We shall try very soon to return to our favorite romantic spot.

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The Manse Bed & Breakfast Innkeepers

Anita and Karsten Innkeeper at The Manse B&B in Cape May

The Manse Bed & Breakfast Innkeepers Karsten & Anita Dierk

Anita's Picks

Here are some of my favorite restaurants and things to do in Cape May.

Restaurants

The Washington Inn

The Black Duck

Merion Inn

Italiano

Events

Cape May Music Festival in the Spring

Spectacular!

Jazz festival in the Fall

Simply wonderful.

Theatre

Theatre in the summer in Cape May is intimate, intense, very professional and exhilarating.

The Holiday Season

Christmas in Cape May is magic.

Salt Marsh Safari

Fabulous journey in to one of the last great remaining salt marshes in the world.

See the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cape May web site for information on the what is happening in and around Cape May.

Duke University Center for Living

I attended Duke University's Center for Living and participated in their Diet and Fitness Center program. For me it was a positive and transforming experience. With the professionals at Duke I concentrated on nutrition and fitness and developed a program for health and well being. As a result, I have developed new recipes for the Manse based on what I learned at Duke and I am very excited about sharing them with you, my guests. Before heading out for the beach or sightseeing you will still enjoy lavish breakfasts at the Manse but special care will be taken to maintain a new balance of nutrition without ever sacrificing taste or enjoyment. These are similar to the dishes that we have lovingly prepared for you on your last visit to the Manse, where guests are always treated like family. Many of the fruits, vegetables, and herbs I cook with come from our organic garden which includes beautiful heirloom tomatoes. Our commitment is to the best, slow food (as opposed to fast) with a focus on old-fashioned purity.

Recipes

Habit Forming Cinnamon Buns

For the dough:

1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick softened unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt (sea salt is preferable)
2 jumbo eggs
1 package fresh yeast
4 cups flour

For the filling:

1 stick melted unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbs. cinnamon

For the icing:

1 cup confectioners sugar
Heavy cream
Vanilla extract

Scald the milk. Add the sugar, butter, and salt. Let that mixture cool to lukewarm temperature. Now add the eggs and the fresh yeast. Mix well. Add 2 cups of flour and beat well. Add remaining flour and mix well. Refrigerate overnight. The dough will be sticky.

In the morning remove dough from refrigerator and divide the dough in half. Preheat oven to 350°. Place dough on well floured board or counter. Knead slightly, adding more flour if you need it to keep dough from sticking. Roll dough into rectangle as thin as possible without tearing dough. Spread with half of the melted butter and 1/2 of the sugar cinnamon mixture. Roll dough carefully away from you until cylinder is formed. Seal edge by pinching. Cut rolls out about 2 inches apart and place cut side up close together in greased baking dish. The buns will look like pinwheels. Cover with tea towel and let buns rise at room temperature until they double in size. Bake at 350° 20 to 25 minutes or when tested, knife comes out clean. Combine 1/8 cup of confectioners sugar with heavy cream and 1/2 tablespoon of vanilla extract. This icing should be a bit runny. Spread over warm buns and serve.

Note: You will do this twice with both halves of dough. Recipe may be doubled.

Vegetable Frittata

Prepare a large baking pan and spray with food release spray - canola oil. Preheat oven to 350°.

Vegetable Ingredients:

1/2 cup extra virgin first cold press olive oil
2 large onions
3 cups green zucchini
1 cup mushrooms
1 cup red bell pepper
2 large cloves, diced small

Dice veggies but keep separate. Saute' lightly in olive oil each veggie separately. Put into baking pan as you finish each veggie.

Mix together the following:

12 jumbo eggs
6 cups milk
Equal parts cheddar and fontina cheese - enough to have 1 1/2 cups
2-3 cups of bread cubes

Now add the egg-milk-cream-cheese-bread crumb mixture to the baking pan.
Salt (sea salt is preferable) and pepper and bake uncovered at 350° until knife comes out clean.
This recipe serves 12.

