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Archive for the ‘Comfort Food’ Category
Thursday, August 26th, 2010
I did not mean to take the last couple days off from blogging, but it has been some week and tomorrow I fly to Seattle for a blogging conference (or okay to eat and hang out with a few super cool people) and then to Los Angeles. So excited to tell you about a couple of things I will be doing in Los Angeles (involve cameras and water, maybe concrete), but those will have to wait till I am back. See, I promised myself to stay away from the computer as much as possible next week and want a few gems to relive by writing upon my return. Pretty sure that will be my first almost whole week off from blogging. Almost, because I will be blogging about Seattle’s food trucks and the conference seminars Sunday. At least that is what I am supposed to do, but who knows what will happen with so many good excuses surrounding me.
Without further ado, to the topic of this post. I consider myself a researcher and seeing as how I will be touring Theo Chocolate in Seattle took it upon myself to sample some of their chocolate in advance. I mean we would not want me showing up without being knowledgeable about the product right!? We are talking about chocolate! Taking these chocolate things seriously as I do I recruited a taste tester in my friend Eli, a proud new papa who not that long ago established a fermentation center in Portland. We sat down in the Ferm (what we locals call the fermentation center) at a table made from leftover wood. Eli supplied apple juice from freshly picked apples, some of which will go into making apple cider (to be sold at the Ferm). There were large glass jugs of it in the fridge. I took a photo, but it did not do the sight justice. That apple juice might be just about the best apple juice I’ve ever had. Not normally a big apple juice person, it really has to be fresh for me to like it. This was delicious.
Eli pronounced both the 74% Organic Dark Chocolate and 70 % Dark Chocolate tasty. My preference is for the former with its “big” chocolate flavor. I look forward to sampling the Orange, Mint, and Spicy Chile in Seattle. Expect a full chocolate report in a few days.
Posted in Comfort Food, Drink, Friends, Local Flavors, Portland Maine | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010
This morning the waves were small, but good and I almost stood up again. Lot of laughing and falling one way or the other. After not having been in the water for a week I realized how much I missed it. A couple weeks ago as the sun was rising over the hills of Camden, Maine my friend Jessica swam six miles across a lake with a few friends. “Swimming: it’s almost like sleeping,” she suggested on the ride over. I felt a little like that this morning until the first of a set of bigger waves drenched me and I was wide awake. It was on from there!
Walking back to the car board under arm (I’ll admit to liking how that sounds) my stomach began making those gurgling noises that mean lady the next meal better not be far off or we are going to get feisty. Let me tell those of you who do not spend time in wetsuits, they are peeled off one limb at a time. By the time that was done and my board tied to the top of the car (I’m getting quicker with it all) I was hungry and dreaming of a pb & j. All the nutrients and energy I needed in two pieces of sprouted grain bread, almond butter and jam.
I just finished a jar of my Blueberry Lime Jam so I opened Anarchy in a Jar’s Strawberry Balsamic Jam. I’d picked it up during my last visit to NYC and been meaning to try it. YUM! Anarchy makes delicious jam and rocks a sustainable attitude sourcing fresh fruit from Rooftop Farms, a CSA or farmers’ market and delivering to local shops via bicycle in Brooklyn. You will be sweet on it from the first mouthful.
Photo Cool Hunting.
Posted in Comfort Food, Local Flavors, Midcoast Maine, Surfing | No Comments »
Sunday, August 1st, 2010
This recipe for deviled eggs is a little unusual, including 2 Tbsp butter. Based on my taste test today I would say it is pretty good. The beauty of deviled eggs as a snack or an appetizer is most everything you need is already in your kitchen.
Sold My Soul to the Devil-ed Eggs from Screen Doors and Sweet Tea by Martha Hall Foose
12 large eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, and split lengthwise
1 tsp fine sea salt
2 green onions, white and green parts, finely chopped
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 Tbsp dill pickle relish
1 tsp yellow mustard
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
Paprika, for garnish
In a small bowl, mash the egg yolks with a fork until smooth. Stir in the salt, onions, butter, relish, mustard, and mayonnaise. Spoon or pipe the mixture into egg-white halves. Sprinkle with paprika.
For more recipes this site looks interesting. Some sound a little gross, others could be tasty.
Posted in Comfort Food, Recipes | No Comments »
Monday, July 26th, 2010
For breakfast, Diana made Fresh Peach Muffins with coconut and walnut streusel that sunk into them. What put that completely over the edge was her delicious homemade strawberry butter. Then, she made a Baked Pancake with peaches, raspberries, and maple syrup. Of course it was delicious and the plate had to be cleaned. Then I needed to walk and bike a lot!
Consider this: Having walked a couple miles you find yourself on Boom Beach, which is made up of large smooth round rocks. You find a large enough rock, or combination of large rocks, and begin sunning. After an hour or so somehow you have found a way to be hungry again (after Diana’s large breakfast). How fortunate! She packed you a homemade lunch with a sandwich, bag of what amounts to a handful of trail mix, brownie, fruit, and mini bottle of pink lemonade with Maine blueberries.
