We are happy to have Karla Jones Seidita, owner of Cheesecake Farms in Virginia’s Hunt Country, about 50 miles from Washington D.C., join the Virginia Eats + Drinks family as a regular contributor. Here she shares the history of a traditional Virginia Hunt Country breakfast and a menu that she offers up at her bed and breakfast. Be sure to click on the link for Karla’s recipe for her savory Kale Bread Pudding, great for your holiday breakfasts.
The text is an excerpt from Karla’s upcoming “The Secret of the Antique Chine, A Bed & Breakfast Cook Book – Mystery Novel”
Welcome to our very special, classic Virginia Hunt Breakfast! I hope you’re all hungry!
Before we get down to the serious business of eating, I’d like to give you a little background about the tradition of fox hunting. The sport of fox hunting comes to us from the British Isles where farmers, eons ago, mounted their horses and grabbed their shot guns to cull maundering packs of wild foxes that killed their grazing livestock.
Over time, the guns were left at home and what was once a necessary chore morphed into the winter sport of fox hunting. Gentlemen dressed in red coats and top hats would ride astride while ladies in elegantly skirted frocks would ride side saddle. Well cared for horses with their impeccably dressed riders dotted the bucolic countrysides. Hunting horns blared their traditional call to hounds as the yapping dogs, eager to chase, pulled away from the pack. Hoofs pounded the ground as rushes of wind helped the horses fly over every jump and coup. It was, and still is, a gorgeous, exciting sight!
Today, in Virginia, gentlemen in red coats still ride astride but now the ladies ride astride, too. A few ladies still carry on the tradition of riding side saddle but most prefer the security of riding astride and the comfort of britches and jodhpurs instead of skirted frocks. The top hat is just about gone as riders today choose the safety of a hard hat fashioned in jockey cap style.
Gathering for a hearty breakfast after the hunt is the traditional way Virginians share friendship, good food and tall stories about the morning’s ride. Bourbon flows freely at every hunt breakfast because, in Virginia, bourbon is a food group. The Hunt Breakfast is southern hospitality at its finest and a celebration of the best food you will ever have this side of the Mason-Dixon Line. Enjoy!
SOUTHERN STYLE, HORSE COUNTRY, SUNDAY MORNING
HUNT BREAKFAST MENU
Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
Sparkling Virginia White Wine Mimosas
Bourbon Hot Toddies
Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake
Skewers of Fresh Pineapple and Kiwi with Homemade Vanilla Yogurt
Thinly Sliced, Rare Roast Beef au jus with Horseradish and Mustard
Bubbling Brunswick Stew
Shrimp and Cheesy Grits
Quiche of Bacon, Swiss and Onion
Sticky Bun French Toast
Roasted Winter Garden Vegetables
Gratin of Potatoes
Hot Biscuits with Mushroom Cream Gravy
Kale Bread Pudding
NOTE: For Karla’s recipe for Kale Bread Pudding, click HERE [LINK]
Cherry Tomatoes Vinaigrette
Champagne and Green Grape Gelled Salad
Homemade Pickled Watermelon Rind
Carrot, Cauliflower and Red Bell Pepper Giardiniera
Grandma’s Summer Garden Bread & Butter Pickles
Coconut Layer Cake
Bourbon and Chocolate Pecan Pie
Old Fashioned Cheesecake
Brewed, Micro-Roasted Coffee
Estate Grown Tea
For more information on Cheesecake Farms visit their website HERE [LINK]
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