6 award-winning breakfasts from B&Bs

Chris Garsson | USA TODAY Best Years magazine

It's considered the most important meal of the day, and at bed and breakfasts across America, it's also the most celebrated. For its 2013 Best B&B Breakfast Tournament, BedandBreakfast.com solicited recipes from inns throughout the country, narrowed them down with the guidance of judges Anne Banas of Smarter Travel Media, Susannah Chen of PopSugar.com and Adrien Glover of Travel + Leisure, and then put the finalists to a vote on Facebook earlier this year. Here's a mouth-watering look at the winning recipe and some of the finalists.

TOURNAMENT WINNER: LEMON SOUFFLE PANCAKES WITH BLUEBERRY COMPOTE

From 1851 Historic Maple Hill Manor

2941 Perryville Road (U.S. 150 E.), Springfield, Ky.

The winning recipe of the 2013 breakfast tournament was developed on a whim by Maple Hill co-owner Tyler Horton, who decided to spice things up one morning and add lemon zest to the pancakes.

"It's been a huge hit with our guests," says business partner Todd Allen. So huge, in fact, that the inn packages and sells the pancake mix. "We cannot make it fast enough," Allen says.

Breakfast is a huge part of the experience at Maple Hill. "People want to come for the big, hearty breakfast, so we stay true to that," Allen says. The full country gourmet breakfasts have guests returning again and again.

Recipe(8 servings)



• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 3 1/2 tsp. baking powder

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp cream of tartar

• Zest of 1 lemon (grate or zest outer, colored portion of lemon)

• 1 T. sugar

• 1 1/4 cups whole milk

• 1 egg

• 3 T. butter, melted

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, lemon zest, salt and sugar. After sifting, add cream of tartar and lemon zest. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.

2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately ¼ cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides, creating crispy edges. Top with fresh blueberries and warm maple syrup.

Blueberry compote topping

• 3 cups frozen or fresh

blueberries, unthawed

(save 1/2 cup for garnish)

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 1/3 cup water

Combine 1 1/2 cupsblueberries, sugar and water in small, heavy saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until berries burst, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add remaining 1 cup berries. Cook until compote coats spoon, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Serve warm. Garnish with fresh blueberries and powdered sugar.

BREAKFAST CORN CHOWDER WITH POACHED EGGS

From Rabbit Hill Inn

48 Lower Waterford Road, Lower Waterford, Vt.

Pastry chef Phyllis Grech was driving to the inn one cold morning to begin preparing breakfast when she began thinking about making corn chowder later in the day, says owner Leslie Mulcahy, and by the time Grech arrived at the inn, she was translating thoughts of corn chowder into a unique breakfast entree.

There were 18 to 20 guests that morning, and when the Breakfast Corn Chowder was served, "everybody immediately wanted the recipe and were taking pictures of it," Mulcahy recalls.

Breakfast is always an event at Rabbit Hill, says Mulcahy, who owns the inn with her husband, Brian. For starters, the meal is graced with candlelight for "romantic ambience." A buffet that includes homemade baked goods, fruits and yogurts is followed by savory and sweet entrees such as apple cheddar crepes in caramel sauce.

Recipe(4 servings)



• 1 T. vegetable oil

• 1/4 lb. bacon, diced

• 1 onion, small dice

• 1/2 cup celery, small dice

• 1/2 cup fennel, small dice

• 1 cup cooked corn niblets

(fresh or frozen)

• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, small dice

• 2 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced

• 3 T. flour

• 4 cups vegetable stock

• 3 cups potato, small dice

• 2 cups half-and-half

• salt and pepper to taste

• 8 poached eggs (2 per serving)

• 4 toasted baguette slices

(1 per serving)

• 8 cooked bacon slices (2 per serving)

1. Add oil and diced bacon to your favorite soup pot; cook out the fat until crisp.

2. At the same time, in a separate pot, add vegetable stock and potatoes. Bring to simmer and cook until potatoes are just tender.

3. When diced bacon is just crisp, add onions, celery and fennel. Cook until tender. Add corn, red pepper and rosemary. Stir and remove from heat. Sprinkle flour over vegetables, stir again.

