The Big Burger

The best way to serve burgers is to put all the toppings on the table and let diners assemble their own just as they like it.

Stir-Fried Egg Noodles with Beef and Broccoli

Stir-Fried Egg Noodles with Beef and Broccoli
Noodles Every Day, Corinne Trang

Egg noodles with beef and broccoli is a Chinatown restaurant classic, made with either Chinese or Western broccoli, depending on the cook’s preference. Fresh round egg noodles about the size of spaghetti are used here. Although they are called fresh, the thick egg noodles known as dan mian (literally “egg noodle”) are precooked and do not need to be boiled for this recipe. Seasoned with soy sauce, oyster sauce, and Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine), this is a hearty dish. If you cannot find fresh dan mian, feel free to use the dried version of this noodle or thinner fresh or dried ramen. If you use ramen, you might want to cut the beef into strips to balance the textures.

Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade

Tidal Falls Lobster Kettle in Hancock has numerous claims to fame, including superb lobsters and a truly knockout view, but their amazingly delicious homemade lemonade might in and of itself be enough to get me there. Biggish chunks of lemon rind make all the difference.

Smoked Corn in the Husk with Hot Pepper Herb Butter

If you make lots of this recipe, cut the excess corn off the cob, place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. The smoked corn can be added to dips, soups, and stews.

Maine Events Calendar: July 2009

Let's hope the sun begins to shine in Maine with the beginning of a new summer month! Rain, rain, go away. There are several events, as always, to take in and enjoy all over the state. If you have something you'd like to add to our July events calendar, please forward it to blog@mainefoodandlifestyle.com

Stuffed Crab Shells

Called cua farci in Vietnamese, these stuffed crab shells make for an excellent appetizer or a light meal when served with a salad on the side. The dish reflects a French influence: The word farci is French for “stuffed,” for example, and the dish contains butter. But it is very much Vietnamese in flavor and texture. After you have enjoyed Atlantic blue crabs or small stone crabs (with black claws) in other dishes, scrub the shells and save them to make this dish. Otherwise, you can use individual soufflé dishes or ramekins.

Perfect Picnic on Monhegan (Conclusion)

The perfect picnic isn't complete without divine desserts and complementary spirits. Here are a few suggestions to finish off the idyllic day on the island. Beverage suggestions follow recipes.

Perfect Picnic on Monhegan (Part 2)

Here are a couple more sides to add to your picnic basket. Delicious, simple, and perfect to pack for your day trip over to the island.

Perfect Picnic on Monhegan (Part 1)

IF there is a better moment in time to visit Monhegan Island, I cannot imagine what it is. When the last of the lilacs bloom coincides with the lupine show, it's pure magic.

It's no wonder that the island continues to spawn generation after generation of artists...locals and rusticators alike. Not having any real connections to Monhegan, a day tripper like myself must be content to spend a full and glorious day or two hiking, and give careful consideration to one's own provisions.

Rockland Throwdown: Lynn Archer vs. Bobby Flay

Amidst circulating rumors of a Food Network cooking event in Rockland's Buoy Park, a tip-off from a reliable source prompted us to investigate. We were completely unprepared for the event which would unfold!

Lynn Archer, chef and proprietor of Rockland's Brass Compass Cafe arrived a little before noon, clad in leather, on her motorcycle. Friends and family who had been issued invitations to this private event gathered around a tent, where there was a definite air of anticipation. Clearly, something would soon be cooking!

A party atmosphere filled the small gathering. Lynn began with a message of grateful thanks for being blessed by all the good things about small town America, including the tremendous support of a close-knit community.

She then began a cooking demonstration: making bread, shucking lobster, and with great humor and rapport with her audience, began making her signature Lobster Club BLT. As she finished getting her ingredients prepared, who walks into the tent but Bobby Flay, who challenged Lynn to a Lobster Club Throwdown! Totally unfazed, Lynn said she was comfortable on her turf, and had "nothing to worry about."

Chocolate Pecan Cookies

A little known food holiday just slipped by us. Let me be the first to wish you a belated Happy National Sense of Smell Day. (Who knew?)

Another Oatsy-Fruitsy Morning

We here at Camp Cook & Tell, of which I am head counselor, really like oats.

You may recall our recent homage to granola, that oatsy-fruitsy cereal melange that sank into oblivion shortly after it was introduced by early health food faddists. Unappreciated for a century, the honeyed grains et al finally were embraced by the beaded and headbanded cohort of 1960s hippiedom and became their breakfast of choice. The rest of us tagged along and helped granola achieve enduring popularity.

