New Innkeeper at the Captain Freeman Inn on Cape Cod

Posted on March 20, 2012 by captainfreemaninn

The staff and owners of the Captain Freeman Inn are excited to welcome Shannon Lane as the new innkeeper and wedding planner at the Captain Freeman Inn in Brewster.

Shannon grew up on the Cape and is delighted to be returning to her old neighborhood in Brewster. She has a BA in Theater from UMass Amherst and can be seen here playing Nancy in a production of Oliver!

Shannon playing Nancy in a production of Oliver!

She has been planning both social and corporate events all across the country for Team Bonding and will be a wonderful asset in planning the events at the Freeman. Shannon is writing a historical based nautical mystery that will be presented as a weekend long Halloween event. Her favorite activities include hiking, kayaking, swimming, skiing, playing with her nephew Connor and of course her beloved Shakespeare.

Shannon is a delight to have on our team and she continues to bring smiles around the inn

Shown here walking behind the Captain Freeman inn with her nephew, Connor.

Forbes Magazine recommends the Captain Freeman Inn Cooking School as one of the best in New England

Posted on March 15, 2012 by captainfreemaninn

written by Donna Cain, Innkeeper and owner

Annie Fitzsimmons, travel writer for the Forbes magazine recently wrote an article on Cooking Schools in New England. The Captain Freeman Inn was chosen as one of the two best hotel cooking schools for this area. Annie feels that “the most popular lifelong learning opportunity that people seek out is arguably the cooking class. For some, it comes from a desire to throw together an easy dinner, while for others, a wish to indulge their inner Jean-Georges and learn some serious cooking techniques.For an incredible value at a charming New England B&B, Captain Freeman’s Inn on Cape Cod runs a cooking school during their quiet season, November-April.”

Chef Carol Edmondson, loved for her hands-on approach and delicious food, leads classes that explore different regions in Italy, as well as Cape Cod. You might learn to make fresh fig and goat cheese focaccia or shrimp grilled in prosciutto. One of the innkeepers favorite classes included fresh grilled tuna that was actually caught the day before the class and purchased from our favorite fish market, Nauset Fish and Lobster.

The classes have been a great success and include wine tasting and a delicious meal after of food made earlier in the class. Next year’s schedule is already in place with a wonderful assortment of cuisines from different regions of Italy. April’s class is appropriately called “April in Paris”and will include regions of Italy that have been influenced by French Cooking.

We feel so fortunate to have such a wonderful and talented chef leading our classes at the Captain Freeman Inn. Always look forward to tasting all of the delicious food and visiting with our wonderful guests that partake in the class.

Bon Apetite!

Winter in Provence cooking school at the Captain Freeman

Posted on January 16, 2012 by captainfreemaninn

by Donna Cain, Innkeeper/Owner

Cooking school at the Captain Freeman Inn

Executive chef, Carol Edmondson

We had a special treat this weekend with our professional chef, Carol Edmondson, conducting our Winter in Provence cooking school at the beautiful Captain Freeman Inn. Our theme this year is “Small Plates- Big Flavors” which falls in line with my New Year’s resolution to not deprive myself of good food but to eat smaller portions and to savor each bite. We always have plenty of food to satisfy all our guests with larger appetites.

Carol finalizes her menu last minute after she contacts her local markets and farms to see what is fresh and

Fresh Mushrooms

available. When I visited her on Friday she was prepping the food in the inn’s kitchen and as we were talking, she was carefully cleaning and artfully placing the fresh mushrooms in a basket for the Wild Mushroom Medley. Carol really loves food and it shows in her class. I am a history buff, and I am always intrigued as she weaves the history of each region into her recipes with food hints and demonstrations.

