EJ Bowman House B&B

Covered Bridges of Lancaster County

2010-09-02T17:23:00.000-07:00

Lancaster County has some of the most picturesque and unique covered bridges in the country. Did you know that the first covered bridge in America was built in Pennsylvania Dutch Country? Although covered bridges are most associated with New England and Madison County, the Lancaster area has the largest number of covered bridges of any geographic area of its size in the world.

The early Pennsylvania bridge builders were not Pennsylvanians. Theodore Burr, of Connecticut, had the most influence on PA bridges. He developed and patented the design in 1817, which became the most widely used, the Burr Truss construction. This type of construction is also referred to as the Kingpost Arch. Almost all of the remaining bridges in Lehigh, Berks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Schuylkill, York, and Lancaster counties are of the Burr type.

The covered bridge has been called the "Kissing" bridge. Many people believe that two lovers should kiss while going through the bridge. We encourage our guests to follow this old dictum!
There is also the strongly held belief that the bridges are "wishing" bridges and that a wish made while traveling through one of the structures will come true.

Many people ask why the bridges were covered and several explanations have been put forth. Some believe that the bridges were covered to keep heavy snow from blocking passage. Others believe the covering made the bridge look like a barn thereby decreasing the fear of animals from crossing over the water. Yet others claim that the truss and roof added strength to the bridge, which would enable it to bear heavy loads. Finally, some believe that these structures made the bridge look impressive so the user would not feel the toll charge excessive.

The old covered bridges of Lancaster are declining in number. Once Lancaster County to boast of having over a hundred bridges, yet now it has fewer than 40. All too often they have been lost to fire, wind and ice storms. One of the bridges that crossed the Susquehanna was burned during the Civil War to prevent the Confederate troops from crossing the river.

So come to Lancaster County, take a tour of the bridges, have a picnic in the country and be sure to give your honey a kiss. It will be a memorable time for you!

More innspired recipes using this season's best peaches!

2009-07-23T17:36:00.000-07:00

Grilled Peaches with Raspberry Sauce and Creme Anglaise

Our guests love this dish and we know that you will too. Serve in the morning or as a wonderful fresh dessert after dinner. The Raspberry Sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated for a couple of days. The Creme Anglaise too should be made ahead and can be refrigerated for 1-2 days.

Grilled Peaches (serves 4)

4 freestone firm ripe peaches
1-2 Tablespoons butter.

Cut peaches in half. Melt butter on grill pan. When butter stops bubbling, place peaches cut side down on grill. Grill for 2-3 minutes, then make a one quarter turn and grill for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan.

Raspeberry Sauce

2 pints of fresh or frozen raspberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

Place 1 pint of raspberries in a small saucepan along with sugar and raspberry jam. Heat on medium low until sugar dissolves and sauce is bubbling. Cook for 5 minutes. Turn heat off and add in the remaining 1 pint of raspberries. Stir to distribute. Allow to come to room temperature before using.

Almond Creme Anglaise

2 cups of heavy cream
3 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup good quality almond liquor

In a medium saucepan, heat heavy cream just until bubbles start forming around the edge of the cream. Do not allow to boil. In the mean time, using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whisk eggs and sugar until the mixture is light and airy and sugar is completely dissolved. With mixer on the lowest speed, slowly pour in the warm cream and mix for 30 seconds. Return the mixture to the saucepan and over medium heat stir the creme anglaise until thick and the mixture covers the back of a wooden spoon. Do not bring to a boil or you will have scrambled eggs! Turn off heat and add in the almond liquor. Stir to evenly distribute. Pour into a container and refrigerate until ready to use.

2009-07-23T17:16:00.000-07:00

Peaches are just beginning to come in to the farmer's market and they are wonderful this year! Here are a couple of recipes that you might like.

Peach Coffee Cake

Topping:
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Cake:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
2 firm ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced into 8-10 slices each

Preheat oven to 350o. Grease and flour 9 inch square baking pan.
Using a food processor, make the topping by combining all ingredients except almonds. Pulse several times until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside in a medium bowl. Add in almonds.

To make the cake, combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. Using the same food processor bowl that you used for the topping, combine egg, melted butter, milk, vanilla and almond extract. Pulse several times or until mixture is smooth. Use a spatula to wipe down sides of bowl. Add in flour mixture. Pulse several times. Wipe down sides of processor bowl and continue to process until the mixture is smooth (30-45 seconds).

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange peach slices over batter in a pretty pattern. Top evenlywith crumble topping.

Bake until golden brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool for 20-30 minutes before slicing.