Gotta Love Puff Pastry!

Having made thousands of breakfasts at the inn, one of my favorite things to 'play' with in the kitchen is Puff Pastry. We of course buy it in large flat sheets but you can buy it in the freezer section of your grocery store (Pepperidge Farm has the market cornered!) .

What I love about puff pastry is you can use it in so many different ways. For a savory or sweet dish there are dozens of uses. Here are a couple of my favorites that have been big winners at the Inn.

Strudel....one of our former chefs and I had so much fun coming up with new 'strudel' ideas using Puff Pastry that we joked we should rename the restaurant "Strudels"!

My favorite recipe is an apple strudel. Sometimes I'd make Apple/Pear Strudel or Apple/Cranberry---either one is delicious and easy to make. In fact, you can make it the evening before and wrap it carefully in plastic wrap and put in the fridge overnight. In the morning, pop it in the oven for a aromatic wake up call for your family.

Apple/Pear/Dried Cranberry Strudel
(quantities are estimates)

Peel, core and dice about 6 apples or pears
Saute lightly with about 4 TBSP Butter or Margarine
Add in 1/4 C Brown Sugar
Add in 1 -2 tsp Cinnamon
Cook until apples (or pears are soft)
Add in Dried Cranberries (soak for a few minutes in orange juice to plump)

Roll out a sheet of puff pastry with a little flour so it doesn't stick to counter top
(tip: as soon as it's rolled to correct size- place on parchment sheet on large cookie sheet)
Spread with 1-2 TBSP of softened Butter or Margarine
Place 1/2 of the apple mixture in the center third of the puff pastry
Fold one third of the puff pastry over the apple mix
Place the balance of apple mix on the top layer of puff and cover with remaining third of puff
Crimp edges with a fork
Place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet
Beat one egg with 1 tsp water
Brush top of puff pastry Strudel with egg Mixture
Sprinkle granulated sugar over top
Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 20 minutes, till Puff is lightly browned
Let cool for 5-10 minutes and then slice into 2" pieces, dust with powdered sugar


Ok. This isn't rocket science but we've been serving this dish at the inn as a breakfast entree for years and years...and it's always a hit...yet very simple and elegant.

Colby Eggs

Take a sheet of puff pastry (do not use a rolling pin on it) and unroll it till flat
Cut the sheet into equal squares (or if you prefer 'rounds') of approx 3 " or 3"
(Pepperidge Farms also makes pre formed round Puff Pastry Shells)
Place each on parchment paper on a cookie sheet
Bake for approx 8-10 minutes (watch your oven may be hotter than ours!) until puffed up and lightly browned.
Set aside to cool

Scramble Eggs (approx 2-3 per person) in a buttered pan
When eggs are at soft stage add in 1 or 2 TBSP of Boursin Cheese and mix to finish cooking
Mixture will be soft due to cheese

Take One square of Puff Pastry and Separate in 1/2
Spoon the Egg Mixture over one half of the Puff spilling a bit over the sides
Top with the other half of the Puff
Garnish with chopped chives or minced Parsley

Delicious!


Colby Hill Inn

Mason 4 - Squirrels 0

It's hard to believe that we are so close to our state capital (17 miles) and just 90 minutes North of Boston but we have many little 'critters' in our area. Most recently Mason has been trying to 'thin the herd' of squirrels on the inn property. He has a Have a Heart trap that he sets along with some delectable toast and peanut butter and then when caught, he transports them nearby about 5 miles away so they don't return.

As of now he's caught 4, but still looking for the last two or three that we see scurrying down the side of our house (for some reason they don't climb the inn buildings, just our house and the barn...must be they get better traction on barn siding!).

One evening a few years ago Mason and I were at the front desk and he looked out the front window and saw a moose running down our street with a car slowly following behind! It was the first moose we saw in New Hampshire.

Of course nothing beats the lovely family of skunks who decided that the Colby Hill Inn property was the ideal residence for them! They took great joy in coming out at night during the dinner hour and eating the birdseed around in the garden. This, of course delighted our English guests who had never seen a skunk before. This was before we had a truck and Mason safely caught them one by one in the Have a Heart trap, covered the trap with a blanket, bungee corded it to the roof of the Subaru and drove them off to their new home many miles from the inn. That was quite a sight!