Dinner is five courses. My first night at the inn the menu was: a hummus with homemade pita and marinated artichokes, Summer Squash Soup w/ Roasted Red Pepper Cream, Garden Greens with Shrimp Esceviche, Garden Chard Wrapped island caught Halibut with herb butter and Eggplant Napoleon, and Blackberry Pear Rhubarb Pie. Diana also makes homemade rolls for each dinner.
Posted in Comfort Food, Friends, Travel | No Comments »
Friday, July 9th, 2010
How delicious do these banana bites look? I am going to make some this weekend. Perfect summer treats.
Photo and recipe Framed.
Posted in Comfort Food, Recipes | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
One of the best things about where I stay in the city is the convenient location since I tend to spend most of my time downtown (save for the trips to the Met and Central Park). This recent trip to the city was the first I’ve made during the summer in years and while walking from the East Village to TriBeCa in temps over 90 (to someone whose blood has thickened up living in Maine for the past nine years off and on this may has well have meant over 100) I could really have used one of those hand held oriental fans and a lighter larger bottle of water. Unfortunately, my coordination (or lack thereof), does not permit me to walk and eat a dripping ice cream cone. I actually cannot digest ice cream, but I do enjoy sorbet and frozen yogurt (less lactate than ice cream). Anyway, it all melts at about the same speed and causes the same sticky mess. Even a fast moving tongue and napkins are sometimes not enough. It is a skill you would think any child would learn (or be taught by his/her parents) after losing a frozen treat to the pavement. Adults don’t tend to scream (unless said item falls on a designer piece of clothing, then watch out), but children…Well fortunately I have a few more months this year to work on this skill. Always best to have the can do attitude right?
Photo by Nicole Hill.
Posted in Comfort Food, Thoughts | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
While in New York I am spending time with the folks from Coombs Maple Syrup. Arnold, Faith, Wendy, and Jean have allowed me to enter their maple fold at the Fancy Food Show for a couple hours yesterday and today. At their booth I am able to learn more about the business of maple syrup and as a bonus have a front row seat to some good people watching (everyone wears a color coded badge to signify their purpose attending - retailer, member of press, exhibitor…) which could be likened to when you were a child in the back seat of a car playing the license plate game. Name that badge! Anyway, I really enjoy the Coombs team and as someone who loves food and wants to know more about farming it is the place to be.
In March when I wrote about maple sugaring, I was in the early stage of my syrup education. My first maple season while representing Arnold Coombs, a seventh-generation Vermont sugarmaker (maple farmer), had just wrapped and the prospects for the golden goodness this season was dire according to a couple reports I heard from friends in Maine.
Wanting to know what is really going on I turned to Arnold and his annual maple crop report and industry analysis.
Arnold Coombs is the General Manager of Coombs Family Farms, current Chairman of the Vermont Maple Industry Council, and a former director of The Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association and Vermont Maple board. He has one foot in the future and the other in the past. A champion of small family farming with deep roots in the maple industry, and an intricate knowledge of maple culture.
Here is what Arnold reported:
Following a banner crop like 2009, the 2010 crop had a tough act to follow. Once everything was sugared off though, it looks like Mother Nature cooperated and the 2010 crop will be enough to get us through to 2011.
The numbers below are estimates:
Quebec 90,000,000 lbs.
Rest of Canada 6,000,000 lbs.
United States 15,000,000 lbs
Carryover from 2009 16,000,000 lbs
With Worldwide demand of approximately 120,000,000 lbs, we should have an adequate supply.
The Southern producing regions had the lowest production. Southern New England, southern New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio were considerably below average. Some farmers 80 - 90% below. The primary reason being uncooperative weather. They just didn’t get the freezing nights followed by warm days. That said, this region is a small piece of the total industry’s production. The remaining producing areas did much better with average to slightly above average production.
Our own farm in Alstead, NH had an average year with nearly 250,000 lbs produced. This, from about 67,000 trees.
The technological improvements that we’ve had over the past 15 years, such as, improving the extraction of sap from trees has had a very positive impact. It’s not uncommon for a farmer to have doubled the production he may have had 20 years ago and with the same number of trees. This technology also helps in years like this when there isn’t a great difference of temperature from night to day. The 80 / 20 rule now applies to sugar makers in that 20% of the farmers produce 80% of the syrup. There are many farmers this year saying they had a bad crop but they tend to be on the low end of new technology use.
At our recent open house where farmers come to learn about new technologies, sell their syrup and talk maple, the discussion seemed to be about expansion and improvements. Farmers are seeing maple as a positive income source in a tough agricultural world. This bodes well for supply and the future growth of our industry.
Photo of Arnold Coombs by Jon Levitt.
