Growing up in Boothbay Harbor, Margaret McLellan’s parents gave her two choices: she could either spend the summer helping her father on his commercial fishing boat or helping her mother at her bed & breakfast. She chose the latter. Helping to bake muffins and pastries early in the morning, she was bitten by the baking bug. While studying the language in Germany, she fell in love with Europe. After her studies ended, she decided to stay on and landed an apprenticeship as a pastry chef at an Austrian hotel. Her immersion into the culinary world was deepened by courses at the Cordon Bleu in London and Paris.

Raised in family of commercial fishermen and lobsterman, she says handling the tasty crustaceans is second-nature to her. "If you’re a Mainer who grew up on the coast, you naturally know how to cook seafood."

Margaret (right), with First Lady Karen Baldacci (and one of her Springer Spaniels), and Margaret’s son/Sous Chef

Unlike the other chefs at this year’s Maine Lobster Chef of the Year competition, Margaret doesn’t work in a restaurant. As a corporate chef at Native Maine Produce and Shucks Lobster, she oversees HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) training, new product development, and customer education. She is, however, available for catering and says she would happily recreate her award-winning dish for lucky clients.

Maine Lobster Purse with Wild Maine Complements and Pea Shoot Salad

Crepes
1 cup Aroostock flour
Pinch of Maine sea salt
3 large Dorothy Egg Farm eggs
1¼ cup Smiling Hill Farm milk
4 Tablespoons Kate’s Homemade Salted butter, melted
1 Teaspoon Back River Farm tarragon, minced

Place flour and salt in a bowl, and create a well in center. Whisk eggs and milk together and pour into well. Whisk together and then add in butter. Whisk out all lumps until smooth. Add tarragon. Heat an 8-inch Teflon crêpe pan. Spray with non-stick spray, then use a 1-ounce ladle to pour batter into the center of the crêpe pan. Rotate in a circular motion to cover the bottom of pan evenly with batter. Cook 30-45 seconds to set batter. Flip and cook another 15 seconds. Place nice side down on parchment paper or paper towel. Repeat steps for remaining crêpes. Hold in a covered container in refrigerator.

Lobster filling
2 pounds uncooked Maine lobster claw and knuckle meat
¼ pound of Kate’s Homemade salted butter
1 Tablespoon cold water
2 Tablespoon Mystique Farm creamy goat cheese
1 teaspoon Maine sea salt

Heat butter at medium heat, whisk in water to make an emulsion. Add lobster meat. Poach at medium heat for 5-6 minutes. Drain off about half of the butter. Let cool to room temperature, stirring in the goat cheese, being careful not to break the lobster meat. Set aside.

First Maine Complement
1 large Green Thumb Farms potato
¼ pound Kate’s Homemade salted butter, melted
1 teaspoon Maine sea salt

Peel, wash, and slice in paper thin rounds on a mandolin. Toss in the butter until coated, arrange on a Silpat lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and bake at 350? about 40 minutes until crisp. Hold at room temperature.

Second Maine Complement
2 pounds Crown of Maine heirloom Chantenay carrots
2 Tablespoons Gorenson Farm pure maple syrup
2 Tablespoons Smiling Hill Farms heavy cream
¼ cup Kate’s Homemade salted butter

Peel carrots and run through a juicer. Place in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove the layer of foam that rises to the top. Simmer for 12-15 minutes until juice is reduced to about ½ cup. Add maple syrup, whisk in until smooth. Whisk in the cream and reduce until amount before cream. Incorporate butter in small pieces one at a time. Whisk in. Cool slightly. Pour into a blender and blend until emulsified. Hold at room temperature until ready to use.

Pea Shoot Salad
1 pound Olivia’s Garden pea shoots
½ cup Back River Farms truffle mustard dressing
Toss lightly.

Assembly
Divide the lobster mixture into center of each crêpe, fold the edges of the crêpes into each other to make a bundle. Place seam side down on a lightly greased sheet pan. Bake 10 minutes in a 300? oven. Arrange a tight center of each plate with pea shoot salad. Place a potato crisp in the center of the salad. Spoon or carefully pour the Chantenay carrot purée around the edge of the plates. Place a lobster purse in the center of the potato crisp. Top with a few sprigs of the remaining pea shoot salad. Garnish the plate with a few Maine blueberries.

Serves 8.

From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.