Enjoy a taste of Duluth in your own home with these free, online recipes courtesy of our Duluth, Minnesota Bed and Breakfasts. Then make plans to visit our member inns in person to experience their friendly hospitality and delicious cooking firsthand.

The Ellery House Bed & Breakfast Recipe as featured in the recently released Minnesota Homegrown Cookbook, a beautifully illustrated hardcover book featuring chefs and bed and breakfasts around the state and the local growers who provide them with fresh homegrown ingredients.

 Featherbed Eggs

1 slice country French bread, 3/4 inch thick
1 cup aged extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup diced ham
3 large eggs
1/2 cup half-and-half
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Place bread slice on bottom of buttered 1-quart glass casserole dish. Tuck in bread pieces to fill any gaps. Cover with grated cheese. Sprinkle with ham. Mix eggs and enough half-and-half together to make about 1 cup of liquid. Drizzle egg/half-and-half mixture over top of cheese and ham. Grind black pepper over the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours. Put in cold oven and turn oven to 350 degrees. Bake, uncovered, for about 45 minutes until puffy and lightly golden. Makes 2 servings.

 Jim's Stuffed French Toast

4 cups country French bread, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
6 ounces cream cheese, cut in to 1/2 inch cubes
3 eggs
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/8 cup read maple syrup
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Layer half of the bread cubes in the bottom of a 1-quart buttered glass casserole dish. Scatter cream cheese cubes evenly over bread cubes. Cover with remaining bread cubes. Mix eggs, half-and-half, maple syrup and melted butter. Drizzle over bread/cream cheese mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours. Baked, uncovered, in 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes until tops of cubes are golden brown and egg mixture is set. Serve with berry sauce (recipe follows) and maple syrup. Makes 2-3 servings.

Brian and Mary Grover at Solglimt Bed and Breakfast treat their guests with Rolo Cookies during the holiday season.

Rolo Cookies

A bag of Barrel of Fun pretzels (the round circles that are available during the holidays)
Rolo candies
Pecan Halves

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Lay out the pretzels and put the Rolo in the circle. Bake for 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and push the pecan half into the cookies. Let them cool to remove them from the foil.

Joan Halquist has fond memories of her mother making Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Balls that she serves at The Ellery House.

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Balls

Mix together in a large bowl:
1 stick butter, melted
2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups peanut butter (use Jif or Skippy)
Stir in:
2 cups crushed Rice Krispies cereal
1/2 cup finely chopped peanuts or pecans

Stir and knead until well blended. Cover and chill at least one hour. Melt 2-3 cups of good dark chocolate or chocolate chips in a double boiler. Roll peanut butter/Rice Krispie mixture into balls about one inch in diameter. Dip into melted chocolate and let dry on waxed paper.

Alan Fink grew up with the coconut-accented cookies called Santa's Whiskers which he offers guests at the Mathew S. Burrows Inn.

Santa's Whiskers

1 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
3/4 cup red candied cherries (chopped fine)
3/4 cup green candied cherries (chopped fine)
1/2 cup pecans (chopped fine)
3/4 cup flaked coconut

Cream together margarine, sugar, milk and vanilla. Stir in flour, cherries and nuts. Form into two, one inch diameter rolls. Roll in flaked coconut, wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least one hour or until firm. (May be stored for several days). Slice rolls into 1/2 inch thick cookies and bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 12 minutes or until coconut is lightly browned.

Welsh Cookies are a traditional scone-like cookie. Olcott House Owner David Vipond grew up on these cookies at his hometown of Waverly, PA.

Welsh Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup lard
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoons nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups currants

Cream together first three ingredients. Stir in milk. Add one egg at a time and mix well. Sift dry ingredients together and add to butter mixture. Stir in currants. Roll out 1/2 inch thick and cut into 2 inch to 3 inch rounds. Bake on griddle at medium heat, making sure to turn to cook on both sides. May be dusted with powdered sugar when cool. Yield 2 dozen.

Joy Fischer of The Firelight Inn shares her mother's recipe for Oatmeal Lace cookies.

Oatmeal Lace Cookies

1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 cup rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together on low speed the flour, baking powder, sugar and oats until well blended. In a medium-size bowl, stir together the heavy cream, corn syrup, melted butter and vanilla until well blended. Add to flour and vanilla until well blended. Add to flour mixture; on low speed, beat just until the ingredients are combined. Let the cookie batter stand in the bowl at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Drop the cookie batter in heaping teaspoons onto nonstick foil-lined baking sheets, spacing the mounds out evenly and keeping in mind that there should be enough room for the mounds to spread out flat into cookies. You can fit about 6 cookies on a baking sheet. Bake the cookies at 350 degrees until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks; let cookies cool 2 to 3 minutes on the baking sheet. The cookies can be served flat or wrapped around a wooden dowel while still warm. Makes 24 cookies.

