Kansas City Bed and Breakfast Recipes - Fresh Blueberries with Mango Lime Puree

As you are anticipating
an abundance of fresh
blueberries you might
find this recipe worthy
of a Sunday brunch or
dessert after dinner:


MANGO LIME PUREE

Ingredients:
16 oz mango, cut into chunks (fresh or frozen)
Zest and juice from two limes
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 pint fresh blueberries

Instructions:
Combine Mango, lime juice, lime zest, cream and sugar in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour puree into champagne glasses, top with fresh blueberries and serve. Serves 6.

Puree can be made 2-3 hours ahead of time and chilled in the refrigerator. When ready to serve remove from the refrigerator, blend to mix and serve. This recipe also pairs nicely with fresh blackberries or a combination of berries.

Mark Reichle and Nancy Miller Southmoreland on the Plaza

For the Love of Food - Southmoreland Test Kitchen; Lamb Chops with Lemon and Tzatziki

Well, I am a bit behind on my postings especially those related to my monthly commitment to cook the cover recipe from Bon Appetit magazine. This truth smacked me in the face a moment ago when I picked up the mail and saw the BA June issue and realized that the April blog was still fermenting. One reason for my delay, in my rationalized mind, is my anticipation of enough mint being available from my garden to fulfill this particular recipe.

Lets step back a few months and rediscover the lamb chops that were featured on the cover of the April issue. We invited three friends to help as taste testers. Kitty who is becoming a trusted fixture at the test table and Mike and Chrissy. Chrissy is an unbelievably good cook and I was a bit intimidated with her at the table. With her presence in mind, and my A-game a must, I trotted off to McGonigles Meat Market, my special occasion butcher, to ensure I was on solid footing. While slightly expensive (I was reticent to even divulge the price when I got home) the chops were beautiful. I loved the marinade in this recipe. It was a fresh herb rub with oregano, mint and shallots. After the lamb sits "en-rub" in the fridge for several hours it is topped with a lemon vinaigrette, sits for a bit longer and then is grilled quickly and served. Easy right?

We followed the recipes pairing suggestions and topped the lamb chops with tzatziki, and added horta (braised greens with honey and vinegar) and brown rice as sides. The meal was delightful. The recipe was easy to follow and even though the marinating takes a significant amount of time, prep is minimal (the most time consuming part is getting the rub on the individual chops). One word of caution is to be mindful of the fat content of the chops and ensure you have a something available should dousing be necessary.

Kudos to Chrissy for perfecting a lovely Lemon Panna Cotta with Lemon Marmalade for dessert. I am certain it was quite an effort but so worth it!!

Mark Reichle and Nancy Miller Southmoreland on the Plaza

For the Love of Food-Southmoreland Test Kitchen

After last month's successful attempt at the delicious fudgy walnut brownies found on the cover of Bon Appetit, I decided to attempt the cover recipe each month. Imagine my excitement when I saw the most recent cover and a cheesy delicious crock of mac and cheese. I love macaroni and cheese! Homemade mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food to me (the blue box -- not so much) and hearkens back to Friday nights during lent when my mom was frantic to find an acceptable meatless entree to serve the masses.

Since Nancy is not fond of cheese I decided to attempt this recipe while she was visiting with her mom and sister in Miami. Dear friends, Kitty and Kelly, agreed to serve as guinea pigs for the evening. They are always good company and I knew they would help me make an honest assessment. The recipe is not traditional mac and cheese. It is more of a hybrid between mac and cheese and the pimento cheese spread my mom used to fill a celery trough. I found the recipe actually quite easy to throw together. One interesting component of preparation is that rather than creating a cheesy roux on top of the stove you create a sauce in the food processor. hmmm

The taste was really quite good. It was tangy from both the cheese, the peppadews and the peppadew brine which is used in moderation. The three of us agreed that the crunchy topping (how can you go wrong with toasted panko, Parmesan and butter) was a delightful surprise. Unfortunately, we didn't feel that the recipe was as cheesy and we expected and overall it was a bit dry.

If you're a traditionalist then you may not want to try this especially if you only treat yourself to mac and cheese once in a while. But, I would incorporate the toasted panko-parmesan-butter topping because it does add a flavorful crunch. If you are more adventurist and like a bit of spice then you should give it a whirl.

Mark Reichle and Nancy Miller Southmoreland on the Plaza

NEW LOCAL EATERY
We support small business, and know our guests do, too! During your stay at Southmoreland, make sure to support locally owned, independent restaurants. We’ll happily provide recommendations! Consider this new venue:

Westport Cafe and Bar a casual Paris-style Bistro that offers an American menu with classic French inspiration and preparations. Simple, quality ingredients are braised, grilled, poached, confit, or cured in the same old-world techniques that have been practiced by the French masters for years.

Try the Arctic Char, a favorite of Mark's (on the verge of obsession), and sip a Pimm's Cup (Nancy's choice).
Mark Reichle and Nancy Miller Southmoreland on the Plaza

Kansas City Bed and Breakfast Recipes -- Bacon Tomato and Feta Fritatta

Mornin'! Here's the chef at Southmoreland on the Plaza, with another scrumptious breakfast entree recipe. This fritatta smells so savory, so rich, that guests hustle down the stairs for their slice! The secret to preparing a satisfying fritatta? Cook the bacon and the vegetables first before adding your eggs. Keep this recipe in your tickler file and try it the next time you host family & friends for breakfast or brunch. It's a crowd pleaser. Come visit our Kansas City Bed and Breakfast for your own little slice of heaven!




INGREDIENTS
9 Eggs
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
5 Dashes Red Pepper Sauce (we use Tobasco)
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 lb. Bacon
2 Tomatoes Diced
1 Cup Crumbled Feta
2 Tbs. Chopped Fresh Italian Parsley (for garnish)

INSTRUCTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. In a blender combine eggs, cream, Tobasco, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Cut bacon into small pieces and place in a 12" pan over medium heat. Cook bacon until browned. Drain off excess fat and return the skillet to the fire. Add tomatoes to the bacon and continue to cook until the liquid from the tomato has thickened. Pour egg mixture over the tomato and bacon. Cook until the edges barely begin to set. Using a spatula move the firm edges of the egg toward the center of the pan. Sprinkle the feta over the top and place in the oven. Cook in the oven for approximately 10 minutes or until eggs are set. Let rest before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Serves 6 (entree) 8-10 (appetizer)

Mark Reichle and Nancy Miller Southmoreland on the Plaza

Country Club Plaza Winter Ice Fest

This Saturday, January 22nd is the 8th Annual Winter Ice Fest, held for the first time ever on the Country Club Plaza. Watch as 20 Teams compete to create the best ice sculpture LIVE on the streets of the Plaza.

Ice carving begins at 11 am, with prizes awarded to the winning sculptures at 2:30 pm. Starbucks will be on hand offering free coffee sampling.

The event takes place on Nichols Road between Broadway and Central.

Mark Reichle and Nancy Miller Southmoreland on the Plaza

Kansas City Events -- Another American Asking and Telling

Nancy and I had the pleasure of attending the KC Rep's current production of "Another American Asking and Telling". The one man show written and performed by Marc Wolf was both heartwarming and troubling. Regardless of your political persuasion you can't help but feel deeply for the 10 - 15 characters that Mr. Wolf adeptly portrays. The show runs through February 6, 2011.

Mark Reichle and Nancy Miller Southmoreland on the Plaza