Maine Lobster Chef of the Year, Margaret Salt McLellan, has been named Executive Chef of Linda Bean’s product brand, Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine. Hired by Linda Bean, who is the granddaughter of L.L. Bean, McLellan’s appointment puts her in charge of the culinary aspects of the business: a vertically integrated shore to table group of companies specializing in Maine lobster.
Continue reading “McLellan Appointed Executive Chef of Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine” »
Duck Trap has the most delicious finnan haddie I have ever tasted. If
you cannot find it (try Hannaford), there is a Canadian version in
many seafood markets that is also good. And now is the time to enjoy that bounty of fresh Maine shrimp. It is for sale at many places fresh off the boat. Here is a deliciously elegant seafood recipe sure to wow guests at your next dinner party.
Interestingly, when a couple has two kids, one is more like Mom, and the other more like Dad. "True that" with my sons Sam and Mac. Sam is his Dad's mini me and Mac is mine. But there is one thing they will always come together on eventually, and that is food. So, despite that one is comfortable in LL Bean attire and the other in Italian suits, their food tastes for Mom's cooking is a one note symphony…comfort food. Straight up and simple.
Continue reading “Cooking with your Kids (Part 2): Yo Mama’s Meatloaf” »
If the image coming to mind is of a little chap standing on a kitchen chair in a tea towel apron, covered in cookie batter and armed with a rubber spatula…stop right there! At my house, it's always been more like a scene from Top Chef or Hell's Kitchen. When my boys were 10 and 8, I decided it was time to learn knife skills. For Christmas they each got an 8 inch chef knife, (Wusthof of course), a paring knife, a sharpening stone, and a mesh glove. They got all the other crap kids get too, but imagine a kid's joy of digging into his Christmas stocking and finding a nice sharp knife!
As promised yesterday, here's my Taste of Soul Gumbo recipe, a hearty and delicious southern inspired meal. This gumbo with a little hot sauce will warm your heart and soul.
Taste of Soul Gumbo
3 cups canola oil
3 cups flour
2 quarts of chicken broth
2 quarts of water
2 cups chopped onion
2 cups diced tomatoes (canned or fresh)
2 cups chopped scallions (greens only)
1 cup of frozen okra
1 can of black eyed peas, drained (10-12 ounce size)
1 can of turnip or collard greens, drained (10-12 ounce size)
1 pound of Andouille sausage (sliced into rounds)
1 pound of chicken meat (white or dark) cut into bite sized pieces
1 pound of cooked gulf shrimp (25-30 count) with tail shell removed
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon chopped or minced garlic
The African American cuisine in this country in the early slave days of the south was born out of the need for survival rather than for taste or cultural preferences. Some slaves, depending on their location and the type of agriculture they performed, were only given 4 staples for survival: lard, flour, salt, and corn. From there, finding a means of nourishment became a creative pursuit.
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.
Continue reading “2008 Maine Lobster Chef of the Year Margaret McLellan” »
Amid a quiet flurry of professional activity at the Blaine House on Tuesday, July 22nd, the Maine Lobster Chef of the Year contest was revivified. First Lady Karen Baldacci looked lovely in a gold suit adorned with flowers as she circulated rooms and chatted with guests.
Maine’s First Lady, Karen Baldacci, at the Lobster Chef of the Year Competion
Accompanied by the first family’s two sweet spaniels, Mia and Sam, Mrs. Baldacci made all guests feel warmly welcomed and at home. Her gracious manner, down-to-earth mien, warm smile, and knowledge and appreciation of Maine’s lobster industry made the day a most stimulating and enjoyable one for all. “The event was held here for years,” she said. “It’s a good promotion for Maine, and we’re glad it’s back. It’s in huge demand [Maine lobster] and it’s our future.”
From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.
Zeph Belanger, Sous Chef at Hartstone Inn, Camden, made quite an impression on judges with his Maine Lobster dish. His creation was a delightful salad with complementary Asian flavors. Elegantly and exquisitely prepared, including the care he took in all aspects of the competition, his attention to detail, all perfectly combined to accentuate his delectable finished product. He captured the 1st runner-up distinction at the 2008 Maine Lobster Chef of the Year competition.
Zeph, who has been working in professional kitchens since the age of 15, currently works with internationally award-winning Chef, Michael Salmon at The Hartstone Inn in Camden. Try your hand at his delicious award-winning dish.
