Lockdown Recipes from our Favorite Culinary Escapes
Savor the taste of travel from home with these recipes from some of our most-loved gastronomic getaways:
Tutka Bay Lodge, Alaska
Tutka Bay Lodge, a remote retreat across Kachemak Bay from downtown Homer, is a luxurious experience with attention to the bounty of Alaska’s seas, shorelines, and mountainsides. Whether out in Tutka Bay in a sea kayak, exploring with a pair of binoculars, or tidepooling; this is a place to slow down and soak in the glory of nature.
The lodge is operated by renowned chef Kirstin Dixon and her family, which provides unique opportunities to explore Alaska’s culinary landscape. Guests have the chance to learn about the meats, seafood, and agricultural bounty at each meal; and take an opportunity to engage directly with all of the above at a daily “cooking school” hosted by Dixon. There’s truly no other place on the Kenai Peninsula that marries the traditional foods of Alaska with the wilderness atmosphere in which Tutka Bay resides.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 cups water warmed to 105ºF.
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cups wheat flour
- ½ tablespoon sea salt
- 1 red apple, cored and sliced
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced
- 1 small bunch Swiss chard, stemmed and diced
- 1 cup grated white cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Mix the yeast, sugar, and water together and let proof.
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until a ball is formed. Sprinkle a little flour onto a flat surface and knead the dough until a nice smooth elastic ball is formed. Knead about 10-15 minutes. Rest the dough covered with a damp kitchen towel for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, make the filling. In a medium nonstick sauté pan over medium heat, add the oil and butter. Add in the onion slices and turn the heat to medium-low. Cook the onions for about 20 minutes or until they are caramelized. Remove from the heat. Add in the chard and the cheese, sprinkling in a bit of water if necessary, to loosen the mixture.
- Divide the dough into four equal balls and roll each out to a three-by-six-inch rectangle.
- Place one half-cup of the filling down the middle of each dough. Fold the edges of the dough to the middle to cover the filling. Pinch the edges of the dough together and seal.
- Gently roll the filled dough flat again being careful to not tear any edges. Repeat for the remaining three doughs.
- Heat a cast iron pan over low to medium heat. Grease the cast iron pan to coat the bottom and place one or more breads into the pan without crowding. Cook until the dough is golden brown on the outside and begins to puff. Flip the bread over and repeat on the other side. Pull the bread out of the pan to rest on the plate. Repeat until all breads are cooked.
Willows Inn, Washington
Just a seven-minute ferry ride from mainland Washington brings you to a magical stretch of green in the Salish Sea called Lummi Island. On its western coast, you’ll find the historic The Willows Inn, home to one of the country’s most innovative, yet laid back culinary movements.
The charming 100-year-old property is a lovely place to rest your head, but a seat at Blaine Wetzel’s table is the fulcrum of any trip to Lummi. The James Beard Award Winning Chef spent his formative years at Copenhagen’s Noma, studying under Rene Rezipi before taking over the Inn at age 25. Everything on the nightly tasting menu is locally foraged, grown or caught with the grand majority sourced from the nine-square-mile island.
Ingredients
- 1 small bunch Tuscan kale, center ribs and stems removed
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Kosher salt
- 1 slice rye bread
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 ounce cream cheese
- Freshly ground black pepper
Ingredient Info
Tuscan kale, also called black kale, dinosaur kale, Lacinato kale, or cavolo nero, is available at farmers’ markets and some supermarkets.
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350°. Brush both sides of kale leaves with oil and season with salt. Place on 2 baking sheets, in a single layer. Bake until crisp but not brown, 8–10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pulse bread in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- Whisk cream cheese with 1 Tbsp. water in a medium bowl until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Dot kale chips with cream cheese mixture and sprinkle with toasted breadcrumbs.
- DO AHEAD: Breadcrumbs and cream cheese mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Store breadcrumbs airtight at room temperature. Cover and chill cream cheese mixture.
Los Poblanos, New Mexico
Set among 25 acres of lavender fields, enormous cottonwood trees and lush formal gardens, Los Poblanos is an idyllic organic farm and inn situated on the edge of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The original adobe ranch, designed in the 1930s by acclaimed Santa Fe architect John Gaw Meem, is also still very much a working organic farm, nowadays mostly focusing on lavender production.
The overused phrases ‘locally sourced’ and ‘farm-to-table’ take on a whole new meaning at Los Poblanos. Campo, the historic inn’s onsite restaurant, offers a constantly changing menu informed by the farm’s daily harvest and what is not home-grown is carefully sourced from various nearby farms and ranches along the Rio Grande Valley.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 slightly beaten egg
- 1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1-1/2 cups blackberries
For the topping:
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Instructions
- Grease a 9-inch spring form pan. Line the bottom with waxed paper. Grease the waxed paper, flour the pan, and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the 1 1/2 cups of flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Using your hands or a pastry cutter, incorporate the 1/2 cup of butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk or sour milk, and vanilla.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour the wet ingredients into the well and stir until just moistened. Spread batter in prepared pan and distribute the blackberries evenly across the top.
