Pine Plains is Beautiful in the Winter

In case you forgot......

Taken by the Yajure's on Monday after the Bilzzard

Ski & Stay at The Pines

The post-Christmas snowstorm resulted in 18+ inches of snow in our backyard here at The Pines.  That means one thing -- Skiing!

We are located 35 minutes from Catamount, which makes for a great day on the slopes.  After a hearty breakfast at The Pines, head over to Catamount for some fresh air and exercise.  Finish the day back in Pine Plains enjoying country French food by the fire at The Stissing House (stissinghouse.com) before you return to your cozy room at The Pines.

Molly, the Manager, is happy to coordinate ski arrangements or suggest other winter outings.  To book, please call 518 398 7677 or email mclauhs@thepinesinn.com.

Trail Map

Afternoon Tea at The Pines

Holiday Afternoon Tea at The Pines this weekend!

The halls are decked and we have a beautiful Gingerbread House display.
Stop by to see The Pines in all its holiday glory. Bring your friends and family, and enjoy a traditional sweet and savory tea. Harney teas, sandwiches, and mini desserts.
Fri Dec 10, Sat Dec 11 & Sun Dec 12

1-4pm
$19/person
Also, stop by for desserts and Champagne Fri & Sat 5-10pm.

Don't forget to make reservations:

reservations@thepinesinn.com

518 398 7677

Gingerbread House Competition

Hello All!  December has arrived and we are in full holiday mode at The Pines.

The annual Parade of Lights occurred this past Saturday (Nov 27) and we had our popular Parade of Lights party coinciding with the town events.

Check out Rural Intelligence for some photos of the Parade of Lights and coverage of our event:
http://www.ruralintelligence.com/index.php/community_section/community_articles_passages/

We had a fabulous Gingerbread House competition to raise money for the Little Nine Partners Historical Society.  Take a look at the beautiful houses...

Tower Pizza

Ronnybrook -- the winner! 

Ronnybrook -- the winner!

The Pines

Mashomack

The Scoop

Graham~Brush House

The Red Devon

Food & Farm Photoshoot

It has been a busy and wonderful Fall at The Pines.

This week we attended the Int'l Hotel, Motel & Restaurant Show in NYC, then headed back to the Hudson Valley for a photoshoot featuring the food and beverage program at The Pines, as well as some local farms.

It was a pleasure working with Gemma and Andrew Ingalls of Ingalls Photography. I cannot possibly say enough things about them. They were wonderful and put so much energy into every single photo!

www.IngallsPhoto.com

Here a few photos for your enjoyment. Many more are on Facebook.

Baked Egg Blossum

Sol Flower Farm

Cheese Board!

Brioche French Toast Stuffed with Pumpkin & Camambert

Tea Service and Fresh Baked Cookies

Andy Ingalls Taking Still Life Shots

A Taste of Our Breakfast

I hope you will enjoy our first recipe posted to the blog. If you haven’t joined us for breakfast in our Victorian dining room, then here is your first glimpse into the flavors of The Pines. As we get deeper into autumn, we are depending more on the heartier greens and root vegetables to bring life to our dishes. These smoked trout cakes with garlicky kale and a warm mustard and thyme-infused cream sauce bring some smoky Hudson Valley flavor to a dish inspired by Maryland crab cakes. It is a delicious and beautiful way to start off a chilly Autumn morning:

Smoked Trout Cakes with Poached Eggs and a Mustard and Thyme-Infused Cream Sauce

cakes
1 lb red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
¼ cup bell peppers (use whatever colors you can find at the market or in your garden)
1/3 + ¾ cup onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic
1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme chopped
1 ½ teaspoons fresh basil chopped
½ lb smoked trout cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch kale (or any type of fresh hearty green, examples: arugula, mustard greens, chard)
1 tbsp butter

eggs
1 tsp distilled white vinegar
8 large eggs, cold

sauce
2 cups heavy whipping cream
½ tsp Dijon or whole grain mustard
1 tbsp thyme

For the cakes: cover the potatoes with cold water in a medium saucepan and bring them to a boil. Simmer for about 6-8 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Once they are soft, drain the potatoes & hold in the strainer to cool.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the peppers and 1/3 cup of the onions and sauté for 5-7 minutes. Mash the potatoes and add the peppers and onions to the potatoes along with the thyme, basil, and smoked trout. Season with salt and pepper. Form the trout mixture into 8 balls and flatten each one into a 3/4 inch cake. Hold in the refrigerator until breakfast.

