First Look at Empire Chinese Kitchen

Prof. A. and I checked out the new Empire last night - now Empire Chinese Kitchen. The Empire Dine and Dance was previously a bar... that had food? All I remember is a $5 burger, bourbon, and beer special. 

The new menu is a return to the cuisine that was served out of the space from 1916-1953. Empire was originally a 'chop suey joint' with a two-story neon "Chop Suey" sign that was recently discovered to have inspired Hopper's painting of the same name (see this Portland magazine article for the story). 

The space has been completely redone - where I previously thought of Empire as dark and dank, it's been lightened up with lots of blonde wood, hanging jade plants, and minimalist table settings. 

I found my cute friend Ian tending bar - a pleasant surprise! 

At 6pm, the restaurant was filling with people "of my generation" as Prof. A. put it, and we were sat at a table in the window with a banquette (covered in the mostly delightfully rubbable fabric). Our server brought us a pot of jasmine tea, and I copied A.'s wine order of an Austrian Gruner Veltliner, which was not something I was familiar with, and I really enjoyed it. 

We started with two small plates: an Empire eggroll ($5), local beef pastrami with cabbage and asparagus, served with a honey mustard sauce and garlic green beans ($5), with roasted garlic and daikon, but more I think like ginger and hot peppers. Both were good, but the garlic green beans were the favorite. 

From the dim sum menu, we ordered pork dumplings ($5), char siu bao ($5), and a sticky rice pocket ($4). A second round of ordering brought us Peking Duck Buns ($7) and spinach dumplings ($5). 

Pork Dumplings

So here I feel I must say a few things about Chinese food - I think we have all gotten over the, it's good, you know, for American-Chinese food (said with a sniff like we've all just gotten back from eating lotus leaf rice and turnip cakes abroad). We have Americanized Chinese cuisine here, and some of it is better than others. I think we can all also agree that it's not very good in Maine (OK, we will not all agree on that, but please don't try to argue your case with me). While I have not lived in New York City or eaten in Chinatown, I still have found better Chinese takeout food places in other states. 

That said, I've never had dim sum. So my experiences in Maine of steamed buns at Pai Men Miyake and bao in Boston's Chinatown and NYC with Original Roomie A. were my first. I have no personal yardstick for this type of food. So if I tell you this food is good, and you go in and are all, this has got nothing on Mission Chinese? You're on your own. But the food is good and the menu shows real promise. 

Char Sui Bao

Even so, there were a few small things that Empire could work on, but I trust that they will improve. Overall, my impression of the food was very positive and combined with the location, the atmosphere, and the great bar (and bartender, obvi), I'm sure Empire will make many people very happy. 

Peking Duck Buns

And in case you were wondering, as I was, yes, that industrial ladies room is unchanged - some painted stalls and maybe some new fixtures, but the exposed brick and warehouse feel is still there. 

Out On A Limb Apple CSA - 1st Share

I was skeptical the first time I heard of the Out On A Limb apple CSA (there was a tomato CSA that raised my eyebrows too). I figured there was no way I'd ever be able to eat enough apples to make it worth it - I struggle with my veggie CSA share, which I split with 3 people, and that's only one of a bunch of different vegetables. 

But in the spring, SK of Delicious Musings asked me and ST of Edible Obsessions if we were interested in splitting a share, mediating my fears of being buried by uneaten apples. 

The idea behind the Out On A Limb CSA is really cool. The apples are from Super Chilly Farms in Palermo, the home of John Bunker and Cammy Watts who are committed to preserving rare apple varieties in their organic orchard. The CSA, like most models, requires money up front (we paid about $40 each in March), which allows the farmers some upfront capital for the growing season. 

This week was the first of five biweekly deliveries and pictured below is a third of the share. 

An online newsletter provides great stories about the history of each variety, recommended uses, and recipes (apparently there's a great apple brownie recipe out there somewhere). 

This week's share included five varieties (counterclockwise from upper left): Duchess of Oldenberg, Zestar, Gravenstein, Milton, and Garden Royal (middle). Two varieties are good for fresh eating, the other 3 recommended for baking. Other than mistakenly giving my boyfriend a pie apple and taking a fresh eating one for myself, I haven't made any moves with them yet. 

The apples have joined with several pounds of peaches to create a conglomerate of fruit that feels like it's disappointed in me every time I look in the fridge. Let the fruit guilt begin! 

East Ender Brunch

To satisfy a friend's Bloody Mary craving on Saturday, I checked out Susan Axelrod's Bodacious Bloodies round-up, where I saw East Ender's smoky, sausage topped version. While I rarely crave Bloody Marys, I'd heard they serve amazing fried chicken - over a waffle to boot. 

For Saturday lunch, the restaurant was quiet, while Duckfat next door was overflowing with customers. We were happy to slide into a table with one long wooden banquet on one side, right next to a two-sided gas fireplace that faces some inviting lounge seats. 

My friend Dr. P got the Bloody Mary, of course, and I tried the Pretty Girl Margarita ($8) which was described as containing elderflower liqueur, but if it did it wasn't prominent. The brunch menu is a good mix of brunch and lunch items - from the 'ee standard' (two eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, hash browns) and eggs benedict to pulled pork and a burger. Really, the hardest part is narrowing down your choices. 

