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” »
Clam Chowder has been on the Cliff House menu since 1872. Guests always tell us how exceptional it is. This recipe won a coveted award at the Boston Harbor Fest in July 2003. All of you non-New Englanders will please note there are no tomatoes to be seen anywhere near this soup pot. The Maine legislature once introduced a bill to outlaw forever the adulteration of Maine Clam Chowdah with that dreaded red interloper. This recipe is fun to make, but the missing ingredient just may be eating it while longing for our dining room view of the vast Atlantic.
Continue reading “Cliff House Clam Chowder” »
Sorrel Linguine with Spring Peas, Green Garlic, and Fresh Ricotta from Chef Melissa Kelly of Primo, Rockland, is sure to inspire Maine spring on your taste buds and in your heart. This dish also takes well to the addition of fresh Maine crabmeat, lobster, or shrimp.
Melissa Kelly image above: Matt Kalinowski
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When Clark lived in Beijing as a student, one of his favorite things to do was to get a group of friends together and ride bikes to the legendary Roast Meat Restaurant, situated in an ancient part of Beijing overlooking a small pond where old men fished. The first floor of the restaurant was crowded and noisy with drop-in business. The upstairs dining room overlooked the pond and had a huge inverted wok upon which tender morsels of meat would sizzle. In the center of the spacious room sat an old pot-bellied stove, and over the fire was a double boiler with a ceramic bottle of Xiao Xing wine, China’s dark and heady version of our more familiar sake.
The marinade in this recipe evokes the style of the food at Roast Meat Restaurant. The skewers used for this brochette are basil stems left to dry over the winter. When the meat is grilled, they give off great flavor.
Although there are many ingredients in the marinade, it’s easy to make. Be sure to start a day ahead or the marinade won’t be nearly as good. For a dipping sauce, put out rice vinegar, soy sauce, and chili paste; tell your guests to mix them together as the Chinese do.
Continue reading “Grilled Lamb Brochettes on Basil Skewers” »
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
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Once again, Chefs Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier, chef/owners of the fabulous Arrows Restaurant in Ogunquit, received a nomination for the prestigious “Best Chef: Northeast” award from the James Beard Foundation. They have been nominated for this award six times previously, and we are hoping that this well deserved seventh nomination will be the charm.
Many wonderful Arrows Restaurant recipes can be found in their guest contributor section on this blog called Arrows Restaurant. Here’s hoping this will be Lucky Seven for Clark and Mark!
The A-1 Diner in Gardiner is an ancient but well-preserved specimen of the dining-car diner. Inside, it’s got wooden booths, laminate-top tables, and leatherette-seated stools at the counter, as well as a quilted steel wall and perfectly preserved tiles on the floor.
The place is such a wonderfully authentic vintage set piece that you’d probably be happy just to stop in for a look and a cup o’ joe. But don’t.
Chefs at The A-1 are serious about their food, serving unusually delicious fare three meals a day. Baked beans, corned beef hash, biscuits, and mashed potatoes are homemade. Standards like meatloaf and fried chicken are there on the menu, but so are more upscale items like Creole Beans and Rice, Salmon with Pesto, and Eggplant Saffron Custard Gratin.
One of the anything-but-standard items on the menu of the A-1 Diner is this spicy, warming chicken mamou, the recipe for which was contributed by an A-1 waitress with a Cajun past.
image courtesy of roadsidegalore.com
Continue reading “Spicy Chicken Big Mamou” »
It’s time once again for the “Oscars” of the Food World. The 2010 James Beard Semifinalists have been announced, and Maine has made another fine showing. Not to sound cliche, but they are all winners in our book, representing us in a most tasteful manner. We’d like to congratulate the following:
Outstanding Restaurant: Fore Street, Portland, ME
Outstanding Chef: Sam Hayward, Fore Street, Portland, ME
Best Chef Northeast:
Penelle Chase, Phoebe Chase, Megan Chase, and Ted Lafage, Chase’s Daily, Belfast, ME
Krista Kern Desjarlais, Bresca, Portland, ME
Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier, Arrows Restaurant, Ogunquit, ME
Brian Hill, Francine Bistro, Camden, ME
The Maine Restaurant Association has chosen Chef Rick Hirsch, owner of Damariscotta River Grill (in Damariscotta, of course) as its 2010 Chef of the Year. Chef Hirsch will accept the award on March 30 at the organization’s annual awards event in Portland.
Continue reading “Chef of the Year: Rick Hirsch of Damariscotta River Grill” »
Maine Restaurant Week is March 1-10, which is actually more than a week, but no one is complaining. Restaurants from Old Orchard Beach to Bethel and Thomaston to Bangor are offering three-course menus priced at $20.10, $30.10 and $40.10 during the 10-day period. In addition to the special pricing, there is a Breakfast Cook-off March 5 and a Bartender’s Bash (to benefit the Preble Street Resource Center) on March 1, the latter sponsored by Cold River Vodka.