Champagne-Buttered Lobster Tails with Mâche Florets

Champagne-Buttered Lobster Tails with Mâche Florets
300 Big & Bold Barbecue & Grilling Recipes

4 rock lobster tails (each about 8 ounces)
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

Champagne Butter
1 cup unsalted butter                                 
½ cup Champagne                                   
¼ cup chopped fresh lemon balm leaves     
8 ounces mâche florets (about 4 cups)          
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice             
1 loaf crusty French bread, warmed              

Prepare a medium-hot fire in your grill. Using kitchen shears or a cleaver, cut the lobster tails in half lengthwise. Brush lobster meat with melted butter.

Prepare the Champagne butter: In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in Champagne and lemon balm. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Place lobster tails cut side down on the grill. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes to lightly char the meat. Turn and grill on the shell side for 7 to 9 minutes, or until meat is opaque and just firm to the touch (the shell may char).

Dress mâche with lemon juice and place in the center of each plate. Set a lobster tail on each portion of mâche. Serve with Champagne butter on the side for dipping and crusty French bread for sopping.

Definitely sip on the remaining chilled Champagne while enjoying this French version of grilled lobster tails. If you don’t have lemon balm, substitute 1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest (or to taste).

Serves 4.

From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.

Midya Dolma (Pilaf with Mussels)

This Armenian dish of delectable mussels with rice and cabbage was one of author Nancy Mehagian's favorites made by her mother. She shares this recipe and many others in her book, Siren's Feast An Edible Odyssey.

Rockland's Renaissance, indeed!

With a decisive stamp of culinary approval, the Portland Press Herald devotes two full pages to Rockland in today's food section. Finally putting to rest the reputation for which Rockland has suffered for too long (smelly, low-brow, depressed), food editor Meredith Goad declares Rock City a go-to destination for good eating and good art.

From our offices on Rockland's Main Street, we have first-hand access to today's vibrant scene of bistros, galleries, and boutiques that keep the sidewalks thrumming with visitors. Early this morning, the coffee shops were packed and already running low on muffins. A 3-story crane was installing a jazzy, new free-form awning on the entrance to the Farnsworth Museum, and people were still gawking at the Robert Indiana "EAT" sculpture that had been mounted on the museum's roof only yesterday. The aroma of roasting coffee beans was in the air, and it didn't hurt that bright sunshine was making everything sparkle like new.

Taste of the Nation Portland

Save the Date! Thursday, June 18, 2009

What a wonderful event for such worthy organizations in Maine. No cause is more important than our children. If you are in Portland tomorrow, June 18, or if you'd like to make a trip there to support one worthy cause this year, make it Taste of the Nation, Portland. Dine at some of Maine's best restaurants, and help stamp out hunger.

100% of ticket sales help ensure no kid in America grows up hungry.

At Taste of the Nation, Maine’s celebrated chefs are paired with amazing wines, spirits, and beers.

Dine on delicacies from more than a dozen Maine kitchens, including Five Fifty-Five, Fore Street, Back Bay Grill, Cinque Terre, Hugo’s and many others. Sip wines throughout the evening from an array of different vineyards. But don’t neglect the cocktails; mixologist Adrian Stratton of Back Bay Grill is overseeing that department. Preble Street, East End Kids, Cultivating Communities and Maine Equal Justice are the beneficiaries of the delicious fun at Taste of the Nation.

Every ticket sold fights childhood hunger in Maine. All ticket revenue stays here in Maine and helps us with the mission— ending childhood hunger. The money raised supports some very important organizations.

FMI: http://www.strength.org/portlandme/event_details/

From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.

Pop the Cork 2: A Toast to the Arts

We encourage our blog readers to get out to Rockport Harbor this Thursday, June 18, for a spectacular local event. Pop the Cork 2- A Toast to the Arts is happening from 5:30-9:30pm, hosted by our friends at Cellardoor Winery. A benefit event, all proceeds will go to The Center for Maine Contemporary Art.

With so much to enjoy in such a rich area of Maine, start off the summer with food, wine, art, and music. There will be Zydeco, steel drums, a swing band, and of course fabulous wine and hors d'oeuvres. What a great time to take in a local cultural event. Make it the start of a yearly tradition! To learn more call 236.2654 www.mainewine.com Tickets may also be purchased online tickets@cellardoorvineyard.com

From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.