This weekend we explored Province, the Mediterranean heart of Southern France. Our menu included Olive Tapenade on Baguettes, Wild Mushrooms Saute, Duck Breasts Roasted with Honey Lavender Glaze, Salad Nicoise with Fresh Grilled Tuna, AssortedFrench Cheeses and then for dessert a delicious Rustic Tear Tart with Rosemary and Goat’s cheese…Mnnnnn

Students in our French Cookingclass

As I grow older I really appreciate fresh, well prepared food. One of my favorite restaurants is the acclaimed, Brewster Fish House, which is just up the street from the Captain Freeman. Their meals are light, beautifully prepared, and the flavors just burst in your mouth. Enjoying a nice glass of wine that truly compliments the food is my idea of a happy ending to any day on Cape Cod.

Duck Breasts Roasted with Honey LavenderGlaze

Well this meal was exactly that! The tuna was perfectly prepared, just seared on each side for a few minutes. The Nicoise salad was the perfect compliment with the tuna and the mushrooms. Now onto the duck. I have never been a duck fan and rarely order it when we go out, but this duck was delicious as well. It was seasoned with Herb D’Province seasoning and glazed with Honey. It was truly remarkable.

Finally it's time to eat!

Every good meal is deserving of a good glass of wine, and we always include wine tasting with our cooking school. My husband Byron loves to talk with the folks at Orleans Wine and Spirit. They certainly do know their wines and always have good suggestions when they know what type of foods we will be serving. This time we went with 2-whites , 2 reds and a delicious dessert wine afterwards, all French of course.

For those wine connoisseurs here’s our selection:

Eric Bonnet Muscat de Beaumes-de Veniise Saint Dominique Reserve

Chateau La ouche

Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine

Chateau Morillon-Saint-Emillion Grand Cru 2008 (my favorite)

Chateau Fabas Mourral

I am already looking forward to our next class which is on February 11th and will include foods from Florence and Siena. Just to give you a hint, this region celebrates beef and bread along with fruits and vegetables grown locally. Hearty pasta dishes like lasagna and potato gnocchi are popular. Risottos made with Carnaroli and Arborio rice are enhanced with mushrooms, and truffles are gathered and game hunted in local forests. Pumpkin and squashes are popular staples and wine grapes grow on hillside vineyards. Will be fun to see what Carol comes up with for this class.

Bon Appetit!

Carol’s Cooking School

Posted on December 17, 2011 by captainfreemaninn

From — Sunie Pope, Innkeeper Captain Freeman Inn

A few weekends ago Carol Edmondson, one of the many Innkeeper wonders of Cape Cod, held a cooking school at CFI. Small Plates – Big Flavors. Bellisimo Italia! Carol and her husband Tom owned CFI for several years before selling and moving into the real estate business of selling Inns.

What was on the menu, you may wonder? Last weekend Carol made warm lemon olives, fresh fig goat cheese focaccia, wild gulf shrimp roasted with herbs and prosciutto, butternut squash and sage carnaroli risotto and arancini.

The smells and laughter wafting from the CFI kitchen were so enticing, I’m surprised the whole town of Brewster didn’t pop by to see what was going on. LOL!

Carol’s straight forward baking practice and thorough knowledge of delicious food was terrific and her presence captivating both to the students and the kitchen itself. Most students stood by watching mesmerized and salivating while some got their hands dirty kneading dough, stirring rice, practicing knife skills, etc. It was quite entertaining for us all to participate. And a heck of a lot of fun!

After cooking and prepping, the guests took a break to soak in all their newly acquired information while we did some final preparations for the feast! And what a glorious feast it was! It’s always such a pleasure to eat something gourmet that you personally made (well, you and 13 others… even better!) Come visit us for some great cooking secrets and lots of laughter. Learn how to spice up that kitchen of yours in a matter of just a few hours.

Join us for the next cooking school on January 14th, 2012 En Francais. I recommend you book ahead, this weekend sold out rather quickly and I hadn’t even blogged about it!

