My foodie adventures started over four decades ago in Southern California when my Aunt Sharon moved from her East Coast apartment in Washington, D.C., to sunny Pasadena. For years, my annual visits were centered around enjoying the food of culinary icons like Wolfgang Puck, Alice Waters, Jonathan Waxman, Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken. No …
Rhubarb Crisp is one of our family’s favorite springtime desserts. Ruby red chunks of fresh rhubarb are combined with Maine maple syrup, covered with a topping of rolled oats, coconut, brown sugar and butter, and baked until the filling is set and the top is golden brown and crunchy. The flavor is first tart and …
In the late 19th century, crabs were only enjoyed along the East and West coasts of the United States. Often found in the traps of lobster fishermen, these crustaceans were considered quite dangerous, as the pinchers of the two front claws could pierce the skin. And the meat was hard to access. Still is, as …
There is nothing more welcoming in spring than a clump of fresh chives. The smallest species of the onion genus, Allium schoenoprasum, chives are a choice edible herb, and the only allium native both to the Old and New World. The cheerful, slender green and hollow shoots of “grass” or chives start to appear once …
When I visit my cookbook assortment seeking culinary inspiration, the nearly 100-year-old Girl Scout chant sung around the campfire, “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold,” reminds me that when it comes to practical matters in the kitchen, old friends still have a lot to offer. One of …
Do you ever get a hankering for certain foods, like a cup of steaming hot soup on a cold and drizzly day, the silky smooth and rich taste of chocolate ice cream, the salty crunch of potato chips, the sour crispness of a pickle spear? The human palate, or the way we humans develop our …
The elegant, puffed and golden soufflé is considered the prima donna of the culinary world. Golden egg yolks enrich a delicious savory or sweet base sauce. In a hot oven, stiffly beaten whites gently expand the base to create a towering, light and airy mixture that melts seductively on your tongue. The time to enjoy …
This is the time of year when I get a hankering for beans; black turtle beans, white, oval-shaped cannellini beans, deep red kidney beans, brown Swedish beans, ivory white Great Northern Beans, any bean will do! A nearly perfect food, beans are packed with complex carbohydrates that help sustain the body’s energy; fiber, which helps …
In her book “Cooking Down East,” the late Maine Sunday Telegram columnist Marjorie Standish shares a historical note in her preface to the recipe for Maine Corn Chowder. “Do you feel a surge of pride when you open Maine canned corn?” the columnist asked readers. “You will when you recall that America’s canning industry was …
I’m coming down the home stretch in my resolution to discover, develop and test 31 wild blueberry recipes. My family and friends have sampled a wide range of delicious and some not-so-tasty creations with Maine’s best known fruit, including lots of smoothies. Try the beet and wild blueberry one. The flavor is nice and sweet, …
Although a glass of champagne at midnight and a kiss may be the way most Americans celebrate the new year, people around the world enjoy a variety of traditional food customs. Special cakes and breads, herring (representing abundance), long noodles (a long life), pigs (good luck), and field peas (coins) are a few of the …
Our daughter Emily and son-in-law Kent are hosting their first holiday party in their new home in Dryden, N.Y. Excited to receive the invitation, I texted Emily our reply. “What do you want me to make for your party?” “Haha … maybe a cheeseball?” she shot back. Then true to her Maine roots, she replied, …