"Logger" family to dish up eats in Millinocket

The Pelletier family, nationally known for their Friday night show “American Loggers" on the Discovery Channel (except to me, who had no idea that this show existed before today, but will now surely become obsessed with it), has purchased two shuttered, adjacent businesses in Millinocket and started to merge the spaces into a "large eatery." With logging work slow, the family and a contracting team have thrown themselves into extensive remodeling work in hopes of opening the restaurant later this year.

Entertaining Menu Plans for Serious Foodies

“Out of the mouths of babes” -  even if the “babe” is turning 38 this year – gave me a good laugh a few weeks ago. There is a wonderful annual fundraiser called Taste of Key West that is always a blast to attend. You walk (elbow) your way around dozens of booths along the waterfront, wine glass in hand, sampling delicious food from the islands’ best chefs. Inevitably, there is an impromptu gathering at one of the local watering holes after the “Taste” and as the wine flows, the conversation amongst all the foodies is always lively, informative and entertaining.

Fire Up The Grill for a Fiesta Burger

A while ago I was sent a variety of seasoning packets from a company called Amazing Taste. Being one who usually likes to mix my own spices, I'll admit I was a bit skeptical at first as to what kind of flavor these little packets would produce. (I was sent seasoning packets for poultry, burgers, steaks, fish, and pork.)

Let me tell you, I recently tried the Amazing Taste for Burgers, and the flavor was delicious! A nice blend without any one overpowering flavor and without being wimpy on taste.

These little packets are only .99 cents, perfect for a great meal that doesn't require much in the way of cost (or fuss to make). I like that. 

Rabelais Books Food Films Presents "Babette's Feast"

Rabelais Books, One Longfellow Square, and the Maine Food and Drink Ambassadors present a special screening of "Babette's Feast", perhaps one of the most memorable meals ever to appear on film. Based on the Isak Dinesen story, a refugee from the French Revolution prepares a sumptuous feast for her pious employers. 

Mediterranean Baked Tuna

Tuna is plentiful in the Mediterranean Sea. This dish highlights other common foods of the region, too, which are abundant and commonly used together in the cuisines of Provençe, Spain, Portugal, and Italy.

Food Network Magazine Chooses Best Burger in Maine

Portland Psst! pointed out that the Food Network Magazine's recent choice as "best burger in Maine" was old news. They credited us for posting this title as belonging to the Owls Head General Store back in December 2008. So we guess that now it's official!

Congratulations to Martha Luttrell and Jennifer O'Hara!

From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.

Maine Events Calendar: May 2009

Ah, le printemps! Spring is everywhere we look. There are oceans of violets in bloom, grass to be mowed, gardens to start, and warm days to celebrate. We are so happy to see the world going green!

Although the beginning of May once started with a dance around the Maypole and a May basket left on the doorstep of a loved one, we hope that whatever your springtime traditions are, you honor them this year!

Food of Art: Daunis Jewelers

Daunis Jewelers in Portland, Maine is a dazzling place. It is elegant and crafty and just plain beautiful. We traveled there for the new issue of Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine to learn the art of jewelry making, and found the “Food of Art” as well. 

Local jewelers Patricia Daunis Dunning and husband Bill Dunning, whose jewelry is inspired by all things in the natural world, showed themselves to be worldly cooks as well, with decidedly local and organic values.

Enjoy their “Everlasting Duck,” a favorite meal at family gatherings and a nod to “green” home dining, as utilizing the entire duck means nothing is wasted. Their recipes are included in this feature article.

From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.

Great Chefs Cook Vegan: Snow Morels Recipe

The following recipe is from Linda Long's new book, Great Chefs Cook Vegan, which highlights recipes from 25 of today's top chefs. Many are James Beard award-winners, like Eric Ripert, chef of Le Bernardin in New York. His stunning dish is featured here.

Arrows Restaurant: Herbal Teas

Health-food stores and even mainstream supermarkets these days devote whole shelves to soothing and healthful herbal teas. But teas and infusions made from your own garden have much more flavor than store-bought varieties. All you have to do is gather some herbs and other flavorings in a piece of cheesecloth, tie it with kitchen string, set it in a cup or pot, and pour in boiling water. Alternately, you can just pour boiling water over loose herbs and strain them out after they steep. Try experimenting with ginger, blackberries, mint, apple blossoms, rhubarb, marigolds, tarragon, and rose hips. Here are some of our time-tested herbal teas for two from the garden.