Lemon Fairy Cakes

Posted on December 9, 2011 by captainfreemaninn

From — Sunie Pope Innkeeper, Captain Freeman Inn

Our creativity in the kitchen is at it’s peak on Fridays at CFI and BBTS because it’s CUPCAKE day!!! In case you haven’t noticed, we love our pastries at the Inn. How can you go wrong? Okay, so Lisa is a bit more mainstream in her baking, she loves to create recipes that will unquestionably be a hit (and every single one has been) and I prefer to work with ingredients that are a bit “off the cuff” (aka whole wheat and natural sweeteners). I’ve been working on creating recipes that are not an “acquired taste” and offer a dynamic flavor with the healthful addition. So, I’m sure you can imagine how much recipe testing and tasting goes on in the CFI kitchen. We have a lot of fun laughing, dancing, (disagreeing) and decorating. Haha.

So why cupcakes (or “Fairy Cakes” as the Brits say), you wonder? Have you not noticed the 2011 trend? Cupcakes are IN these days (yes, believe it or not we’re still aware of the fads out there even though we’re in the midst of the ocean). Have you been to a wedding lately? Couples are choosing cupcakes as an accompaniment to a small wedding cake. I’ve been asked to bake 300 cupcakes for a birthday/goodbye party next month. People are requesting them for every occasion all over the states. Why? My take is that they’re fast to serve and individually prepared, there is charm to the decoration of a cupcake, and each person that eats one feels special. A cupcake is a treat that was made just for you! Think about it, Pizza Hut came up with personal pan pizza years ago and that’s still a hit. Cupcakes are the same idea. Who doesn’t want something that was made just for them? Oh yes please! Plus, bakers can work with all sorts of sizes. At CFI we tend to stick to minis… the smaller the more you can eat, right?

Now there are millions of cupcake recipes out there. Why this recipe, you ask? I love LEMON (as do Abbi, Byron and Lisa). We go crazy over it! When I make something lemony, I have to hide it. Otherwise, the dessert is gone before I get a chance to put out a second helping for our guests. These lemon cupcakes are simple, elegant and oh so moist. Plus, one of our guests took a bite and immediately asked for the recipe. To me, that means time to share!

LEMON FAIRY CAKES

serves 24

3 c flour (2 parts white, 1 part whole wheat pastry)

1 T baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 c unsalted butter, room temp

2 c sugar (or 1 1/2 c agave nectar)

4 large eggs, room temp

grated lemon zest from 3 lemons

2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice (or more if you really like lemon, like me)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 c buttermilk

lemon curd

1. Over preheat to 325 degrees

2. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt

3. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy with an electric mixer.

4. Add eggs one at a time.

5. Beat in zest and vanilla.

6. Slowly add flour mixture, do not overmix.

7. Fill cupcake tin 3/4 full.

8. Bake for 25 min.

9. Once cooled, dent center with knife and fill with lemon curd as desired.

MASCARPONE FROSTING

4 T softened butter

8 oz (1 c) mascarpone cheese

2 1/2 – 3 c white powdered sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. lemon zest

1. With a mixer, cream butter and cheese.

2. Add lemon juice and zest.

3. Slowly add sugar until you find the consistency you desire.

4. Drizzle frosting over cupcakes and top with lemon zest.

You really could use any sort of frosting recipe. I found the mascarpone complimented the tart lemon really well, but a buttercream frosting will give them more of a festive look. Add a little more lemon zest on top and you’ll be sure to put a smile on everyone’s face.

Good luck! And have fun! Of course, if you’d rather not bake but love lemon as much as I do, feel free to request these next time you’re here. Brewster Bed and breakfast at your service!

Brewster for the Holidays

Posted on December 3, 2011 by captainfreemaninn

From — Sunie Pope Innkeeper, Captain Freeman Inn

Let the Holiday Festivities begin! There certainly is no snow on the ground (just yet), it’s been so warm, but we sure are ready for it!

You may recall reading about Brewster for the Holidays on this blog not too long ago; this weekend it is taking place. The shops are open and the cookies are baked. Things are deliciously busy (for Cape Cod’s off-season, that is).

At The Captain Freem an Inn we hosted tours for the public to come view the renovations we’ve made over the year, including our lovely new sitting room!

Donna and Byron went on a Christmas decorating frenzy, and they sure know how to decorate! The Inn is just beautiful, filled with so many reds and greens and whites. What a great way to get into the Christmas Spirit. Can you believe it’s already December?