Who knew that becoming innkeepers would involve dealing with squirrels, skunks, moose and a favorite of ours are the covey of Ring Neck Pheasants that show up on the outer edges of our property in the fall.

We found some racoons who also loved our birdseed and somehow found their way into our laundry room where they dined on fire starters. Finally, Mason brought out a bigger Have a Heart trap and took care of them as well. 10 + years of innkeeping has brought us lots of four-legged friends!

We can't forget to mention the beautiful birds on the property at the Colby Hill Inn. We write down all of the different varieties we or our guests see and so far we have seen over 50 different types enjoying our bird feeders right out the dining room windows.


Ah the joys of innkeeping. We look forward to Spring time here at the inn....soon we will be seeing (and smelling) the lush Lilacs on the property and the Forsythia. Hope you'll visit us soon....we promise- no critters! - Have a Happy Spring- Cyndi and Mason Cobb

Winding Down Winter...Chocolate/Hawaiian Day and Maple Sugar on the Horizon!

Innkeepers
Colby Hill Inn

It's hard to believe after the winter we've had....but it's 48 degrees out there today (but still plenty of snow on Pat's Peak for the ski hounds) and we've had a fabulous and sunny day!

We look forward to this time of year because we start thinking about some of our favorite things. One of them is CHOCOLATE! This weekend is one of the most fun weekends at the inn. Chocolate Lover's Weekend, I believe this is the 7th Annual or maybe the 6th!

An in- room chocolate gift awaits our guests, a chocolate cooking class is hosted by our chef (with lots of goodies to taste) and recipes to take home for our guests to try themselves. Saturday evening guests enjoy a wonderful dinner and the finale is of course...a chocolate dessert creation. There's still availability for this special weekend in case you want to make some last minute plans!

Okay...so you still want to ski......so do the folks at Pat's Peak, which we can see as we write this from our windows (it's just 3 miles away as the crow flies). Don't Miss the 19th Annual Hawaiian Weekend at Pat's Peak March 13 and 14.

There's a hot tub on the deck (Saturday and Sunday), helicopter rides, a Magic Hat Beer Promo Apres Ski Party in the Sled Pub and a live Reggae Band. Wear your most outlandish Hawaiian shirt, pants, lei and watch the NASTAR Race on Downdraft. Of course, you can come on back to the Inn to rest your toes in front of our toasty fireplace and enjoy a relaxing dinner and comfy sleep before heading back to the mountain the next day! Visit www.patspeak.com for more info.

Next on the horizon is New Hampshire Maple Weekend which is March 27-29. The New Hampshire Maple Producers open their sugaring operations for us to watch the process, learn more about maple sugar and pack up a few bottles to take home. Don't forget to drench our award winning pancakes at the inn in the REAL THING..... as we only serve real New Hampshire Maple syrup.

Aside from all of those activities, we have completed our interior deep cleaning and are looking to the days getting longer, drier and sunnier so we can begin our outside projects including working on our gardens, parking lots and the normal spring items like trimming, painting etc. Life goes on at the inn as we celebrate our 10th year here and the inn celebrates 50 years of operating as a country inn.

Brrr......It's Cold Outside!


Braises, stews, rich flavors, chowders, cream sauces, dried fruits, jams, and comfort foods are all signs on a menu that it is cold outside and winter is here. That's if you didn't notice already.

Even though I love the change of seasons and what they have to offer, by Valentine's Day I am already craving spring flare! Until then...our Winter Menu offers all things, well, winter.

One appetizer that I enjoy preparing is the Yukon Gold Potato, Roasted Garlic, and Vermont Cheddar Perogi. The smooth comforting texture of a dumpling filled with whipped potatoes, roasted garlic puree, and sharp Cabot cheddar is all things winter. These tasty dumplings sit upon a braised chicken stew with fennel, leeks, and fresh herbs. Very reminiscent of chicken and dumplings that most of us grew up with! May I suggest an oakey and Buttery Chardonnay?

