These recipes from Michael Salmon of Camden’s Hartstone Inn are sure to cool you off deliciously this summer! Of sorbet making, Michael has this to say:
“We serve a fruit sorbet at the Inn as a cleansing course before the entrée. Any fruit can be used for sorbet, you just need to consider the type of flesh or juice a fruit produces, and match it to one of these recipes. I use a simple electric ice cream machine that spins an insulated freezer bowl. You plug it in, pull the frozen freezer bowl out of your freezer and place it on the machine, place the lid on top turn it on and pour in the ingredients. In about 20 minutes you have sorbet. Transfer the sorbet to a plastic container with a lid and let it freeze for at least 2 hours to set up firm. ”
Hartstone Sorbet
Simple Syrup:
4 cups water
4 cups granulated sugar
Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a 4-quart saucepan, giving it a gentle stir every 30 seconds. Once the boil is reached, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. Use the simple syrup in the recipes below to prepare many different flavors of sorbet.
lemon sorbet image courtesy of foodnetwork.com
Continue reading “Summer Sorbets” »
Diver scallops in Maine are some of the best you will find anywhere in the world. The term “diver scallops” refers to a scallop that was harvested by an actual person doing the diving to the bottom of the ocean and hand harvesting usually only the larger specimens. This yields a much cleaner and more uniform product than the large and destructive draggers can conjure up. Diver scallops are also sold “dry,” which means they have not been soaked in water or a preservative to extend their shelf life.
seared scallops image: about.com
Continue reading “Seared Sea Scallops with Spring Pea Cream and Smoked Salmon” »
Chocolate lovers beware! Starting with a pistachio brownie crust and followed by a layer of rich chocolate ganache, chocolate ice cream and finally chocolate sauce, any chocoholic would be impressed. To hasten the process, a good-quality boxed fudge-brownie mix can be used with the addition of pistachios.
image: sweetandsaucy.files.wordpress.com
Continue reading “Pistachio and Chocolate Ganache Tart” »
I use a potato masher to create the coarse texture of my smashed potatoes. As for the chives, my kitchen herb garden provides me with fresh herbs — everything from rosemary and Italian parsley to sage and thyme. All of these herbs and many others complement the mild flavor of potatoes. Other flavorings I add to the potatoes are Parmesan cheese, smoked tomato puree, roasted garlic and caramelized red onions.
(image from myrecipes.com) Continue reading “Chive Smashed Potatoes” »
This fabulous recipe comes to us courtesy of Camden chef and innkeeper Michael Salmon of the Hartstone Inn.
Halibut Tapenade
Michael Salmon, In the Kitchen with Michael Salmon
Continue reading “Halibut Tapenade” »
Perfect for holiday snacking or to give as a gift, try Chef Michael Salmon’s recipe for crisp spiced nuts.
Continue reading “Crisp Spiced Nuts” »
Onion, Sage, and Olive Tartlets
Michael Salmon, Hartstone Inn
1 batch pastry dough
1 pound yellow onions (3 medium-sized onions), sliced
2 slices thick bacon, finely diced
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
2 to 3 teaspoons Balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
½ cup kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup heavy cream
1 large egg
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Continue reading “Onion, Sage, and Olive Tartlets” »
Potato and Leek Soup with White Truffle Oil
Michael Salmon, Hartstone Inn
½ pound leeks, white and light green parts only sliced (about 3 cups)
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup chopped yellow onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice (about 2½ cups)
4 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
Salt and white pepper to taste
4 teaspoons white truffle oil
1 Tablespoon coarsely chopped Italian parsley leaves
¼ cup crisp croutons
Thoroughly soak, wash, and drain the water from the leeks. In a 4-quart saucepan, melt the butter and saute the onions for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes and then add the leeks and cook for 4 more minutes.
Add the potatoes, chicken stock, bay leaf, and fresh thyme sprig. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprig. Puree the soup with either an immersion blender or a regular household blender until smooth. Adjust seasoning with salt and white pepper.
Ladle the soup into the desired serving bowls. Drizzle with the white truffle oil and sprinkle with the Italian parsley and croutons.
Serves 6.
Butternut Squash Soup with a Nutmeg Cream
Michael Salmon, Hartstone Inn
2½ pounds butternut squash, skin and seeds removed, roughly cut into ½-inch cubes
2 medium carrots, peeled and roughly cut into ½-inch cubes
2 Tablespoons canola oil
2 medium-sized yellow onions, peeled and roughly cut
1 stalk celery, roughly cut
1½ quarts chicken stock
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon thyme leaves
1½ teaspoons brown sugar, firmly packed
Salt and white pepper to taste
¼ cup whipping cream
1 dash freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and white pepper to taste
2 teaspoons chopped chives
¼ cup crisp croutons
Preheat the oven to 400°. Place the cut butternut squash and carrots on an oiled baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
Heat the oil in a large (4-quart) saucepan. Add the onions and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in roasted squash and carrots, celery, chicken stock, bay leaf, thyme and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer for about 30 minutes.
Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf. Blend the soup with either a handheld immersion blender or in a regular household blender until smooth. Season with salt and white pepper.
To serve, whip the cream to stiff peaks and season with nutmeg, salt and white pepper. Ladle soup into serving bowls and top with a dollop of whipped cream. Sprinkle with chopped chives and crisp croutons.
Serves 8.
In some of the fancy restaurants I have worked in over the years, we used to prepare this drink tableside with lots of theatrics. We would flame the alcohol with lights dimmed, and ladle the flames high into the air. Endless spirals of orange rind would cascade with rings of fire, and simultaneously, we’d release clouds of cinnamon that would sparkle as they crossed paths with the flames. What a show!
If you’re trying this at home, make sure to have a fire extinguisher nearby. Continue reading “Café Diablo” »
Spice up your breakfast plate with these flavor filled Italian sausages! Continue reading “Italian Breakfast Sausage” »
Dried apricots offer a wonderful alternative to the standard toast-based hors d’oeuvre. I use the herbed Boursin cheese in this recipe, but pepper-flavored Boursin can also be used if you like the extra heat. In addition, the cheese mixture is good on celery sticks, toast rounds, apple slices or hollowed-out cherry tomatoes. Continue reading “Dried Apricots with Boursin and Pistachios” »
Zucchini bread has always been one of my favorites. This recipe produces a moist cake, and the walnuts give it a great crisp texture. Thick slices of this zucchini bread can be dipped into beaten eggs and fried in butter creating a unique twist to French toast. Serve with pure maple syrup and freshly whipped cream. The zucchini bread batter can also be used to make muffins. Continue reading “Zucchini Bread” »
Cabernet sauvignon from Napa Valley, which is often blended with a little merlot, provides the necessary ripe, black, brambly fruit and rich velvety tannins that are needed to balance the flavor and texture of the steak.
Continue reading “Grilled Steak with Merlot-Mushroom Butter” »
With a last name of Salmon and an abundance of high-quality local fish by the same name, I had better be able to produce some unique dishes with this superior fish. The sweet potato combines so well with the salmon, forming a crisp crust with a little sweetness. The addition of wild Maine blueberries (much smaller and less sweet than those found in other areas of the country) adds a local twist to the dish while fully complementing the fish.
Continue reading “Sweet Potato-Crusted Salmon with a Blueberry Beurre Blanc” »
I frequently get sushi-quality tuna from the local seafood market, and tuna that fresh is hard to beat. A simple marinade of Caribbean dry spice and a quick sear in a hot pan yields a tender piece of tuna with a crisp exterior that is rare inside. The mango salad is made with fruit and vegetables cut into thin matchstick-sized strips known as julienne. A julienne cut is a standardized culinary knife cut for food products that measure ? x ? x 2 inches long.
Continue reading “Jerk-Seared Tuna with Mango Salad” »
I frequently get sushi-quality tuna from the local seafood market, and tuna that fresh is hard to beat. A simple marinade of Caribbean dry spice and a quick sear in a hot pan yields a tender piece of tuna with a crisp exterior that is rare inside. The mango salad is made with fruit and vegetables cut into thin matchstick-sized strips known as julienne. A julienne cut is a standardized culinary knife cut for food products that measure ? x ? x 2 inches long.
Continue reading “Jerk-Seared Tuna with Mango Salad” »
Gazpacho is a refreshing soup for a hot summer day. I usually make gazpacho one day in advance to allow the flavors in the soup to blend. The herbed sour cream enhances the soup with additional body and the Caribbean dry spice mix gives the soup a little zing. Maine summers are quite short, limiting the tomato growing season, so I focus on small varieties like sungold, red and yellow pears and small, red cherry tomatoes. These small tomatoes are perfect for garnishing the soup.
Continue reading “Chilled Summer Gazpacho with Herbed Sour Cream” »
Pasta dishes play a key role in the diets of many people, yet few of us actually prepare pasta from scratch. Dry pasta is very convenient and fresh pastas are now readily available at major supermarkets. Fresh pasta, however, is simple to make, and there is something utterly satisfying about eating pasta made by your own hands. In my Pasta Pasta Pasta cooking class, we begin by creating various flavored pasta doughs. Participants learn how to roll out the dough to create a wide variety of shapes from farfalle to fettuccine, and learn how to create filled pastas like ravioli and tortellini. I demonstrate the best way to cook fresh pasta and we finish the pasta dishes with various sauces and meats.
Continue reading “Spinach Fettuccine Puttanesca with Shrimp” »
Enjoying them in season, wild vegetables are wonderful. Fiddleheads are the top part of immature fronds from the ostrich fern. They are found in spring in the wet lowlands of Maine particularly near shaded rivers and creeks. Their flavor is similar to that of asparagus and they are cooked in a similar manner. Asparagus, fiddleheads, or haricot verts make nice green substitutions in this recipe, depending on the season.
Continue reading “Grilled Salmon Niçoise” »