Visitors came piling in for chocolate truffles from Brewster Sweets, cinnamon dusted eggnog and our delicious Christmas cookies. Lisa baked sweet gingerbread cookies and crispy sugar cookies.

We spent the day giggling and decorating the little men and reindeer yesterday. Oh yes, we got a little creative!

Us ladies put on our antlers and headed out into the crowds of Brewster-folk to mix and mingle. So much laughter and cheer on Cape Cod year round. Tomorrow is the final day of the festival, so head on over. Join in on the fun by purchasing a raffle ticket to win over $1000 in coupons at all the local shops in Brewster! The Chamber of Commerce has put a lot of effort into Brewster for the Holidays. And it always shows well.

Happy Holidays! Yes, we’re still open to guests. We look forward to welcoming you to our Bed and Breakfast soon.

Maple Walnut Bars

Posted on November 19, 2011 by captainfreemaninn

From — Sunie Pope, Innkeeper Captain Freeman Inn

If you’re anything like me, you’re thrilled for Thanksgiving! FAMILY TIME!!! And it’s also my time for a mini-vacation from all the cooking, believe it or not… My multi-talented aunt hosts a glorious meal with wonderfully cheery guests at her home in New Jersey.

Do you have guests coming this week or perhaps you need to bring something to your Thanksgiving buffet? I have just the recipe!

About a month ago I stumbled upon a Maple Walnut Bar recipe that I’ve tweaked and baked in honor of autumn, my favorite season. Days later, one of our guests contacted us. She couldn’t stop thinking about these delectable treats and had to have the recipe. She said, (and I quote) “I died and went to heaven on them!!” And what better time to share an EASY recipe than a few days before Thanksgiving, when you’re rushing to get things done and aren’t so sure how that dessert is going to hold up this year… Good luck!

These maple walnut bars are begging you to give them a try. They’re very easy, straight-forward and quite delicious! Plus, it’s partially sweetened with maple syrup – so you can feel a little better about your choices for your health!

Bars:
2 c flour (1 part white, 1 part whole wheat pastry)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 c light brown sugar
1/2 c salted butter, softened
1 c pure maple syrup
1 large egg
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 c (4 oz) walnuts, chopped

1. Combine flour and soda, mix well.

2. Electric mix sugar, butter then add maple syrup, egg and vanilla on high, until creamy.
3. Slow mixer’s speed and add flour mixture and walnuts, be careful not to over mix.
4. Pour batter into greased 8″ x 8″ baking pan and smooth out.
5. Bake at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes.
6. Cool in pan for 15 min.
7. Remove from pan and cool completely before icing.

Frosting:
1/2 c salted butter, softened
2 oz cream cheese, softened
1 T light brown sugar
3 T pure maple syrup
1/4 c + 2 T confectioner’s sugar
walnut halves

1. Cream butter and cream cheese with electric mixer at high speed.
2. Add brown sugar and maple syrup, until smooth.
3. Slow speed and add confectioners’ sugar.
4. Return to high speed and mix until smooth. (I found it was not nearly thick enough, so I added an additional cup of confectioners’ sugar.)
5. Once bars are completely cooled, spread frosting on and top with a walnut!

You and everyone else you’re feeding will love them! Give this recipe a whirl and let me know what you think!

If you don’t bake, I guess you’ll just have to make your way to The Captain Freeman Inn to taste these goodies. Be sure to mention them when you make the reservation!

Oh, and if you come for my high tea‘s, let me know you want these and I’ll be sure they’re on the menu.

Any requests for a recipe you’ve been dying to try but haven’t found the right one or are too afraid to try first? I’m ready! Just ask! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

For those of you still looking for a place to go for this wonderful holiday, think about making a last minute booking with us. At our bed and breakfast, you will be treated like Kings and Queens with delicious breakfasts and relaxing scenery.

Captain Freeman Inn on Cape Cod

Cape Cod Experiences from a Bed and Breakfast viewpoint