Continue reading “Maine Lobster Chef of the Year Finalist Zeph Belanger” »
Chef Joshua Clark created one of the most memorable dishes of 
this
year’s Maine Lobster Chef of the Year
competition: Hot & Sour
Lobster Tail. Displaying bravado and chutzpah, Clark – Chef de
Cuisine at Atlantica Restaurant in Camden – dared to invent a dish that
would "cook itself." Lobsters were briefly blanched,
cooled in an ice bath, and then finished in a hot, flavorful
broth of orange juice, ginger, Thai chiles, and Szechuan peppercorns. The result: a
slurpy, zesty lobster experience.
Hot & Sour Lobster Tail
Plate
1½ – 2 pounds live lobster
1 ounce Daikon Radish, julienned
1 ounce baby bok choy chiffonade
2 scallions, greens only
½ ounce watercress
½ ounce dried red chile chiffonade
1 ounce sushi ginger
Continue reading “Maine Lobster Chef of the Year Finalist Joshua Clark” »
Pete Murphy, Executive Chef of the Historic Russell House Restaurant and Tavern in Boothbay Harbor, has every reason to be proud. As second runner-up at the recent Maine Lobster Chef of the Year cook off event, he considered it “a personal and career achievement” just to have been selected one of the top five finalists to compete.
A graduate of Johnson and Wales Culinary Institute, Pete is classically trained in French cuisine but calls his personal style “Creative American." Below is his recipe which wowed judges.
Continue reading “Maine Lobster Chef Finalist Pete Murphy” »
Tuesday was a big day for five Maine chefs. They spent the entire
day doing their best to impress a panel of culinary experts with
Maine’s top crustacean: Lobster. While dishes were painstakingly
prepared to perfection, tables were set with enticingly expressive
arrangements of each individual chef’s dishes.
Pete Russell of Historic Russell House displayed a melon with a
beautifully carved floral motif; sailing flags adorned the front of
Joshua Clark’s table for Atlantica Restaurant; Margaret McLellan, Shucks Maine Lobster, displayed
platters made of recycled lobster shells; black trays were lined with
rice on the table of Zeph Belanger, Hartstone Inn; timeless red roses
accented the clean white linen at Lawrence Klang’s table for Natalie’s
at Camden Harbour Inn.
Zeph Belanger, Pete Russell, Lawrence Klang, Joshua Clark, Margaret McLellan
It was certainly an elegant and tasteful day, filled with the quiet suspense of waiting.
Five pristine white chef coats waited around anxiously for their
turn. Sportsmanship was admirable and commendable as the clocked ticked
down for each one. Some waited with sous-chefs, moms, sisters, sons,
girlfriends, restauranteurs. They paced, they prepped, they perfected,
and in the end, all did lobster proud.
From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.
Following the official, hush-hush, and very closed door judging by four culinary professionals – which included our own creative director and culminated in the selection of the Maine Lobster Chef of the Year award (see previous post) – at 4 p.m. the doors to the Blaine House were opened to press and guests to cast their ballots for the People’s Choice award.
Today at the Blaine House in Augusta, the Maine Lobster Promotion Council and sponsor Maine Food and Lifestyle magazine held the Maine Lobster Chef of the Year event. Inventive lobster recipes with exciting twists were prepared by some of Maine’s stellar chefs, and were sampled and rated by a panel of judges.
Margaret Salt McLellan was crowned the 2008 winner. Her prize winning dish was "Maine Lobster Purse with Wild Maine Complements and Pea Shoot Salad." McLellan is Corporate Chef at Native Maine Produce, and Shucks Lobster in Richmond.
The first runner up award went to Zeph Belanger, Sous-Chef at The Hartstone Inn in Camden, for his Maine Lobster Salad with Ginger, Kaikon, Bacon, and a warm Ponzu Dressing.
Zeph Belanger, Maine’s First Lady Karen Baldacci, Margaret Salt McLellan.
First Lady Karen Baldacci presided over the event, where five finalists
vied for the coveted title. Among them were: McLellan; Belanger;
Executive Chef Pete Murphy of
the Historic Russell House Restaurant and Tavern in Boothbay Harbor;
Lawrence Klang, Chef de Cuisine at Natalie’s Camden Harbour Inn; and
Joshua Clark, Chef de Cuisine, Atlantica Restaurant, Camden.
For full coverage of the event and for Margaret McLellan’s award-winning recipe, the next issue of Maine Food and Lifestyle will have it all!
From the staff at Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine.
