Taste of Maine

Let me start by saying, Maine is awesome. I love everything about the time I spend there, mostly in the Bar Harbor area and around Acadia National Park. The scenery is majestic, people are friendly and the food is insane. The routine and vibe of the island is comforting and when I travel there with my adopted parents, Richard and Lorraine, we always know where we want to go.

We have a must dine list. The Quietside for pizza and ice cream, the Asticou Inn for a sunny day luncheon on the patio, Jordon Pond for a late and lazy afternoon, Jordan's for an All-American pancake breakfast, Abel's for a lobster pound. Life is simple and good in Maine. I attribute my happiness there to the company and the food. I can't say no to the delicacies of the island, and after this post, you won't be able to either.

 First up, Jordan Pond. Famous for their Popovers, Jordan Pond is an institution in the middle of Acadia National Park. The restaurant looks over the pond which provides the island with most of its water.

Popovers are a crowd pleaser. The batter is simple (eggs, milk, flour, baking soda and salt) and bakes quickly into a hallow, fluffy and chewy delight. We tear a chunk off of the side and slide small slabs of butter and jam and seal the hole while the butter and jam melt inside. Generally they sell them in sets of two and almost every dish on the menu comes with a popover. You can find the recipe here (http://www.food.com/recipe/jordan-pond-popovers-360513)

Lorraine and I love the lobster stew there. I can't speak for her, but the first time I had the stew was on a rainy afternoon and we were tired of being in the house. We made our way to Jordan Pond to sit and drink hot chocolate, intending only to eat popovers, but the lobster stew sounded so good we had to try. Now I can't get enough. That recipe is simple too! Chunks of lobster, cream, butter and some lobster broth. Top with oyster crackers and you have amazing comfort food.

Richard doesn't enjoy seafood. But he tells me the grilled ham and cheese is good. After seeing it though, it looks exemplary as well. (He doesn't get excited over food as I do.)

The Asticou Inn is another island institution, although it is a tourist treat more than a local favorite. Most of the people I've dined with there are not from the island. It is delicious nonetheless clad with creative twists on island favorites. Start with a bottle of wine to sip on the sunlit deck and nothing can go wrong. We started with a little cheese platter that had Brie, smoked cheddar and some other treat.

Lorraine and I typically coordinate our orders to maximize utility (i.e. we figure out two things we would both like to try and split them). This visit we tested the lobster roll (yum) and the shrimp po boy (double yum). My apologies for the haphazard photo. We were so excited to taste, we forgot to take a snap shot. By these time we remembered, this is what was on the plate. :) Their fries are the thinnest little trinkets filled with the powerful flavors of truffle oil, parsley and parmesan. This meal could only be made better by one thing, dessert. I will not be challenged on this point, creme brulee is the best and the Asticou delivers.

Creme brulee is not the easiest dessert to make. It requires patience and a great understanding of how eggs and cream work together. I've only ever made it once, and it wasn't great. What's more, I don't like to make it because I end  up keeping it all for myself! Some things are too good to share. Places like the Asticou have a practiced hand.

Enjoy the island and the food!

Baked cheesecake!

Now, I love cheesecake, but I very rarely make it. I'm not sure that my self control (and ego) could take the failure of eating an entire cheesecake by myself. That's why I have a 24 hour rule. I only make cheesecake if I know I will give it to someone (for their birthday, for no reason at all) within 24 hours. This is pretty easy to do, as most everyone I know will take a cheesecake.

The recipe I use is very easy and never fails. And it is easy to adapt to your needs. This cheesecake was made for a good friend on his birthday and he loves blueberries so I dropped a few in. You can also puree or reduce some fruit in simple syrup to give it your own spin. The possibilities are endless, but for now, cheesecake with blueberries.

A quick note on the ingredients, as always. Cheesecake crust is the main trouble here. If you are dedicated to the notion of graham crackers to make the crust, order them online because you really don't find them in Britain or Europe. I use plain digestives cookies, but you can also use Oreos or ginger snaps--- oh ginger snaps would be good!

Ingredients for crust:
2 cups of cookies/biscuits/Oreos, processed to crumbs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup), melted
A splash of vanilla

Ingredients for filling:
16 oz/ 500 grams of cream cheese
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 pint sour cream
1 lemon, zested
1 teaspoon vanilla

Recipe:

1. Combine cookie crumbs, butter, cinnamon and vanilla until evenly moistened. Use coat the pan evenly with the crumbs and pat down with hands. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to firmly press the crust. Don't forget to coat the sides of the pan as well, about 5 centimeters or an inch up. Put in the fridge until ready to use.
2. To make the filling, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs one at a time until combined.
3. Gradually add the sugar and beat until the mixture is creamy.
4. Add the sour cream, vanilla and lemon.
     *The filling is very thin, but don't worry. It is supposed to be the consistency of cream.
5. Bake for 45 minutes at 325 degrees. Allow to rest in the pan for 30 minutes in the pan before putting it in the fridge. Allow it to set for at least four hours before serving.


Enjoy!

Baking in review

This year has been a whirlwind. The only constant has been my baking. Everything else in London was up in the air. I found comfort in baking. When I was stressed from exams, I baked. When we had birthdays in the group, I baked. And when we left each other after one of the best years of my life, I baked. My last baking project in London was chocolate chip cookies.

I baked chocolate chip cookies in the middle of dissertation madness. We had to have a break from writing, researching, and cursing the gods to enjoy chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches. The rest went toward getting Luuk to Washington DC without starving because I wasn’t sure he was going to make it… (That story is for another time and place).

Here is the list of recipes this year and the many memories we made!!!

Yannik’s Birthday—Double Chocolate cake pops

Richard’s Birthday—Pumpkin Pie

Aurore’s Birthday—White Chocolate Almond Cupcakes

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hugo’s Birthday—Cheesecake

Dominik’s Birthday—Blueberry cheesecake

Study session—Pumpkin Bars

Rebecca’s Birthday—French Silk Pie

Josh’s birthday—Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes with Ganache

One of my favorite memories was my first night out with Rebecca and Pamela, and that amazing chocolate cake from Waitrose. There is absolutely nothing wrong chocolate ganache cake shared between three friends.

Other great memories that I find bittersweet are the times when others have pirated my baking skills—a sacrifice I am willing to make for my friends to gain favor with our professors.

Aurore’s birthday is a for instance. The next morning was a rough one. We had a great night, but Yannik and Aurore has an early meeting with our professor to review their presentation for the next week. They had nothing prepared. Nothing. So they bribed her with a cupcake I baked. I gave Aurore two gifts—birthday cake and that meeting. Because I love her, I let it slide.

A few short weeks later, I was hoodwinked again! It is a tradition I carried over from the family and undergrad. I bake pumpkin chocolate chip cookies to take to the last day of class every Christmas. But this year, we had a lot of fun the night before our 9am class. Very few of my classmates showed up, I won’t name names. It wasn’t until the afternoon seminars that the cookies came out and yet again, my cookies were pirated to gain favor with a preferred professor of the program. That was worth it though. I would bake thousands of cookies just to see Aurore take credit for them because it was so hilarious.

Any other stories are welcome but the reminiscing is getting in the way of my packing. I’m off to a new city. Off to new beginnings, new people, and new opportunities, but I will never forget the people I met, the lessons we learned together and the comfort I found in taking care of them by cooking and baking.

This is why I bake—to see the look on Hugo’s face when he eats cheesecake. Luuk’s smile after chocolate ganache anything. Or the glee on Deborah’s face when we make cake pops together.

I’ll miss these people and baking for them.