As for Entrees, you can't go wrong with the Spiced Breast of Duck, with house made duck confit, quinoa (keen-wa), spinach, caramelized onions, and a spiced cranberry jam.

I always prepare Braised Beef Short Ribs during winter, this year I am using a 1-pound bone in Angus beef short rib. Slow cooked until the meat falls of the bone, it is served with mashed root vegetables, seasonal vegetables and a Pomegranate Gastrique, a classic French sweet and sour sauce made by creating a caramel, then adding pomegranate juice. The only thing this dish needs is a nice glass of Syrah full of fruit flavors!

Cheers!
Chef Corey Fletcher
Colby Hill Inn

Cluck, Cluck, Gobble, Gobble!

Turkeys!

You see them along highways, in your backyard, in fields, in trees, and yes, they do fly!

Most of the year we see it sliced and piled between two pieces of bread, but for the month of November, it is roasted whole for several hours(often starting in the wee hours of the morning)and featured as the center piece of huge feast.

The white supple breast meat is favorite among most Americans. It is so sought after that the original wild ones our ancestor feasted on have been genetically modified by cross breading them with an English version to create larger breasts. These turkeys can grow as big as 80 pounds, but rarely do as the 20 pound range is more desirable. Due to the size of their breasts, farm raised turkeys can not reproduce naturally, therefor these monsters must be artificially inseminated.

Still Hungry?

Due to the length of cooking demanded by their size, turkeys are often over cooked. I recommend brinning them. Whether it is submerged or injected, the brinning process allow a sugared and salted water to penetrate the meat, keeping it very moist through while roasting.

I recommend brinning it for 2 days in the following solution.

3 gallons of warm water

1.5 # of kosher salt

12 ounces light brown sugar

as needed, your favorite spices

Combine all ingredients until the salt and sugar is dissolved, allow to cool, then pour over your bird in an appropriate container, refrigerate and allow to sit 2 days.

On the cooking day, remove from container, pat dry and roast as you normally would.

Oh yeah, Don't forget to let the bird rest, or else all the brinning effort is waisted!

Happy Cooking!

Chef Corey Fletcher
Colby Hill Inn

It's Here!! :)

It's safe to say that we can welcome Fall to The Colby Hill Inn and the quaint town of Henniker, NH. I personally welcome the warm and heartier flavors of the fall harvest with open arms (and walk-in coolers). The cool crisp nights and warm days help to ripen heirloom apples, parsnips, squashes, celery root, and the remaining list of the fall bounty. I wait all year for these three months that prepare us for the dreadfully long NH winter. The turning of the leaves in these months not only mean beautiful colors in the woods, but on the plates as well!

A Maine Lobster and Crab Cake is served with roasted pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, baby greens, and a vanilla and brown butter emulsion; House Smoked Haddock Chowder is laced with apple wood smoked bacon, fennel, and potatoes; Grilled Double Cut Pork Chops are served with apple and apple cider braised cabbage; and warm Local Apple Beignets (fritters) are set upon scoops of ice cream and drizzled with a butterscotch sauce, a play on warm apple pie with ice cream.

These are just a few of my personal favorite dishes on this year's fall menu. However, don't let me be bias of one dish over the next, as they all are fantastic. They wouldn't be on the menu if they weren't, but you can be the judge of that.

When you join us for your next dinner, ask for me, as I love to talk about food!

Hope to see you soon!

Chef Corey Fletcher

Colby Hill Inn Chef's Blog

Welcome to the inagural post of the Colby Hill Inn Chef's Blog!

In the photo you will see Spiced Breast of Duck with Sweet Potato, Duck Confit and Apple Hash with a Veal Glace and Cider Reduction as served at the Colby Hill Inn. Corey Fletcher is the head chef at the inn, and brings, in the words of Susan Laughlin of NHMagazine.com "food beautifully presented in portions that allow the diner to enjoy the full presentation of a three-course dinner"

Check back often to see what Chef Corey has to say!