For the sauce: heat the cream over medium heat until the liquid has reduced by one quarter to 1 1/2 cups. Add the thyme leaves. Continue reducing the cream to 1 cup of liquid, be careful not to let the cream boil over.
Once the cream is reduced, remove it from the heat. Strain the cream sauce to remove the thyme leaves pieces, and whisk in the mustard. If using the sauce right away, hold it in the saucepan, otherwise, transfer the sauce to a bowl and chill over an ice bath before storing in the refrigerator.

At breakfast time: heat a large pot of water over high heat. Once it comes to a boil, add the white vinegar and reduce the heat to medium. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add the ¾ cup chopped onions and butter. After 5 minutes, add 1/2 cup of water to the pan of onions and sauté for an additional 5 minutes or until the water has evaporated and the onions are soft and golden brown. Add the kale to the onions and sauté for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. Once hot, sauté the eight trout cakes in the pan until a golden brown crust forms on both sides (cook approximately 3-4 minutes per side. Hold the cakes in a warm oven while you poach the eggs.
Crack four cold eggs into individual ramekins or small bowls. Stir the vinegar water to create a whirlpool effect in the pot (this helps the eggs retain a perfect presentation once poached). Softly drop each egg into the simmering vinegar water while it is still turning in the pot and poach for 3-4 minutes or until the whites are cooked and the yolks are still runny, cook longer if you prefer a harder cooked egg. Once they are cooked to your liking, remove the four eggs to a paper towel and poach four additional eggs in the water.

To serve: place 2 warm trout cakes on each plate. Place 1/4 cup of the kale mixture onto each trout cake and top each with a poached egg. Drizzle the mustard cream sauce over each of the eight eggs and garnish with a slice of smoked trout and a sprig of dill. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

The Pines Makes the Front Page

We are excited to be front page news in The Millerton News.
The article is dated Thursday, October 21.

The story is titled "Eight years of work, 132 years back in time" and covers the restoration process.   There is even a photo of The Pines!

You can read the article here: http://www.tcextra.com/news/publish/millertonnews/The_Pines_has_been_restored/1530700.shtml

Photo by Our Friend Mandy Powers

Berkshire Taconic & Hammertown Auction

We were so happy to participate in a benefit last Saturday night (Oct 2) in Pine Plains! 

The Pines auctioned a private dinner party for 8 (raised $800!) and a two-night stay.  We also had a table of food and information.

The Menu:

• Fromage Blanc with Smoked Trout on a Potato Crisp
• Country Pate with Mushroom & Arugula Salad on a Brioche Toast
• Profiteroles with Chocolate Ganache

Invite for the Event

I hear the auction went really well -- the money raised went to the Neighbor-to-Neighbor program for Columbia and northeast Dutchess County. As per Hammertown's website: Neighbor-to-Neighbor provides funds to individuals and families who are in great difficulty and need an emergency financial boost in a particular area of their lives to help stabilize their immediate situation. A great cause to support!

We are looking forward to more opportunites for community involvement!

Traffic Jam

We buy a lot of produce and meat from Sol Flower Farm and Herondale Farm.  Yesterday we hosted a private dinner party and so I set out early in the morning to get Filet Mignon at Herondale.  It was 100% grass-fed and cut that morning. Once Catherine paired it with Bordelaise sauce, brocollini, and herb gnocchi, it was even more delicious.

I had a very wet ride to the farm - it was pouring rain. At one point the road cuts through a farm and I was greeted by a large family of ducks and grazing cows.  I sat waiting for the ducks to get out of the road with the rain pouring down on my windshield. It made me very happy to live in the country.