The Three-Ingredient Fallback Entrée

We confess we're as guilty of dispensing the occasional thousand-ingredient recipe as the next food writer. Fruits and vegetables cultivated in global orchards and farms fill the produce bins at the supermarket, and we must have them and their complex flavoring accompaniments.

The corner store sells pastries from Pago Pago, and we try to clone them. Food magazines reveal the secrets of Tajikistani cuisine, and we go searching for a long list of ingredients we can't pronounce. The good old hometown Chinese restaurant of our youth - when eating out was a very big deal and the Cathay Inn was the only restaurant for miles around that could be called "ethnic" - has long since moved over to make room for the neighborhood Ouagadougou Diner, where delicacies like "rice covered with sauce" is the specialty of the house.*  

Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

From all the whoopie postings I am reading, it appears that there must be W-P fever in the state of Maine. Here is an alternative “cure” in case you have the whoopie-fever. Now chocolate and peanut butter are most assuredly the perfect marriage of flavors (think Reese’s Peanut Butter cups…yum!)

Isle au Haut's Black Dinah Chocolatiers Celebrate Spring

For most of us, the spring holidays aren't complete without a chocolate bunny.

Whoopie Pie Mania

The Maine staple is in the midst of quite a celeb moment. In the last two weeks alone, I have come across mentions ranging from whoopie pie party evites to news of a native Mainer who has found success selling them at her candy store in a Florida RV park (3,000 sold in five months). They are being called "cupcake's evil cousin" and the "Snuggie of food" by writers across the country. So, during a recent trip to visit my parents and do some research, I was interested to see if the pastry had taken on airs, gone on Oprah, been given its own festival or, God forbid, increased in price, in its native land.

Francine Bistro's Slivered Raw Asparagus Salad

Seasonality and fresh ingredients dictate the menu at Francine Bistro in Camden, so in springtime this wonderful slivered raw asparagus might be on the menu--but if not, you can re-create it at home.

Maine Events Calendar: April 2009

The time has sprung forward, the mercury (we hope) is on the rise, and spring seems a bit more than just a promise now. We've managed to weather a long winter, and have so much anticipation for warmer breezes, blooming flowers, and budding trees. I used to think using the word "rebirth" with the word "spring" was an old cliche. After this winter, rebirth and renewal seem to me the most beautiful words in the dictionary. Mud pies are in season as we celebrate Earth Day! 

Eat Local Challenge 4th Annual Local Food Celebration

Belfast will hold its 4th Annual Local Food Celebration, an event designed to highlight some of the wonderful local farms, restaurants, and other food suppliers in the midcoast, at 5 pm Wednesday, April 1, at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Miller Street.

Chocolate Carrot Cake with Chocolate-Sour Cream Frosting

This dessert combines two classic cakes--chocolate and carrot--into one. It's not as rich or heavy as pure chocolate cake, although the buttery frosting is a nod to chocoholics. In olden days carrots were a staple during winter because they store well in a root cellar.

Francine Bistro: A Camden Dining Experience

I recently had my first visit to Francine in Camden. Let me just start by saying that stepping inside this charming bistro (without reservations on a Saturday night), you would never know we were in the middle of any kind of economic crisis. A branch of blossoming forsythia and the smile of a friendly host hinted at the beautiful experience awaiting me. The atmosphere was inviting, warm, and cheery.  Low lighting, a full house, friendly wait staff, and divine food and drink were among the reasons I hope to make a return trip very soon, if I can wrestle my wallet to comply.

Split Pea Soup with Smoky Ham

A fogbound or snowy day in Maine seems to demand soup--especially a stick-to-the-ribs potage such as this split pea soup flavored with smoky ham. Save that wonderful ham bone (preferably with a goodly amount of meat still attached) and freeze it until pea soup-making day, or simply buy a juicy smoked ham hock and supplement with a bit of additional chopped ham. Either Maine Johnnycake or buttered rye toast go well with this soup, along with a simple side salad of mixed greens.

Gratin of Yukon Gold and Sweet Potatoes

"Only two things in this world are too serious to be jested on--potatoes and matrimony." 

This Irish quote totally resonates with me! We've been having some "chilly" days here in the Florida Keys (everything is relative, but chilly here on our island means 62°) so I've been hankering for comfort food. This gratin most definitely satisfied my longing.

Ladles (yes, that's what I said) and Gentlemen:

We're having soup.

