Biscotti makes nutritious snack
“Maine Dish” chef Cheryl Wixson devised an almond biscotti recipe after searching for a gluten-free treat. She also had an abundance of slivered almonds to use.
Maine Dish
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Warm up with stuffed cabbage leaves
Sadly, aside from Peter Rabbit, the rest of my family is really not completely in love with cabbage. Sometimes called the workhorse of the winter kitchen; cabbage is one of the few green vegetables that can be stored from harvest in the fall until spring in my root cellar. The first cabbages were brought to …
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Gingerbread cookies are a crowd favorite
Last week, my culinary students at Deer Isle-Stonington High School prepared and served a harvest lunch for their 120 classmates and staff. It was a heroic effort that involved the whole school and spanned over two weeks of preparation. Students roasted five Maine-raised turkeys, picking the meat off the bones, making stock and preparing gravy. …
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Let vegetables speak for themselves
Gardeners and cooks make excellent bedfellows. Likewise, farmers and chefs, judging from the number of restaurant menus that honor the producers of their vegetables, meats and cheeses. An affectation? A fad? I think not. It reflects a passionate interest in how food comes into being. Farmers, in turn, love to see what chefs do with …
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Deer hunt yields culinary pleasures
By Cheryl A. Wixson There’s an industrious level of excitement around our household as the month of October draws to a close. When the temperatures drop and daylight hours become shorter, we’re like the red squirrels, scurrying to prepare for winter. Wood split and stacked: check. Rain barrels drained: check. Pumpkins and squash harvested: check. …
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Raise a glass to “Ruby Juice”
Our slow, cool spring produced a bumper crop of rhubarb for many folks. Although usually eaten as a “fruit,” rhubarb is a vegetable, botanically speaking. An invaluable homestead plant in Maine, this tart- tasting member of the buckwheat family can reach up to 2 feet tall. I’m a collector of rhubarb recipes, and we’ve …
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Gretchen Jost’s cookies sweet sensation
Who doesn’t love a fresh chocolate chip cookie hot from the oven? America’s favorite hand-held confection is credited to Ruth Graves Wakefield, owner of the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Mass. In 1938, Ruth made cookies with chunks of a Hershey candy bar, featuring them in her restaurant as the “Toll House Cookie.” The …
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Versatile vinaigrette for salads, marinades
Ron Fortier of Ellsworth recently wrote to me, “With the present stay-at-home situation, I have been delegated as chief cook. I’m rapidly running out of comfort food ideas,” he said. “Please, if you have any fresh ideas, please share, lest I am forced to eat them lobstah. Don’t want to take them away from the …
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Say cheesecake, lobster that is
The long stretch of keeping to home has given me the opportunity to catch up on some necessary spring-cleaning projects. Clothes have been sorted, books dusted and windows washed. One fruitful endeavor was tackling the kitchen refrigerator and freezer. I practice the frugal, homestead cooking technique of saving containers of food scraps in the freezer. …
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Syrup-laced muffins on tap
I keep a close eye on my pantry inventory these days; sorting root-cellared apples for sauce, peeling and freezing garlic and roasting the butternut squash with soft spots. The urge for this annual routine of spring sorting and cleaning reminds me of squirrels, checking their food supplies, cleaning out their nest and getting ready for …
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Romesco sauce is good over fish and as a dip
My friend Susan Wells brought a bowl of bright red, chunky sauce surrounded with crackers and toast points to the garden club potluck. Smothering a cracker with the mixture, I popped it in my mouth. A taste explosion! Bright, tomato and sweet pepper flavors with rich undertones, a pop of acidity, hints of charred roasting …
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A feast for governors’ wives
What is your go-to dish for a special supper or festive potluck meal? A recent student query had me pause to reflect for several moments. My family enjoys eating a wide variety of foods, fruits, grains and vegetables. Our proximity to the coast and local farms allows us the luxury of plentiful seafood, fresh vegetables …