Corn - Tomato Salsa

Ingredients:

Fresh herbs (sprigs of rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, marjoram, or whatever suits your fancy)
3 to 4 large ears of corn in their husks
7 to 8 large fresh tomatoes cut into a semi fine dice (a little smaller
than the size of a sugar cube)
1 whole red onion diced rather fine
Generous handful of cilantro
Sea salt to taste - at least 2 tsps.
The juice of 6 or 7 limes squeezed - more limes if limes are small

Mix all ingredients together
Garnish plates with fresh herbs

Serving suggestions for Corn - Tomato Salsa:

* with Frittata
* at tea with corn chips
* with fresh fried fish

Oma's Hazelnut Torte

Ingredients

12 extra large eggs
1 pound ground hazelnuts
1 pound confectioners sugar
1teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt
1 quart heavy cream - whipped, with 1 tsp. vanilla and 1 cup confectioners sugar

Separate eggs. Beat whites until stiff. Set aside. Beat yellows stiff with the powdered confectioners sugar until foamy and creamy. While you are doing this add the pinch of salt. Grind hazelnuts in a food processor. Very important: when grinding the nuts do not grind to a powder, but rather, grind them finer than a rough chop. Add nut mixture to egg and sugar mixture along with vanilla. The dough will become stiff. Fold egg whites into mixture. Pour into 2 large spring form pans that have been sprayed throughly with canolla oil. Bake slowly in a 300° to 325° oven until tester comes out clean. When cooled remove from pans and slice each cake horizontally so each cake is in two sections. Whip the heavy cream with vanilla and confectioners sugar. Put cream around cake with haxelnuts on top. You will have a cake to keep and one to give away! Or, if you prefer you can make four layers with the cream mixture in between. Be sure to anchor the layers with bakers sticks so the layers do not slide. Enjoy!

Gram's "Ewanda"

This is a fabulous Italian pastry that keeps well in a brown paper bag.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Butter
41/2 cup Flour
4 teaspoon Baking powder
1 cup Sugar
6 extra large eggs
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup rum, whiskey, or anisette
1teaspoon Lemon extract
1teaspoon Vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together. Work on floured board with 1/2 cup of flour. Knead until stiff. Place in refrigerator 1 hour or more. Take about 1/6 of dough and roll onto floured board - thinly. Cut diagonally into long diamonds with slits in the middle, twist and put one end through the slit. Fry in hot canola oil. Drain. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and serve.

Anita's Curried Oyster Fritters

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoonbaking powder
2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1-1/4 teaspoon pressed garlic
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 grated onion
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup oyster liquor
1 cup drained fresh oysters
celery salt

Sift dry ingredients*

Combine next 4 ingredients and stir into dry mixture. Chop oysters coarsely and blend into mixture. Drop by teaspoon into deep canola oil. Cook until brown, turning as you go. Sprinkle with celery salt. Serve hot with toothpicks.

This is absolutely delicious!

* I never sift, I mix.

Anita's Butter Crunch

Ingredients

1 pound butter (salted)
2 cup white sugar
chopped nuts - almonds or walnuts
semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cook butter and sugar in heavy saucepan on medium high to high heat, stirring constantly until 310° or hard crack* stage. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Pour mixture onto greased cookie sheet or shallow pan. Let cool 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let melt spread, add nuts, turn over and repeat if desired ( I only coat one side) Let cool and break into pieces.

  • Testing for hard crack stage - Fill measuring cup with ice cold water. Drip a small amount of candy mixture into water. When candy becomes brittle and cracks easily, it's done. You may have to test several times.

Gram's Hungarian Nut Rolls

Ingredients

4 cup unbleached flour
11/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 egg yolks

Take the above ingredients and cut in, as for pie crust. Mix and chill covered for several hours.

Beat 3 egg whites with a little sugar until frothy. Roll out 1/6 of dough at a time. Form a circle. Also add vanilla to whites and 3 tsp.confectioners sugar. Brush pastry circle with whites. Spread a mixture of cinnamon, chopped nuts and sugar over circle. Cut into 8 to 12 wedges, like pizza. Roll each wedge from wide end. Brush with egg white mixture and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400° for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove immediately or they will stick.
These are spectacular!