Continue reading “Portland Museum of Art, Restaurant Week team up” »
One of Mark’s favorite dishes growing up was his mother’s pork roast, which she served with his uncle’s homemade sauerkraut or with braised red cabbage. When we cooked at Stars for Jeremiah Tower, we made several different red cabbage salads. Gradually we changed this recipe to be more like Mark’s mom’s, but the cooking technique that we learned from Jeremiah is still the best. Great served with Roast Pork Loin with Rosemary and Garlic.
(image courtesy of kalynskitchen.blogspot.com) Continue reading “Warm Red Cabbage Slaw with Creamy Herbed Goat Cheese” »
We are lucky to live in an area saturated with great places to buy bread. There’s Standard Baking Company, stating the obvious. We have Miccuci’s making their own breads not to mention (yummy) pizza, and if you’re in my neck of the woods over the bridge, Scratch Baking Co. Many choices…I love the bagels at Scratch. But if you’re like me and buy more than you consume, you need ideas for leftovers. Well, I’ve come to rescue you from the depths of Moldy Bread Syndrome (it’s a serious problem, no known cure until now).
A savory option:
Continue reading “Daily Breads: Panzanella and Pecan Toffee Bread Pudding” »
This is a great way to infuse fish quickly with the smoky flavor of hickory. The technique grew out of our desire to serve a sautéed fish with a subtle, smoky flavor–not the heaviness of genuine slow smoking. You can do it right in your oven with no special equipment. It’s an ambitious recipe, but each of the components is quite simple, and several can be done ahead of time.
Black sea bass has more flavor and firmness than many white fish, lending it to accompaniments typical of red meat, such as mushrooms and thyme. This recipe calls for fillets, but black bass is also excellent served whole because it has a simple bone structure. This dish is nice with chive mashed potatoes.
Hickory-Roasted Black Sea Bass with Mushroom Broth and Thyme Crème Fraîche
Arrows Restaurant, Ogunquit
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Martha Stewart undoubtedly has a soft spot for Maine. After all, she owns Skylands in Mount Desert Island (Seal Harbor, to be specific, and formerly home to Edsel Ford) and her magazine & blog frequently features photos of her cooking and entertaining there, working in the garden and changing up the decor. On Friday, Jan. 22, she will show major Maine love when an episode featuring Hugo’s acclaimed chef Rob Evans airs on the Martha Stewart Show.
Evans, who got the call from Stewart’s people on Jan. 12, was named Best Chef in the Northeast by the James Beard Foundation last year. The Martha Stewart Web site indicates he’s going to prepare prosciutto consomme with shrimp and bacon-poached egg “perfect for special occasions.” Here’s hoping he also brings his bacon-dusted pig ears, fried monkfish liver and rice-crusted Maine scallops to the masses.
True to Cleonice Restaurant’s Mediterranean focus, this fabulous paella, chock full of local in-season seafood and flavorful sausage, is almost always on the menu. It’s colorful, festive, and tastes sublime–a fabulous dish for a party. Feel free to improvise and add vegetables and seafood of your choice.
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In early winter, one of the last garden survivors is hardy kale, which seems to enjoy the first snowfall as much as children do. Like parsnips, kale gets sweeter after a frost. Combined with cheese and bacon, it makes a filling, custardlike casserole that can be served as a side dish or even as a main course.
(Kale Under Snow courtesy of tinyfarmblog.com)
Continue reading “Kale, Swiss Cheese, and Bacon Casserole” »
Maine Food & Lifestyle blog columnists Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier of Arrows Restaurant in Ogunquit were on the “Today Show” this morning, sharing some holiday appetizers. Recipes include Peekytoe crabcakes, Japanese eggplant, and Maine shrimp, and lamb broschettes. Click on the following link to see the video clip. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/34430150#34430150
If you’ve never thought of putting cranberries and pears in the same dish, you’ll be especially pleased with this dessert. This crisp is particularly good served for dessert following a winter dinner. Continue reading “Cranberry-Pear Crisp with Almond Topping” »
Melissa Bouchard of DiMillo’s Floating Restaurant in Portland submitted this delicious Lobster Chef of the Year Finalist recipe! Doesn’t this sound gooood?!!
Maple Butter Poached Lobster Tail with a Sweet Potato and Fuji Apple Bisque and Frizzles of Green Onion
Continue reading “Maple Butter Poached Lobster Tail” »
Another great Lobster Chef of the Year Finalist Recipe. Beautifully Plated Up!
Butternut-Mascarpone Lobster Ravioli, Balsamic Pomegranate Spinach Salad
Rick Skoglund, Samoset Resort
Continue reading “Butternut-Mascarpone Lobster Ravioli, Balsamic Pomegranate Spinach Salad” »
