Hannibal's Steampunk Festival
My son, Carver, and I arrived late Friday night 2 weeks ago for the Hannibal MO Steampunk Festival. ย If I had know what an incredible venue Rockcliffe Mansion was, I would have hustled my bustle over there hours earlier. ย I picked this B&B because of its close proximidy to the festival as well as its Victorian era charm.ย
Hannibal's Crown Jewel: Rockcliffe Mansion B&B
There are several things that make Rock Cliff a historical wonder. ย First of all, the mansion stood completely deserted for over 40 years. ย Then when it was reclaimed, days before demolition, it was operated as a museum. ย
Rockcliffe Mansion Details
The architectural details are mind blowing at the Bed and Breakfast. ย The table below (original to the house) was hand carved in Florence Italy shortly after the owner saw one exactly like it at the St. Louis 1904 World's Fair.
ย Most Favorite...
Ok... let's just take a moment here because I have to tell the #1 most awesomest amazing thing I experienced at this darling B&B. ย Don't laugh. ย It was nearly a religious experience... ย The Shower. ย
I'm not kidding. ย Yes, Juan is an excellent cook and as delicious as the breakfast was, and as delightful as our hosts were... the shower totally did it for me! ย First off, it's 117 freaking years old!!! ย The only other time I've experienced water pressure of this magnitude was in Las Vegas in a deluge shower at the spa at the Winn Hotel. ย Second of all, it's so high! ย I stretched my arms straight up and I couldn't touch it and I'm 5'9"! ย It was like diving into a pool straight up into the sky. ย So cool. ย Best shower of my life. ย No joke.
Bed and Breakfast
In addition to staying in an elegant room with a great shower, we were also treated to a 3 course breakfast: a yogurt parfait, fruit plate, and sausage, ham, potatoes, and egg frittata. ย
In the evenings, we were invited to a reception on the porch with the other guests where we were treated to wine and cheese as we looked over the town of Hannibal and the Mississippi.
Put it on the calendar!
The bed and breakfast is open from March to November 15 and I highly recommend that you look at your calendars now and plan at least a 3 day excursion to Hannibal and stay at Rock Cliff. ย
This week's recipe: Homemade Yogurt
In the spirit of clever Victorian engineering ingenuity, I'm sharing my Sous Vide Yogurt recipe below. ย Making yogurt in the sous vide is a easy and fun. ย It takes awhile, but it's worth it to have your own homemade yogurt. ย Since it's fresh, it lasts for about 3-4 weeks in the fridge unopened.
Sous Vide Yogurt
This recipe was inspired by my stay at Rock Cliff Mansion in Hannibal MO in September 2017. ย Each morning we ate a delicious 3 course breakfast in the opulent dining room. ย The 1st course was always a yogurt parfait served in a exquisite gold rimmed stemmed glass. ย | www.lakesidetable.com
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours 8 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
- 8 cups whole milk
- 8 tablespoons yogurt starter or plain greek yogurt with live yogurt cultures
- 8 Earl Grey tea bags optional
- Equipment
- Sous Vide
- 4 mason jars with lids
Instructions
-
Fill sous vide with water and set temperature to 180.
-
Put 1 cup milk and a tea bag in each mason jar. ย Screw the lids on tightly. ย Make sure you leave room to stir in 1 tablespoon yogurt.
-
Put the mason jars into the sous vide. ย Once the temperature has reached 180, let them remain in the bath for 45 minutes.
-
Lower the sous vide temperature to 110F. ย Once the temperature has been reached, let the jars stay in the water for 15-30 minutes.*
-
Take the jars out of the water, take out the tea bags and discard. ย Stir in 1 tablespoon yogurt or yogurt starter in each jar. ย Seal the lids back on the jars and put them back in the water bath.
-
Increase the temperature to 115F and incubate yogurt for 12-24 hours.**
-
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Recipe Notes
*To cool the water faster, I pour out some of it and replace it with tap water.
**The longer the yogurt is incubated the thicker it will be.
Yogurt is fun to play around with all sorts of flavorings. ย Try different teas, cinnamon, vanilla bean, or cardamon pods. ย Or keep it plain and add honey, granola and berries when you sit down to enjoy it.
Nutrition Facts
Sous Vide Yogurt
Amount Per Serving (1 cup)
Calories 0
% Daily Value*
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
Potassium 0mg0%
Vitamin A 0IU0%
Vitamin C 0mg0%
Calcium 0mg0%
Iron 0mg0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Mada says
Great recipe!
Dottie says
Did you find a fun or interesting restaurant in Hannibal?
Madalaine says
YES! There is a darling Lebanese restaurant called LaBinnah. It's excellent!!! It's in an old Victorian home and the owner/chef lives upstairs. It's very small, only 14 tables. He closes at 9pm. Carver and I walked in at 8:50pm and he sat us himself and our food was served quickly. It was delicious! I had a shrimp dish and Carver had a large pork chop. Both were very good! There's also a darling Chocolatier on Main Street. They have good coffees, tons of chocolates, and ice cream. I hope you get a chance to go. ๐