It's That Time of Year Again!

Just a reminder to all our friends that The Inn at Long Lake Annual Craft Show is on November 5th & 6th this year. Check out the http://www.innatlonglake.com/ website for details and hours.

The show (now in its 21st year!) displays an array of local artisans, all passionate about their work and happy to chat and answer questions. Come tour the inn, enjoy some complimentary seasonal refreshments, and get some of that pre-holiday shopping done at the same time!

Facebook users may check out The Inn at Long Lake Annual Craft Show page to view this year's participating artisans.

Above: Elaine (of Elaine's Creations) and I (her adoring son) pose for a quick moment before last year's show. Mom always enjoys the show and has been working hard over the year to create lovely knitted and crocheted items. (So cute at last year she was overheard to say: "I found some pretty black yarn for hats for the kids who are into that Goth scene. Everyone needs to wear warm hats during the Winter!" Gotta love her.....(and, yes, I do!).

Gluten as Contractor?

(Pictured above: Yummy Banana Bread speckled with chopped dates and walnuts is a perfect way to start the morning. At The Inn at Long Lake our guests did!)

I recently read a interesting sidebar in Cook's Illustrated magazine that I found eye-opening.

If you enjoy muffins, but sometimes find that they are not evenly domed and picturesque on top, a couple of overlooked considerations may be at fault. Of course, in baking ingredients must be measured precisely for each recipe. Secondly, the correct oven temperature is also necessary. Thirdly, humidity in warmer seasons may also play a contributing factor to cakes and muffins sagging in the middle. Without fail, items not fully baked will never cook and rise in perfect fashion, too.

The sidebar article brought to light another interesting solution: letting the batter set for 10 minutes BEFORE baking! According to their food scientist, sometimes batters for muffins and cakes are helped by a setting time prior to baking. This enables the liquid component of the batter to bond with the gluten. This creates stronger structures for rising during baking.

Muffins, this innkeeper finds, are the worst culprit for sunken middles. Quick breads, which usually require as long as 1 hour of baking, quite possible, have more than enough time in their initial oven time to bond these gluten molecules. Muffins (baking times between 15-30 minutes) may not have this necessary time.

Solution: Mix your batter according to the recipe. THEN, pre-heat your oven for 10 minutes to the desired temperature (most recipes ask you to do this first!). Portion batter into pans, bake, and see if your cakes and muffins dome correctly. Always test with a toothpick for doneness. You'll have beautiful baked goods that are shaped as lovely as they taste!

Keith A. Neubert

Innkeeper-Chef, The Inn at Long Lake

After the Prom....

My good friend, Andrea, visiting her parents in our native New Hampshire, came to Naples and The Inn at Long Lake yesterday. Andrea lives in Hemet, California. She was also my high school Senior Prom Date! Andrea reminded me that I asked her way back in junior high school! (Now, I've heard of reservations, but....). It was a glorious reunion and a day to remember.

A Movie for Foodies

Hi, Blog Friends.

While this Innkeeper doesn't have much time to relax in lodging Peak Season, I was able recently to catch a movie called "Pressure Cooker." Many of us who enjoy food as a hobby/profession/lifestyle might enjoy this 1-1/2 hour documentary.

The story involves a class of 12 Philadelphia culinary arts students facing the challenges of the high school experience, their home lives, and their dreams of a better life. The teacher, Wilma Stephenson (pictured above), teaches the students (many for the first time) the requirement of discipline. Street savvy and keen on the slacking ways of students, she keeps at them all. Her goal: to get them to a level to where a citywide cooking competition can accept them. From there, scholarships are potentially earned.

Three students are focused on in the film. Each come from a set of challenges. No, this is not as gritty as Precious, or as sweet as Julie and Julia. It is a movie that does make us applaud that in whatever we strive to learn, perserverance (despite mistakes) is necessary. As foodies we must keep our discipline and strive for the next level of learning. Teacher Stephenson has strict teaching methods but, also, a tender heart underneath (think Debbie Allen in Fame with a whisk).

I think this is a good movie and hope you will check "Pressure Cooker" out!

Keith A. Neubert

Innkeeper-Chef

The Inn at Long Lake

A Lovely Day in Maine

Pictured above: A beautiful shot (thanks to Mother Nature) of Brandy Pond. Brandy Pond is right off the Naples Causway (the other side of the Causeway is Long Lake. Brandy Pond feeds in Sebago Lake, the second largest body of lake water in Maine. The weather was superb today and I wanted to share this with my Blog Friends.

A Short, Saucy Tale

Greetings, Blog Friends.

I was recently doing some cooking research online and found an interesting story about Newburg Sauce.

Now, as delicious as Newburg Sauce is, it always stings to hear its name as an old girlfriend of mine used to call me "Keith Newburg Sauce." (insert groan). Despite the memories of this light teasing, this sauce is derived from Bechamel Sauce (cream sauce), one of the master sauces in cooking.

Newburg Sauce is a Bechamel Sauce to which dry sherry, cayenne, paprika (for color), and sometimes egg yolks (for thickening) are added. It pairs well with most firmer seafood (shrimp, scallops, cod, or lobster). Excellent ideas to serve Newburg Sauce are with simple toast points (to dip in the sauce), in a puff pastry, or in light crepes. Recipes may be found online, of course. Select one, but I assure you all are easy and tasty.

Newburg Sauce was created at the famous Delmonico's Restaurant in New York City. The legend is that one of its great chefs invented it for a devote customer--a Mr. Wenburg. Well, Mr. Wenburg and the owner of the restaurant had a falling out and t he restauranteur was so angry he renamed the popular sauce by merely changing the positioning of its letters to "Newburg."

Give this interesting sauce a try some time. It is elegant, rich, and a step away from the same ole'-same ole'.

From sunny Maine,

Innkeeper Keith A. Newburg (I mean, Neubert). ;-)

"A Moment with Just Us"

After a few busy weekends, I asked the staff to wrap things up so that we could get some ice cream (yeahhhhhh! ice cream!!). I was glad to treat and thank the inn's wonderful staff to a relaxing time together.

Pictured above Left to Right: Me, Astra, Gail, and Francine. Donna, Matthew, and Caitlin had the afternoon off that day.

I am blessed to have a staff that cares about all the details it takes to make guests feel special, safe, and comfortable. I also hope that we could have a moment like that afternoon more often.

That's all from (a lot cooler) Maine--by beautiful Long Lake.

Keith A. Neubert

Innkeeper-Chef