temperature on romaine with crisp croutons.
3 Anchovies
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T Chopped garlic
1 T Dijon mustard
1/3 C Mayonnaise
1 t Pepper
1 t Salt
1/2 C Lemon juice
1 1/2 C Olive oil
1/2 C Shredded Parmesan cheese
Combine the first 8 ingredients in a food processor. Slowly add the olive oil, processing until creamy. Stir in the parmesan cheese. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.
Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
This is one of Chef Bob’s most popular dressings. We especially like it over a bed of tender spring greens with grilled asparagus and tomatoes.
1/4 C Diced onions
1 T Minced garlic
1 t Dijon Mustard
1/2 C Fresh basil leaves
1 t Salt
1/2 t Pepper
1 T Sugar
1/4 C Mayonnaise
1/2 C Lemon juice
1 1/2 C Combined olive and canola oils
Combine in a food processor, adding the oil slowly at the last. Chill. Makes about 2 cups. We love using the fresh basil from our Buckhorn Inn herb garden for this recipe and many others. When making a basil-based dish, such as a pesto, blanching the basil will help it retain that sunny green color.
We hope you enjoy many salad days ahead!
March 5, 2018
St. Patrick’s Day — Soup Hits the Spot
Although it’s roots are Irish, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated the world over. The day is marked with parades, green beer, and huge corned beef and cabbage dinners. Contrary to popular belief, however, corned beef is not a traditional dish from Ireland. According to http://www.history.com/news/hungry-history/corned-beef-as -irish-as-spaghetti- and-meatballs,, corned beef and cabbage was a dish developed by Irish immigrants to the United States. Many working-class Irish struggled economically in the New World. “Corning” beef was a way to preserve meat. The taste reminded the Irish newcomers of their beloved boiled bacon from back home. Cabbage was one of the cheapest vegetables in the markets and paired well with the salty spiced beef. When cooked in the same pot, the dish was easy-to-prepare, inexpensive, and delicious! Its roots are so American that the dish was served at President Lincoln’s inauguration dinner in 1862.
Our guests love our corned beef soup, and so will you, whether or not you serve it on St. Patrick’s Day!
Corned Beef Soup for St. Patrick’s Day or Not
2-3 lbs Corned beef
1 cube Beef bouillon
2 cloves Garlic, diced
2 Cloves
3 Carrots, sliced thickly
6 Potatoes, peeled and diced
7 cups Water
1/2 cup Onion, chopped
6 Peppercorns
2 Bay leafs
6 cups Cabbage, coarsely chopped
For a quick version of this soup, purchase pre-cooked corned beef.
Cover corned beef with water in large soup pot. Bring to boil and reduce heat. Simmer for 15 minutes and skim. Add bouillon cube, onion, garlic, peppercorns, cloves and bay leafs. Simmer for 3 to 4 hours until meat is tender. Remove meat from broth and cool. Skim fat from broth.
Cut meat into bite-size pieces and return to broth. Add carrots and potatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add cabbage and cook for 15 more minutes or until all the vegetables are tender. Remove the peppercorns, cloves and bay leaf before serving. This recipe pairs nicely with soda bread or other rustic bread.
Gatlinburg Weather
Click for weather forecast