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Photo by Kip Dawkins
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Photo by Kip Dawkins
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Photo by Kip Dawkins
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Photo by Kip Dawkins
"If you have a skill in our family," says Richmonder Laura Morand Bailey of Ettamae's Café, "it'll get utilized." Her sister-in-law, Tara Morand, painted the restaurant's sign out front. Laura and her sister, Jenny Morand, designed the interior. And her brother, Matthew, is the man behind the food. Along with their father, Paul, together they own the restaurant they named after their grandmother, Ettamae Rivers.
Matthew began his cooking career at DuJour, working as sous chef to Rob Hamlin. Over the years, he's done stints at Park Avenue Grill, Hermitage Grill and the 2300 Club, as well as six years cooking in New York City.
Teacakes and homemade bread, meatloaf and oven-braised corned beef form the foundation of a menu that looks back to the best of the past without getting bogged down by it. The realities of the kitchen determine what kind of food Matthew makes as well. With just a convection oven and induction burners, he's forced to get creative. "We're always extending ourselves and not letting limitations stop us," he says. "It's about finding a way to do it and do it without burning the place down."
Stuffed French Toast
To do it Chef Matthew Morand's way, you'll need to make your bread the night before. If you don't have that kind of time, you can substitute artisan white bread bought from a bakery. The berry filling can also be prepared the night before. (Serves 8)
8 slices of Amish white bread
1 cup of softened cream cheese
Blueberry filling (see recipe below)
1 teaspoon of salt
2 bananas, sliced thinly
8 eggs
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 cup of heavy cream
1 tablespoon of butter
1/4 cup of confectioner's sugar (to garnish)
Maple syrup (to taste)
Spread the cream cheese on all eight bread slices. On four of the bread slices, spread blueberry filling on top of the cream cheese, followed by a layer of banana slices. Create sandwiches by placing the four plain cream-cheese slices atop the berry-and-banana slices. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl, and stir in cream, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and sugar.
Dredge the chilled sandwiches through the batter mixture, making sure to coat both sides. Melt the butter in a large skillet. When hot, add the sandwiches. Cook one minute on each side or until golden-brown.
Cut the sandwiches into fourths on the diagonal. Place the four pieces of each sandwich on a plate with their points up. Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve with maple syrup.
Blueberry filling
16 ounces of frozen wild blueberries
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup, plus 1 tablespoon of water
1/2 cup of cornstarch
In a large skillet, cook the blueberries, the sugar and 1/2 cup of the water on medium to high heat until the blueberries soften and the sugar is dissolved. Combine the cornstarch with a tablespoon of water in a small cup, add to blueberry mixture, and stir and cook until mixture becomes very thick. Reduce heat to low and cook about one minute more. Remove from the heat and let mixture cool completely. Use right away or store in the refrigerator.
Amish White Bread Recipe
1/2 cup of white sugar
1 tablespoon of salt
2 1/2 cups of warm water
4 tablespoons of vegetable or olive oil
6 cups of bread flour
3 tablespoons of instant yeast
In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the sugar, salt and water until the dry ingredients dissolve completely. Add the oil and stir with the mixer on the No. 4 setting. Add 3 cups of the flour, and then add yeast, turning the mixer down to the No. 3 setting. Add the remaining flour, one cup at a time, with the mixer set at its lowest speed. The dough will form into a ball and come clean from the sides of the mixing bowl. If the dough is too sticky, add a little flour and mix for a moment more. If the dough is too firm, add water, a few drops at a time, and mix until the proper texture is achieved.
Add an additional tablespoon of oil to a large bowl; place the dough ball inside, and coat one side of it with the oil. Flip, so that the other side is now in the oil. Cover the bowl with a damp cotton towel or plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for one hour or until it has doubled in size.
Spray two loaf pans with cooking spray. Set aside.
On a floured surface, punch down the dough and divide it in half. Roll each portion into a rectangle shape first, and then roll it into a tube shape and place into the loaf pans. Cover with a damp cotton cloth and leave in a warm place to rise for 40 minutes to an hour.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Remove the cloth and bake for 30 minutes, until the tops are golden-brown.
Grilled Tomato & Collards Benedict
Collard greens can be made the night before and reheated the next day. (Serves 4)
4 English muffins
8 tomato slices
1 teaspoon of butter
2 teaspoons of white vinegar
2 cups heated collard greens (recipe below)
8 eggs
Hollandaise sauce (see recipe below)
Fork-split and toast the English muffins. Fill a shallow saucepan with two or three inches of water and bring just to a boil, adding 2 teaspoons of white vinegar. Turn the heat down so that the water is barely simmering. Carefully crack a fresh egg into the water and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, removing with a slotted spoon. Melt the butter in a hot skillet and grill the tomatoes on each side. Place a grilled tomato slice, a tablespoon of collards and one poached egg on each English-muffin half. Place two halves on each plate and drizzle with hollandaise sauce. Serve with fresh fruit.
Collard Greens
2 large bunches of collard greens, rinsed well
4 cloves of garlic
1 small julienned onion
1/2 cup of brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
6 whole peeled tomatoes, diced
1 cup of red wine vinegar
2 cups of water
Remove leaves from the stems of the collard greens, discarding them. Chop the leaves and set aside.
In a large pot, cook the garlic and onions briefly. Add the sugar, red pepper, tomatoes, vinegar and water, and bring to a boil. Put as many collards as will fit in the pot, mashing down if you have to, and place a lid on top of the pot. As it cooks down, you can add any leftover greens. Cook for one hour, until the greens are very tender, stirring occasionally with tongs. If you are making the greens the night before, allow them to cool completely before storing in the refrigerator. The next day, heat the collards before adding to the eggs Benedict.
Hollandaise Sauce
4 egg yolks
2 cups of hot melted butter (2 sticks)
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
2 dashes of hot sauce
2 tablespoons of water
In a blender, whirl the yolks, lemon juice and hot sauce on high. While blending, slowly drizzle in the butter until the mixture is thick. Thin with water and spoon over the eggs.
Banana Crumb Muffins
A classic addition to the brunch table.
(Makes 10 muffins)
3 ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cups of white sugar
1 egg, beaten lightly
1/3 cup of melted butter
1/3 cup of brown sugar, packed
1/8 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon of butter
1 1/2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons, of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 10 muffin cups (or line with paper muffin liners).
In a large bowl, mix the baking soda, baking powder, salt and 1 1/2 cups of flour. In another bowl, beat together the bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture until the batter is moistened, without over-mixing. Spoon the batter into prepared muffin cups. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of the flour and the cinnamon. With a pastry blender or two forks, cut in the butter. Sprinkle on top of the batter in the muffin cups. Bake 12 to 14 minutes until the tops are golden.
The Aurora
This quick and easy champagne drink is named after one of Ettamae's great-granddaughters. (Serves 1)
1 slice of fresh lemon
2 slices of fresh oranges (blood oranges are nice and look pretty)
Splash of orange juice
1 jigger of Feirreira tawny port
Wycliff Vineyards champagne (to top the glass)
In a chilled glass, add one lemon slice, one orange slice and a splash of orange juice. Carefully muddle these ingredients in the bottom of the glass until all of the citrus is released. Add a jigger of port. Fill the rest of the glass with champagne. Garnish with the remaining orange slice. Your drink should turn out a rosy pink on top and a pretty orange on the bottom.
