cover image Bed and Breakfast Cookbook

Bed and Breakfast Cookbook

Martha Watson Murphy. Stemmer House Publishers, $35 (276pp) ISBN 978-0-88045-046-1

The saying ``People travel on their stomachs'' rings true, judging from this luscious book for anyone who enjoys B & B's--or breakfast. Bed & breakfasts, now popular alternatives to staying at stuffy and stodgy ``chain'' lodgings, ideally offer the comforts of home and the chance to relish someone else's cooking. Murphy, herself a B & B proprietor, here yields a dozen of her own recipes while giving equal billing to 147 other American contributors in an appealing collection of lore and instruction. Chapters cover beverages, fruits, cereals, pancakes, waffles, French toast, crepes, eggs and other breakfast and teatime staples. Most dishes are simple enough but finished with extra-special ingredients to make them memorable. For example: plain fruit salad is served in individual pastry cups, topped with a sweet sauce laced with Galliano; a basic quick bread is filled with chunks of fresh mango. Emphasizing ease of preparation, Murphy's tips for B & B operators could apply well to any host who must feed a gathering. Color photos. Better Homes & Gardens Cook Booksic main selection. (Oct.)