Your Carolina Inn

We stayed for two nights while attending new student orientation at UNC - the room was perfect, staff friendly and helpful. The breakfast was wonderful - fresh fruit, yummy oatmeal, as well as eggs, breakfasts meats, etc. This has quickly become my favorite hotel. June 2009 TripAdvisor Review

Click here to read a recent article featured in the travel section of The New York Times on Sunday, June 14th.  J.J. Goode highlights fun cultural things to do and a variety of dining and lodging options in the Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill area, including a highlight on The Carolina Inn. Goode refers to RTP as "a place marked by more than college bars and hoops fans."  Visitors aren't just bound to  our universities.

The Bolshoi Ballet, one of the worlds' most renowned dance companies, is in town performing Swan Lake and Don Quixote with the NC Symphony June 10th-14th at Memorial Hall.  This ballet company rarely tours: in the past two years they've appeared only in London, Paris and Amsterdam and their tour this summer only includes three stops in the United States: Memorial Hall in Chapel Hill, NC, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and UC Berkeley in California. 

Memorial Hall is only steps away from the Carolina Inn and has hosted world-class performers since its opening in 1931.  Emil Kang, Executive Director of the Arts, explains what it means to Carolina to have the Bolshoi Ballet performing in Chapel Hill for the first time.  It is evident that Chapel Hill is part of a vibrant, cultural area and has become a leading place in the state to showcase international and national cultural events. 

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Seasonal fresh berries from the garden provide the perfect flavors for a summer dessert. I'd like to share one of my favorite summer recipes, a refreshingly cool and sweet dessert, which was recently featured in Summer 2009 Issue of the Triangle Gardener.

Coeur a la Crème with Chambord "Spiked" Berries

12 oz. cream cheese
¾ c. confectioner's sugar
4 oz. cottage cheese
Zest of 1 lemon
2/3 c. whipping cream - whip until stiff peaks

Cream cream cheese and sugar in mixer until smooth. Add cottage cheese and lemon zest. Fold in whipped cream until all ingredients are incorporated.

Line molds* with cheesecloth. Spoon mixture into molds and fold top of cheesecloth over mold. Let sit overnight. This will let any excess moisture drain out. Take out of mold and remove cheesecloth. Serve with berries.
Makes 4-6 servings. * Coeur a la crème molds can be found at reputable kitchen stores.

Chambord "Spiked" Berries

½ pt. strawberries
½ pt. blueberries
½ pt. blackberries
½ c. sugar
2Tbls. Chambord liqueur

Toss together all ingredients. Let sit 30 minutes. Serve over Coeur a la crème.

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