Ingredient: ham

Hotel Del Peregrino

After a good bit of research on Brion’s behalf, we decided to make Merida, Mexico our holiday destination for January, 2019.

Merida was named the American Capital of Culture in the years 2000 and 2017. At the end of 2010 it was also selected by the United Nations to be part of the 100 Cities of Peace in the world.

I thought it would be nice to do a number of blogs this month focusing on  some of the highlights of our trip. I couldn’t resist starting with the  wonderful little boutique hotel we enjoyed during our stay.

Once a colonial home, the 4-star Hotel Del Peregrino has been completely remodeled in the traditional Yucatan style. A three-story building, centrally located in the historic district of Merida. Set apart from the noise of the city center in a very quiet neighborhood but still within easy walking distance to many places of interest.

This hotel is very clean and organized with an eclectic mix of traditional and modern furnishings. It is characterized by its high ceilings, restored mosaic floors and a central courtyard in which a gourmet breakfast was served every morning. The main breakfast entree varies each day and is prepared for you when you sit down. Breakfast is served communal style which gives guests the opportunity to chat with each other.

This boutique hotel has 13 guest rooms — six on the main floor and seven upstairs. On the upper floor is an open air terrace with tables and chairs where it was nice to sit at the end of the day.

Daily housekeeping ensures that everything was fresh and tidy when you would return after your day’s adventure. It was always amusing to see what ‘towel decor’ would be waiting on your bed!

The hotel has its own travel agency where you can book tours to visit the surrounding area. The Mayan ruins are what draw many people to the Yucatan. Although Mayan culture is not ancient history, it is alive and well in Merida.

Thumbs up to the owner, Jim and his great staff for such a memorable stay.

In some of the following blogs this month, Brion and I would like to share some more pictures from Chichen Itza, Uxmal and the Haciendas. Such great experiences with the added bonus of feeling safe in a foreign country.

Here are a few pics from the hotel.

Print Recipe
 Mexican Eggs Benedict
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Course Brunch
Servings
Ingredients
Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
Course Brunch
Servings
Ingredients
Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
  1. In a small saucepan, gradually stir flour into milk until smooth. Add butter, salt & pepper; stirring constantly over medium heat until boiling. Allow to boil for one minute to thicken. Slowly add the cheese & stir until smooth. Remove from heat & keep warm.
  2. Slice & butter bagel halves. On griddle, lightly toast bagel, fry eggs (yolks should be soft). Slightly grill thin sliced ham. On serving plates, place a bagel half, top each with 2 slices ham & 1 egg. Ladle some cheese sauce over all & garnish with some thinly sliced fresh chives. Nice to serve with pan fried potatoes & fresh peppers.

Brunch in St.Thibery, France

Brunch! The word evokes thoughts of a lazy week-end morning, sleeping late, eating ‘brunch’ while sipping a glass of sangria in the late morning or early afternoon.

In the food industry, brunch was a fun meal to prepare. Being a combination of both breakfast & lunch means the options are endless. If you are serving a large amount of people, generally eight food groups make up the menu along with beverages. I always enjoyed the visual beauty of a large brunch presentation all carefully prepared and set out.

At our house, Brion and I have always been early risers so brunch isn’t a meal that really works for us. That being said, I do have some special memories of a time when we enjoyed brunch.

It was in the south of France. In 2001, after we had left Paris, we drove 613 km (380 miles) south to the sleepy village of St. Thibery. This little medieval village, population of 2481, can be traced back more than 4000 years of known history.

As I had mentioned in an earlier blog, my sister Loretta had joined Brion and I on this French vacation. For this segment of the trip we had rented an apartment in St Thibery to use as ‘home base’ during our time there. Many of these houses are from the 14th, 15th and 17th century. The apartment was quaint but adequate even having a roof top patio. What’s not to love, amidst the beautiful French vineyards, close to that blue Mediterranean. 