At The Ellery House breakfast always begins with their signature fresh fruit platter. Entrees are served in vintage casseroles.

Joan's Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins

1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg slightly beaten
3/4 cup buttermilk (milk can be substituted)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup diced fresh rhubarb
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, combine egg, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture just until all ingredients are moistened. Fold rhubarb and strawberries into batter. Divide batter between 12 greased muffin cups. Sprinkle tops generously with sugar. Bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Almond-Poppy Seed Muffins

2 Tbsp. poppy seed, plus extra for sprinkling
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil or 4 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 cup whole blanched almonds, lightly toasted and chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease or spray a 12 cup muffin pan. Put 2 Tbsp. of the poppy seeds in a bowl and crush lightly with the back of a spoon. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt, then stir in the sugar until well blended, and make a well in the center. Beat the eggs and milk together in a bowl until well blended. Gradually beat in the oil or melted butter and the almond extract. Pour into the well, add the chopped almonds and stir lightly or until just blended. Do not overmix; the batter should be slightly lumpy. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Combine a tablespoon of sugar and one teaspoon of poppyseeds in a small cup; sprinkle a little mixture over the top of each muffin. Bake until risen and golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Makes 12.

Breakfast at Solglimt A Lakeshore Bed and Breakfast is a delightful experience and their Blueberry Scones are not to be missed.

Blueberry Scones

2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter, chilled
1 cup fresh blueberries
3/4 cup half and half cream
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut butter into mixture of flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add blueberries and toss to mix. In separate bowl, beat together cream and egg and slowly pour into dry ingredients. Stir with rubber scraper until dough forms. Knead just until it comes together--3 or 4 times. Don't overhandle! Divide dough in half. On lightly floured surface, shape each half into 6-inch rounds. Cut into 6 wedges. Bake on parchment paper about 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Serve warm. Put a glaze on them too!

At the A. Charles Weiss Inn , our guests enjoy a good old-fashioned country-style breakfast, served in our elegant turn-of-the-century dining room. One of the guests favorites is Berry Crisp.

Berry Crisp

2 pounds mixed frozen berries
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 cup flour

Gently mix all ingredients and put in greased 9 x 13 baking dish, or individual dishes. In a separate bowl, mix together the following to make a crumbly topping:

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces

Sprinkle topping evenly over berry mixture. Bake individual dishes at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour, or the 9 x 13 for about 1 1/2 hours, or until bubbly and topping is golden brown. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving. Serve with either a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream and garnish with mint.

Serves 8-10

Autumn at the A.G. Thomson House is a time for incorporating the bounty of the apple harvest in our breakfast menu. Our historic bed and breakfast inn is situated high on the hillside above Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota. Many of our guests come for the annual fall “leaf peeping” ritual, or to view another remarkable spectacle of nature. Some 20 species of hawks, eagles, and vultures funnel down the Lake Superior shoreline in the skies above the inn on their annual fall migration—one of the greatest concentrations of migrating raptors in the country. This recipe helps set the mood for these and other adventures on a crisp fall day as guests awaken to the spiced aroma of simmering apples while watching the sunrise over the lake.

6 puff pastry shells
6-8 medium sized Cortland or equivalent baking apple
¼ cup raisins
½ cup apple or cranberry-apple juice
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
3 whole cloves
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ pint of heavy whipping cream
¼ teaspoon of rum flavoring

Garnish: dried cranberries and cinnamon sticks

Bake puff pastry shells according to directions on package. Remove and save tops. Scoop out insides and discard dough. Set hollow shells aside. Slice and core unpeeled apples. Place the apples, raisins, juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until apples are soft but still retain shape. Before serving, add the walnuts. With an electric mixer, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Fold the rum flavoring into the whipped cream. Assemble by filling puff pastry shells with apple mixture. Place top back on shell. Top with rum cream. Garnish with dried cranberries and cinnamon sticks.

Guests at The Firelight Inn on Oregon Creek awake to the aroma of breakfast creeping up the grand staircase. A light knock on the door and “Good morning—your breakfast has arrived” lets them know their breakfast basket has been placed outside their door. The basket includes everything they need to enjoy their breakfast on an outdoor deck listening to the sounds of Oregon Creek as it flows to Lake Superior or at the dining table in the privacy of their suite. Others may choose to eat in the glass-enclosed front porch of the home or the formal dining room table. One of the guests’ favorites is Peach n’ Blueberry Coffee Cake.