4. Add the just-tender potatoes and vegetable stock to the vegetable mixture. Return to heat and slowly bring to a simmer while stirring. Add half-and-half, season with salt and pepper. Bring back to a simmer.

5. To serve, ladle chowder into a warmed bowl. Place toasted baguette across the top and gently place two poached eggs on top of the toast. Garnish with two warm slices of bacon and a sprig of rosemary.

PANETTONE PAIN PERDU WITH MERLOT POACHED PEARS AND LEMON CURD

From Cocoa Cottage Bed & Breakfast

223 S. Mears Ave., Whitehall, Mich.

This dish was originally served at the inn during the holidays. But owners Larry Robertson and Lisa Tallarico found guests' responses to be "so overwhelmingly positive" that they now offer Panettone Pain Perdu year-round.

Believing breakfast to be "paramount" to the B&B experience, Tallarico says they're always experimenting in the kitchen. The crowd favorite, she says, is Cottage Eggs—crepes baked with eggs, Gruyère cheese, shallots and tarragon. The inn stays true to its name, though, with breakfast offerings that include chocolate zucchini bread.

Recipe(4 servings)

• 4 slices panettone

(homemade is best)

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 4 large eggs

• 2 T. Grand Marnier

• 1 tsp. cinnamon

• 1/8 tsp. orange oil

• Generous grate of fresh nutmeg

• 4 Bosc pears, peeled w/stems

• 1 1/2 cup water

• 2 cups Merlot wine, good quality

• 3/4 cup pear nectar

• 1 T. vanilla

• 1 crushed cinnamon stick

• 6 crushed peppercorns

• Fresh lemon curd

(homemade is best)

1. Poach pears. Peel pears; leave stems attached. Scoop out bottom of pear with melon baller. Combine wine, water, nectar, crushed cinnamon stick, peppercorns and vanilla in saucepan deep enough to hold four pears covered in poaching liquid. Cook uncovered for 40 to 50 minutes, until tender.

2. Slice pears in half; core with melon baller and fill space with lemon curd just before serving. Serve pears warm.

3. Whisk together heavy cream, four eggs, orange oil, Grand Marnier and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Cut 4 thick slices of panettone (3/4 -inch to 1-inch thick). Place in large baking dish and cover with custard mixture; grate nutmeg over top. Turn once.

4. Cook in well-buttered pan (don't use cooking spray or margarine) until both sides are browned and the center springs back when touched.

5. Arrange slices on a plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Garnish with fresh berries and add pear. Serve with country sausage and warmed pure Michigan maple syrup.

LOS POBLANOS SHAKSHOUKA

From Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm

4803 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, N.M.

"Everyone who tries it, loves it," inn marketing manager Kayla Martinez says of the acclaimed shakshouka.

A twist on the traditional Middle Eastern street dish, this recipe calls for New Mexico chilies and fresh ingredients from the Rio Grande Valley.

The inn has an organic farm on site and emphasizes fresh, local foods in every meal—guests crave that New Mexican flavor, Martinez says.

A particular favorite is Savory Budino, a bread pudding made with vegetables, green chili and a creamy sauce that's served on Thursdays; Martinez says one frequent guest arranges his stays just so he's there for the budino.

Recipe(4-6 servings)

• 1 lb. garbanzo beans

• 4 garlic cloves

• 1 quart diced

canned tomatoes

• 2 cups yellow onion,

small dice

• 1/2 cup garlic, thinly sliced

• 2 tsp. cumin seed, toasted, ground

• 2 tsp. coriander seed, toasted, ground

• 1 tsp. Grains of Paradise, toasted, ground

• 2 T. New Mexico red chile powder, toasted

• 1/2 tsp. caraway, toasted, ground

• 1 Bay Laurel leaf

• 1 cup dry white wine

• 1 orange, skin intact

• 1 T. olive oil

Garnishes:eggs, good extra-virgin olive oil, feta, mint, black pepper

1. Cover garbanzos in five times their volume in water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, skim thoroughly. Once foam subsides, add garlic. Simmer for several hours until tender. (This is hard to overcook.) Add water as necessary. Once tender, add salt until the broth is salty like soup.