Posted in Comfort Food, Local Flavors | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
Middle Eastern cuisine is my favorite kind of food, followed closely by Ethiopian and Indian. When I visit Boston I can get all of these conveniently and at reasonable prices. Most often I get Indian, because there is an amazing place near my friend’s house where I stay. This trip we ventured over to Cafe Barada, a place that has been around for three years but with minimal signage anyone would miss just driving by. Inside the place is charming, filled with exotic smells, joyful staff, and sophisticated diners. My meal of Darweesh (eggplant, zucchini, carrots, and string beans cooked in a rich tomato sauce and served with rice pilaf) was full of flavor no doubt from heavy handed doses of herbs and spices. The Falafils (deep fried patties of ground fava beans and chick peas) were perfect with spoonfuls of tahini sauce. Without question, their Baba Ghannouj (smooth blend of eggplant, tahini, lemon and garlic) is the best I have tasted. There is alway a thrill eating delicious Middle Eastern food (or for that matter any ethnic cuisine) and Cafe Barada did not disappoint.
Posted in Comfort Food, Travel | 2 Comments »
Monday, May 10th, 2010
I love this link with an “Artisanal CheeseClock Flight” providing tips on pairing wine and cheese. How clever!!
Through both independent study and instruction from friends/associates who are also extraordinary resources, my education of wine and (goat and sheep) cheese continues. As a university student I knew two things about cheese and wine by the time I graduated (1) I was lactose intolerant (thank my stars not till AFTER a semester in France) and (2) I preferred beer (Budweiser to be exact) over any kind of wine. Several years, a few excellent samples of artisanal cheese and glasses of outstanding wines later I feel a bit differently. Granted I still will admit to loving a cold bottle of Budweiser every once in a while, but now I am actually fascinated by wine labels, wine making, and the influences that affect the final product. This is likely due to the fact that I am no longer drinking airport quality wine (disgusting).
As for cheese, well I have gotten to know a couple goat cheese makers and am intrigued by the cheese making culture and what a proper cheese plate should look/taste like. Though I missed a home cheese making workshop this past winter I even hope to participate in one next year.
My “cheese road” if you will has been a bit bumpier ride than the one I have taken to the corner of an excellent German Riesling and Oregonian Pinot as I am more limited in what I can digest (minimal cow’s milk). That said I have had an amazing companion in Galaxy Nutritional Foods in the passenger seat. Okay, stop there I know you are thinking “product placement” or “way to drop a client into a post”…well fine yes, but I have also been eating their alternative cheese slices for over a decade. Before I ever met anyone from the company, before I even knew the words “Galaxy Nutritional Foods” I was intimately familiar with Veggy (green label) and Rice (blue label) slices of Cheddar and American. When someone loves cheese as much as I do and suddenly their dairy bar of bleu cheese dressing, brie, and camembert is taken away you become desperate to find an alternative source of creamy goodness.
I don’t remember who introduced me to Galaxy’s cheese alternative slices, it might well have been someone at Trader Joes, since that is where I used to shop. Anyway, I have been putting them on tortilla chips, chile, soup, crackers, apples, veggie burgers, vegetables, in burritos and omelets, and melting onto tuna sandwiches for a long while. My favorites are the Rice Mozzarella and the Veggy Pepper Jack flavored slices. You can find them in most traditional grocery stores (natural or produce section) and natural food stores.
Posted in Comfort Food, Drink, Epicurean Events | 1 Comment »
Monday, May 3rd, 2010
Ree Drummond knows a thing or two about life on a ranch and leaving behind the tall buildings and bright lights for greener pastures. Some days I miss L.A. and New York City, two cities where I lived and loved. More often than not though as much as I love to visit those places I have found (sometimes painfully) for the most part the authentic relationships and honest experiences in my life are here in Maine. I would love restaurants to stay open later, to be able to get a cupcake at 11:00 p.m., to have a bit more ethnic diversity (not just people, but food), and a terrific Italian/gourmet deli selling delicious big sandwiches and artisan chocolates. I would also love to have access to a large newsstand with foreign publications, The Paris Review, and a myriad of fashion and design magazines hot off the indie presses in New York City. Thank goodness for Arabica Coffee House, Duckfat, Rabelais, and Sonny’s. I cannot imagine life without those places and little finds like Eli Phant and Rosemont Market and Bakery. (I know any Portland resident serious about food cannot believe I have not eaten at least once at famous Miyake, I promise I will.) Certainly I am excited about the Portland Library’s renovation, wow is it amazing now. After picking up a sage plant at the farmers’ market last week a friend and I went by to check it out. I hope to get back later this week with a large box of books I am donating (part of my ongoing editing process to rid myself of “stuff”).
Anyway, Ree Drummond is the Pioneer Woman a very popular blogger who left Chicago for her Marlboro Man to raise children and help out with the horses. She describes her love story as “Green Acres meets Harlequin Romance.” Yes, this story is being made into a movie, I believe starring the adorable Reese Witherspoon. So Drummond’s cookbook has (I hear) been flying off the shelves and after reading it I can see why. She is fun, maybe some of the content is done just for the cameras and a bit posed, but she has charm and the recipes seem solid. Not being a big meat eater (okay no red and almost never bird), I have only found a couple recipes I can actually use and consume. This past weekend I made her Basic Breakfast Potatoes. However, I opted not to use bacon fat. A great side to the pancakes!
Posted in Comfort Food, Portland Maine, Recipes | No Comments »
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