Ducks and Cows Enjoying the Rain

I hear the rain is going to clear up and it should be a beautiful weekend.  Regardless, there is so much beauty in a rainy day on a farm.  Especially when you end the evening eating a gorgeous Filet Mignon.

Fall Foliage

The leaves are turning early this year and it is breathtaking!  On our way to the Taughannock Parkway, we enjoyed the gorgeous view from a nearby golf course.

A lovely place to take a walk...

Enjoying the Fall Bounty

We are so excited about all the wonderful fresh food this time of year. Last week we had the chance to pick raspberries from a beautiful kitchen garden.

Our friend's vegetable garden... one of our favorites.

The raspberries are phenomenal!  We ate half of them on the ride home and then enjoyed a delicious cobbler. The white raspberries were especially juicy and delicious.

The fruit of our labor.

We hope you have a chance to enjoy some amazing Hudson Valley produce.  And trust us, its even tastier when you pick it yourself...

Molly

Meet Mr. & Mrs. Abbey - bike riding adventurers

We were pleased to host Cindy & Bill Abbey from Seattle, Washington.  They arrived on bicycle, anticipating an impedning rain storm and looking for accommodations.  Hot coffee and a huge soaking tub awaited them on a chilly September day.

Bill & Cindy Abbey

After flying from Seattle, Mr. and Mrs. Abbey started their bikeride in Warchester, Mass and are headed down to Florida.  They left this morning en route to Staatsburg.  Yesterday, they thoroughly enjoyed the ride on Winchell Mountain Road.  The road between The Pines and Millerton, NY is a spectacular ride (15 minutes by car) with impressive views.

Mr. Abbey, a retired policeman, has riden across the country twice.  Mrs. Abbey is getting into the sport. The adventure they are on is inspiring!

If you would like to read about their journey, check out crazyguyonabike.com/doc/7666.

We hope the Abbey's enjoy their adventure!  Good luck and happy trails from The Pines.

Start Your Day...

Our elegant dining room is the perfect place to start your day.  The Chef will prepare an exquisite four course breakfast for you to enjoy while striking up conversation or reading the morning news.

Dining Room at The Pines

Below is the menu we served today.  We also presented a selection of baked goods made in house: Parker House rolls, chocolate pastries, peach danishes, and light whole wheat toast.

Breakfast at The Pines Inn

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Amuse Bouche

lemon cheesecake with strawberries

Fruit Course

melon Carpaccio with lemon verbena and raspberries

Main Course

Smoked Salmon, Vegetable & Egg Roulade

with dill farmer's cheese, on a bed of greens

Eggs Benedict

served on peppercorn biscuits with Canadian bacon, heirloom tomatoes, and roasted potatoes

Brioche French Toast

stuffed with sweet cheese and blueberries, with an orange peach glaze

Crispy Fried Egg on an Eggplant Nest

with a wilted kale salad on a potato Carpaccio pancake

Parfait

cranberry almond granola, yogurt, local honey and fruit

Dessert

basil ice cream profiterole

We are looking forward to serving you! Thanks for reading.

Molly

Welcome to The Pines

Thank you for reading our blog!

For our first ever blog post it seems appropriate to invite you to The Pines.  What you will find here is a collection of stories and happenings we'd like to share.  However, The Pines is an experience. Its a feeling.  Its waking up in the morning to an unforgettable breakfast and good company.  Its sitting in a rocking chair and watching the world go by in Pine Plains... our little pocket of the world. I hope you will have a chance to visit The Pines. Be our guest. Perhaps you've already stayed with us, then you know what I am talking about...

Watching the World Go By in Pine Plains

Pine Plains is located in Dutchess County, nestled amidst horse farms and quaint towns.  If you're looking to disconnect and unwind, The Pines is the perfect setting.  We are situated just a block from town and a short bike ride from Stissing Mountain and Stissing Lake.  The many farmers and artisanal producers, result in a myriad of fantastic restaurant choices and bustling farmer's markets.  Pine Plains hasn't always been on the map but its a small town with a defined culture and population of interesting people. Its a secret that we're looking forward to sharing with you.

--Molly