2. In a separate large pot, sweat onions and garlic in olive oil with a little salt until they are almost translucent. Add spices and herbs and cook until fragrant. Add wine and reduce by half. Add tomatoes and, with a microplane, zest the orange directly into the pot. Reserve the fruit. Bring to a simmer. Salt to taste. Cook until tomatoes have collapsed.

3. To serve, heat two parts garbanzos and one part tomato stew to a gentle simmer. Check seasoning and add water if necessary. Make a little well in the stew for each egg you are poaching. Drop in a couple of drops of extra-virgin olive oil. Crack an egg into each well and cover. Make sure the heat is very low and the eggs are poaching slowly in a gentle simmer. Once whites are done remove from heat. Scoop egg(s) onto the side of a wide warmed bowl. Spoon stew into the middle of the bowl. Generously drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with garnishes.

BANANA SPLIT FRENCH TOAST

From Winter Park Chateau

405 Lions Gate Drive, Winter Park, Colo.

This sweet finalist, developed by the Winter Park Chateau staff, gets "lots of oohs and aahs" from guests, says innkeeper Susan Vialpando.

The inn, which hosts many skiers, hikers and bikers, puts a premium on a hearty breakfast to "get people off and going," she says. A "big hit" is their Spanish scramble made with corn tortillas and served with fresh salsa (the scramble is a family recipe from her husband and co-innkeeper, Robert). From omelettes made to order to breakfast casseroles in muffin cups, there's something for everyone, Vialpando says.

Recipe(6 servings)

• 1 loaf French bread

• 8 oz. softened cream cheese

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 6 sliced bananas

• 6 eggs

• 1/2 cup half-and-half

• 1 T. cinnamon

• 2 tsp. vanilla

• 1/2 cup butter

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 2 T. dark Myers's Rum

• Extra butter for frying

1. Slice French bread into 8 pieces approximately 2 inches thick, then partially slice three-quarters through the middle of each piece to allow for filling.

2. Beat together softened cream cheese with powdered sugar. Spread mixture between slices. Add sliced bananas as desired. Press together so that the sandwich sticks.

3. Dip into a batter consisting of six eggs, 1/2 cup of cream, 1 T. cinnamon and 2 tsp. vanilla. Place in frying pan in butter until bread is brown and egg mixture is cooked.

4. In a sauce pan, mix 1/2 cup butter, brown sugar and rum. Cook on medium heat until it lightly boils. Turn down heat, add bananas and cook for approximately 5 more minutes, until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Pour over toast.

SWEET POTATO HASH

From The White House Bed and Breakfast

212 Valley View Drive, Medford, Ore.

B&B owner Kathie Rulon created her unique dish for the breakfast tournament. The hash is served on a bed of beet greens and topped with bacon brittle and poached eggs. "I wanted something savory that the melted brittle would sweeten up," Rulon says.

Her "boutique b&b" offers only one room, with a second, smaller room for additional guests. Rulon does the cooking. Her breakfast menus are extensive (from steel-cut oatmeal to fresh eggs to cheese-and-garlic grits) and cater to the individual tastes of each party, she says.

A particular favorite? Dutch babies—a combination of eggs, milk and flour that puffs up in the oven and is then filled with blueberries and served with powdered sugar, maple syrup and bacon.

Recipe(4 servings)

• 2 sweet potatoes

• 2 yams

• 1 onion

• 4 scallions

• 1 bunch beet greens

• 4 strips bacon

• 2 T. maple syrup

• 2 T. brown sugar

• 8 eggs

1. Roast sweet potatoes and yams. Cool, peel and cube. Sliver onion and saute with potatoes and yams in olive oil.

2. Cut stems away from beet greens and saute lightly in olive oil.

3. Fry 1/2-inch cubed bacon. Drain most of fat then add syrup and brown sugar to bacon and cook on low heat for 5 minutes. A pinch of cayenne pepper is optional. Spread onto a baking sheet to cool, then break into pieces.

4. Spoon a mound of hash on a bed of beet greens. Top with bacon brittle and add poached eggs. Cut off the green end of a scallion. Sliver and sprinkle on finished dish.

This article is excerpted from USA TODAY Best Years magazine, featuring lifestyle stories for women 50 and older. Find it on magazine newsstands or at bestyears.usatoday.com.