It may be spring on the calendar, but it's still a-little-bit winter by the tummy's reckoning. We want things to eat that warm us up, food that makes us feel as comfy-cozy as our mother's hugs. We like food built on the layering principle, like the clothes we wear in the cold weather that continues to hang around outside.  Woolly cardigan over turtleneck sweater and jeans, with silk undies under all, are the wardrobe equivalent of such layered gustatory comforts as moussaka, lasagna, and cassoulet.

Any Excuse for a Cake

On Matinicus Island, particularly during the winter and (even worse) early spring, some of us will settle for just about any reason to bake a cake. We might have to bring something to enliven an otherwise dull meeting, make something as a “thank-you” for the friend who gave us the spare furnace cement, tip the propane driver who endured the two-hour ferry ride, or celebrate Saint Melvin’s Day. It doesn’t take much.

Scampi Lorenzo Appetizer: Chicken and Shrimp

This is a wonderful and impressive appetizer that we made many times in the restaurant at Las Bahias Resort on Vieques, Puerto Rico, where we both worked one winter. It was a huge success! In fact, many non-chicken lovers will be tempted to tell you this is the first time they have truly enjoyed chicken -- keep your fingers crossed, they may even go so far as to tell you they love it!

MOFGA Director to Introduce Showing of "Tableland"

The public is invited to attend a free talk and movie, part of the Eat Local Challenge Film and Discussion Series sponsored by the Belfast Free Library and the Belfast Co-op.  The movie "Tableland", which goes in search of the people, places, and tastes involved in North American small-scale food production, will be shown at the Belfast Free Library on Tuesday, March 24 at 6:30pm.

Giving an introduction to the film will be Russell Libby, executive director of Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. Libby's involvement with MOFGA in 1977 began because he saw a strong connection between local, organic food and a healthy Maine economy. With his family, he operates Three Sisters Farm, a small diversified farm, in Mount Vernon.

From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.

Peel 'n' Eat Maine Shrimp Boil with East-West Sauces

During the brief winter season when Maine shrimp are available fresh, I like to serve and eat them as often as possible. The tiny shrimp can now be bought peeled, but I think the flavor is better when they're cooked in their shells. In this preparation, guests are invited to peel off the shrimp's papery skins themselves and dunk in a choice of two sauces. It's a delightfully messy proposition, so serve the shrimp this way at a less-than-formal occasion--and provide plenty of napkins!

Whoopie Pies: The Maine state dessert comforts the nation

Congrats to Sandy Oliver for getting lots of ink in Wednesday's NYT Food Section. The topic d'jour -- Whoopie Pies, which apparently are the new cupcakes of the food-craze world. I have a hard time believing that bakers across the U.S. will find success building entire empires around them, ala Hello Cupcake down in my area and Clara's up in York Beach, but I would become an avid customer if they tried.

Matinicus Island Welcome: home-cooking-just-for-fun

An island homeowner rather new to Matinicus was chatting in his yard with another islander who’d been here longer (a mere couple of decades; hardly a “native.”) The relative newcomer asked the veteran about the long-standing reputation for lawlessness and independence which the island enjoys. “I keep hearing these comments about it being sort of… anarchy out here. Is it really anarchy?” His neighbor reflected on island life since the mid-eighties, and was silent a moment.  “It is anarchy,” remarked the long-term resident at last, “except when there are going to be refreshments.”

Gluttony is not a road, it's a destination

The Hyundai and I are hitting the highway Wednesday and heading to Maine from Virginia. I'll make an overnight stop in NYC to try one of the city's great new(ish) Italian spots Convivio -- I wrote about meeting the restaurant's sommelier here -- as well as Momofuku ssam bar, of David Chang and steamed pork bun fame, with perhaps a stop at Milk bar thrown in for good measure.

St. Patrick's Day: 10 Great Things Associated with Ireland

St. Patrick's is a day of pride and tradition, as well as a nod to all who carry the Irish spirit and maintain the hope that at the end of the rainbow, there really is a pot of gold.

The 5 Chefs You Never Heard Of Dinner

The Frog and Turtle Gastro Pub in Westbrook will host the following event. What a great concept. And what a great menu! All for a wonderful cause.

French Onion Soup Recipe

This is not the most traditional way to make French onion soup, but it sure is tasty! Dawn, a galley colleague, makes it this way every week. She made it for us one night and it was so yummy I had to develop a recipe for it.

International Boston Seafood Show 2009

Below is a list of events for the annual Seafood Show in Boston kicking off this weekend with many ongoing events and demonstrations, culminating with Keynote Speaker: Food Network's Iron Chef.