Peach n’ Blueberry Coffee Cake

Coffee Cake:

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsps. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 ½ tsps. grated orange peel
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup fresh peaches
1 cup fresh blueberries
½ cup butter, softened

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
¼ tsp. almond extract
3 to 5 tsps. Milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13 x 9 inch pan. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and orange peel; mix well. With pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until crumbly. Add milk, vanilla and eggs, stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour ¾ of batter into greased pan. Top with peaches and blueberries and spoon remaining batter over fruit. Baked for 35 to 45 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 30 minutes and drizzle glaze over coffee cake. Serves 10 to 12.

This recipe began with a Dutch oven on Boy Scout campouts. The final product evolved from Jiffy cake mix, squeeze margarine and on sale fruit cocktail, to its more upscale version used today at the 1890 Mathew S. Burrows Inn .

Peach and Cherry Cobbler

Ingredients:

1 package of a premium yellow cake mix
1 can, 15 or 29 ounce sliced peaches in heavy syrup
1 can of a premium cherry pie filling
1 ¼ stick of salted butter melted
½ tsp. cinnamon

greased 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish

Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease or spray baking dish. Covere bottom of dish with ½ can pie filling and ½ can peaches. Cover fruit with ½ of cake mix. . Cover cake mix with remaining fruit. Pour peach juice (all of 15 ounce can or ½ of 29 ounce can over fruit. Sprinkle cinnamon over fruit. Cover with remaining cake mix. Cover dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove cover, turn heat up to 350 degrees and bake for ½ hour or until golden brown and firm in the center when lightly shaken. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This cobbler is always returned to the kitchen with the baking dish scraped clean. Guests have actually threatened other guests with bodily harm if they tried to steal the last spoonful. Make a double recipe and serve warm in the evening with vanilla ice cream.

All summer long on beautiful mornings we serve our guests breakfasts outside overlooking Lake Superior. At Solglimt we cook with foods that are in season. This Galette is a favorite summer pastry when the peaches and blueberries are ripe and juicy. We cut it into 8 wedges and serve it family style.

Blueberry Peach Galette

1 pie crust your favorite recipe or a purchased crust
3 cups fresh or frozen peeled and sliced peaches, thawed
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon apricot preserves, melted
1/2 Tablespoon turbinado or granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Roll the dough into a 12 inch circle; place on foil or parchment paper. Combine peaches, blueberries, and 2 Tablespoons of sugar. Arrange the peach mixture in the center of the dough, leaving a 3 inch border. Fold edges of dough toward center, pressing gently to seal (dough will only partially cover the peach mixture). Brush half of melted preserves over peach mixture and edges of dough. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees (do not remove galette from oven); bake an additional 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Sprinkle with 1/2 Tablespoon of sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature. Cut each galette into 8 wedges.

Our guests love these pancakes at The Olcott House ! We start our service with a fresh fruit plate and then serve the turnovers along with a cheesy oven potato and sausage. The apple turnover pancakes are so large, one is always enough per person. Every time we make these, we get asked for the recipe and they are so simple to make!

Apple Turnover Pancakes

Pancake batter thined down a little--use your favorite pancake recipe or mix for six people
Teaspoon of vanilla
Teaspoon of Cinnamon

Mix all together and set aside.

3 peeled and diced Granny Smith apples (1/2 apple per person). Mix with cinnamon to taste. Microwave until apples are soft, but not mushy.

Amount of butter will vary depending upon number of pancakes.

Preheat your griddle to 350-375 degrees (hotter if need be). Grease heated griddle with butter. Using a large soup ladle, scoop one ladle full of pancake mix unto the buttered griddle. It will be a very large pancake. If your griddle permits, make two at a time. When the batter forms holes, take a turner and loosen the pancake around the edges and underneath. Flip it over and wait until the pancake is golden and done on both sides. Fill 1/2 of the pancake with the apple mixture. Flip the other half of the pancake over the apple mixture so that it looks like a turnover. Place on a cookie sheet until you have the exact number of turnovers you need. A couple minutes before serving, re-butter your griddle and place your turnovers on the griddle to crisp them. Serve the hot turnover pancakes immediately, topped with toasted walnuts and craisins and spinkled with powdered sugar. Serve with warm maple syrup. Serves six.