We spent about a week in St Thibery and it was there that the three of us made some special memories enjoying our leisure French brunches. In view of all the world crisis we are experiencing today, I cherish the many memories we have from our world travels in more peaceful times.

A few brunch options that I think are noteworthy and would like to share with you today are Bacon & Egg Croissants with Lime-Ginger Fresh Fruit, Peaches & Cream French Toast as well as Asparagus Cordon Bleu Crepes.


Print Recipe


Bacon & Egg Croissants/Lime-Ginger Fresh Fruit * Peaches & Cream French Toast * Asparagus Cordon Bleu Crepes

Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!

Course Brunch

Servings


Ingredients
Cheese Sauce

Bacon & Egg Croissants

Lime-Ginger Fresh Fruit

Peaches & Cream French Toast

Asparagus Cordon Bleu Crepes

Course Brunch

Servings


Ingredients
Cheese Sauce

Bacon & Egg Croissants

Lime-Ginger Fresh Fruit

Peaches & Cream French Toast

Asparagus Cordon Bleu Crepes

Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!


Instructions
Cheese Sauce
  1. In a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour, dry mustard salt & pepper. Add milk. Stir constantly over medium heat until mixture thickens & bubbles. Reduce heat to low & stir in cheese. Cook, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted. Keep warm.

Lime-Ginger Fresh Fruit
  1. In a saucepan, mix sugar & cornstarch. Stir in water. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Cook & stir until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in lime peel, lime juice & gingerroot.
    In a large bowl, gently toss prepared fruit. Pour lime mixture over fruit; gently toss. Cover & refrigerate until ready to serve.

Bacon & Egg Croissants
  1. Cook bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Split croissants, lay on a barely warm griddle to warm. In a saucepan, pour water to a 3" depth & bring to boiling. Reduce to simmering. Break an egg into a shallow dish; gently slip into water. Repeat with the remaining 3 eggs. Cook 2 -3 minutes. Remove eggs from water with a slotted spoon.

  2. Place 2 bacon slices on bottom half of each croissant then top with a poached egg. Ladle some cheese sauce over egg, placing croissant top on the side. Serve with side dishes of Lime-Ginger Fresh Fruit.

Peaches & Cream French Toast
  1. In a small bowl, whisk eggs & 3 Tbsp peach preserves. Beat in half & half. Place a single layer of bread slices in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Pour egg mixture over bread. Cover & refrigerate a few hours or overnight until most of the liquid is absorbed. In a small bowl, beat 1/3 cup peach preserves & 4 Tbsp softened margarine with an electric mixer on high until fluffy; set aside until ready to serve.

  2. At serving time, Heat griddle to medium-high heat; melt 2 Tbsp margarine. Add bread slices & cook until lightly browned, turning once. Serve French Toast topped with peach butter & fresh peach slices. Sprinkle with toasted almonds & powdered sugar.

Asparagus Cordon Bleu Crepes
  1. Prepare crepes (see recipe on 'French Crepe' blog from July 25/16). Trim asparagus spears. In a large saucepan, cook asparagus spears in boiling salted water just until tender-crisp; drain. Place a slice of ham on each crepe. Spread ham slice with mustard. Top with a slice of cheese, asparagus spears & tomatoes. Sprinkle with parsley & tarragon, as desired.

  2. Roll up crepes. In a 13 x 9-inch baking dish, place crepes seam-side down. Preheat oven to 375 F. In a medium saucepan, melt margarine; blend in flour, 1/2 tsp tarragon, salt & pepper. Whisk in half & half, stirring constantly over medium-high heat until mixture thickens & bubbles. Stir in sliced mushrooms. Pour sauce over crepes in baking dish. Bake 25 minutes or until heated through.


Recipe Notes
  • Lime-Ginger Fresh Fruit adapted from from pillsbury. com
  • Brunch ideas adapted from Pat Jester's Brunch Cookery (1979)