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together the 1/4 cup flour, and sugar. Using your hands or a pastry cutter, incorporate the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the mixture over the blackberries and batter.
- Bake for about 50 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 30 minutes on a wire rack. Once cool, invert the cake onto a plate and remove waxed paper from the bottom. Immediately invert the cake again onto a serving plate, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve warm with sour cream or fresh whipped cream.
Blackberry Farm, Tennessee
Situated on a pastoral 4,200-acre estate in the Great Smoky Mountains, Blackberry Farm is one of America’s most celebrated intimate luxury hotels. In addition to 68 rooms and private residences, the estate offers a broad selection of onsite adventures, ranging from active to restorative, to allow guests to escape the everyday frenzy and slip into “a Blackberry state of mind.”
Blackberry Farm’s renowned “Foothills Cuisine” wanders the line between refined and rugged, centered around ingredients from the on-site farm and the Smoky Mountain region at large. The team features a rare collection of artisans including a master gardener, cheesemaker, forager, butcher, preservationist and sommelier, working together with the chef in the Blackberry Farm tradition.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 slightly beaten egg
- 1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1-1/2 cups blackberries
For the topping:
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Instructions
- Grease a 9-inch spring form pan. Line the bottom with waxed paper. Grease the waxed paper, flour the pan, and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the 1 1/2 cups of flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Using your hands or a pastry cutter, incorporate the 1/2 cup of butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk or sour milk, and vanilla.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour the wet ingredients into the well and stir until just moistened. Spread batter in prepared pan and distribute the blackberries evenly across the top.
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together the 1/4 cup flour, and sugar. Using your hands or a pastry cutter, incorporate the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the mixture over the blackberries and batter.
- Bake for about 50 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 30 minutes on a wire rack. Once cool, invert the cake onto a plate and remove waxed paper from the bottom. Immediately invert the cake again onto a serving plate, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve warm with sour cream or fresh whipped cream.
The Little Nell, Colorado
The Little Nell sits at the bottom of Aspen’s Ajax Mountain in Colorado and is the only ski-in ski-out hotel in town. The ninety-two stylish guest rooms and suites form a horseshoe around the central pool area and the mountain’s lower slopes are within touching distance. While no luxury has been spared in your physical surroundings, it is the stellar quality of the staff that truly sets The Little Nell apart. Whether you walk through the front door at The Little Nell wearing a tuxedo or bike shorts, you’ll be made to feel like they opened just for you.
The Little Nell’s fine dining restaurant, Element 47, will fuel your Aspen adventures with cuisine emphasizing local wagyu beef, house-made pastas and seasonal produce. And for the liveliest apres-ski in town, the Ajax Tavern is the place to be.
Inspired by the eponymous cocktail from bartender Xavier Herit at Daniel in New York City, we adapted this popular recipe with permission from the Manhattan establishment. It’s served year-round in Aspen, offering the perfect balance of sweetness, alcohol and acidity, capped by floral aromas from the wildflowers in The Little Nell’s summer gardens.
Ingredients (makes 1 serving):
- 2 oz Grey Goose Vodka
- 1 oz. St. Germain
- .25 oz white cranberry juice
- .25 oz lime juice
- Served with an ice sphere with pressed flower petals.
*At The Little Nell, we use petals from our summer gardens – in season, they are freshly picked. We save and store them for year-round use so they are mementos of our vibrant summer gardens.
Instructions:
- Place the ice sphere in a martini glass, mix all ingredients, shake and strain over the martini glass.
Zero George, South Carolina
In a town that can be a little heavy on ‘period recreations’, Charleston’s Zero George is a stylish boutique hotel that perfectly blends contemporary luxury with its more traditional southern surroundings. The impression of staying in a private home is enhanced by the cosy sitting room, open plan kitchen, and intimate bar that all occupy the ground floor of the old brick Carriage House, built in 1805.
Foodies will be right at home at Zero George. The hotel’s Zero Cafe and Bar more than holds its own in the food mecca of Charleston, South Carolina serving delicious small plates prepared with locally grown, seasonal ingredients. They also make a mean cocktail and have a great selection of small production wines.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup local honey
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 4 teaspoons vanilla (Or vanilla extract + vanilla bean seeds)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 4 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup sliced almonds (or pecans)
Instructions
- Whisk honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and oil. In a large bowl, combine oats and salt. Pour wet mixture over dry. Stir to combine. Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. For larger pieces of granola, do not stir during cooking. Enjoy!
Tip: Think of Granola as customizable! Whatever the season, you can spice it up with cinnamon for winter warmth or maple for the flavor of fall.
Trick: Use Olive Oil for a lighter flavor.
Technique: Bake the granola in the “low and slow” method. This gets a more even browning on the granola pieces without burning.