But my menu choice was predetermined: chicken and waffles ($14), a buttermilk fried half bird, malted waffle, maple syrup, hot sauce, and creme fraiche. And I didn't miss any of those other menu items for a second. The chicken was deboned and perfectly fried, still tender with grill marks giving it a nice smokiness. The waffle was fluffy, yet substantial, but I could have done without the creme fraiche.

As Dr. P tucked into his equally good plate of eggs, bacon, sausage (I think he said it was some of the best sausage he'd ever had), we watched as the table next to us was first served flaky fruit filled pop tarts, and then a comically large trio of lemon curd filled donuts, topped with maraschino cherries.

As we walked past the table on our way out, I overheard one of the men say, "this place is underrated." And I have to agree. You don't hear much about it, but the East Ender is quietly serving damn fine food.

Canning Tomato Salsa with Paste Tomatoes

I've finally found a home canned salsa recipe that I like—this one uses paste tomatoes and simmers for 30 minutes, so it makes a nice, thick salsa, with a consistency close to commercially prepared salsas. 

In the past, I've struggled to find a salsa recipe for canning that isn't too acidic or watery (this peach apple salsa is an exception). Since I go through a lot of salsa in the year (especially now that football season has started), I went big, got a lot of tomatoes and ended up with 15 pints of salsa. 

I found a great deal on beautiful paste tomatoes from Fairwinds Farm in Topsham ($25 for a 20lb. box), and used local peppers, some from my CSA share from New Beat Farm in Knox. 

This recipe requires a lot of chopping (A lot. I've apparently gotten spoiled by teaching canning classes where the chopping goes really quickly among 8-10 people), and so I put my new knife and cutting board to work. 

While I'd like to pretend I'm also going to can some tomatoes, I think freezing is the prefered route again this year, as peeling and canning tomatoes is a lot of work! 

Tomato Salsa with Paste Tomatoes

From National Center for Home Food Preservation 

7 quarts peeled, cored, chopped paste tomatoes

4 cups seeded, chopped long green chiles  

5 cups chopped onion

½ cup seeded, finely chopped jalapeño peppers

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cups bottled lemon juice (added for safety) 

2 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

2 tablespoons ground cumin 

3 tablespoons dried oregano leaves

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro

Wash and rinse pint canning jars; keep hot until ready to use. Simmer flat part of lids in a small pot of water.

Wash and peel tomatoes (place washed tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute, immediately place in cold water, and slip off skins). Chop into ½-inch pieces. Peel, wash and dice onions into ¼-inch pieces. Wash, core, and seed bell peppers; chop into ¼-inch pieces. Wash, core, and seed jalapeño peppers; dice finely. 

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and heat, stirring frequently, until mixture boils. Combine all ingredients except cumin, oregano and cilantro in a large sauce pot and heat, stirring frequently, until mixture boils. (If you don't have a large enough pot, measure half amounts into two pots and cook two batches simultaneously.) 

Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add spices and simmer for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle hot into hot pint jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. 

Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened, clean paper towel; apply two-piece metal canning lids. 

Process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. Yields 12 to 15 pints. 

Sitting Outside

Labor Day weekend means the end of summer in Maine - in other places, it's summer hot until at least mid-September. But our beach days are winding down and I've been sure to make the most of this fine stretch of late August weather we've had by sitting outside a lot. 

I made it to Willard Beach in South Portland a few days in a row, where it actually was hot enough to warrant a dip into the ocean (when does the water ever get warm?? Never? Oh.). 

We sat outside at Hadlock Field and watched the Portland Sea Dogs stage a great late comeback, but ultimately lose to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. I ate a hot dog, drank a Baxter, and stayed for the (really long) fireworks show. 

Every Sunday, I've been sitting out on our sailboat. Here's the dinghy loaded to the gills for our latest overnight trip. There's always a lot of (too much?) beer and rum, more cold water swimming, and antics involving someone(s) falling out of/swamping the dinghy when we go back to shore. But the sailing has been nice lately. 

Happy hours lately have had a outdoor mandate, satisfied by the decks of Portland Lobster Company (fortunately no music this time - while I love the live acts that play there, it gets too loud to talk!), The Thirsty Pig, and Hot Suppa. 

I was happy to get back to the Pig - I haven't been in a while. I had a New Englander hot dog which comes with baked beans and slaw on the dog. Delish. 

While I was sitting outside on the beach again (this time in North Carolina), the zucchini was growing. We came back to this beast, hiding beneath the giant leaves. 

After getting as much 'posing with a giant vegetable as a prop' mileage out of it as we could, it was shredded to make 4 loaves of zucchini bread, all with a different combination of walnuts, chocolate chips, and orange juice/zest. I used this Food52 recipe. 

Make the most of your Labor Day weekend - I'll be... well, you know. 

Local Nuts - The Gilded Nut Snack Co.

You've been warned: the following post contains the repeated use of the word "nuts." If you're prone to fits of giggling or making "that's what she said" jokes, this might be difficult for you to read (or fun for that matter!). 

My friend N. sent over some nuts for me to try; she works at local branding company Pulp + Wire who recently took on John's Nuts (oh Lord, here we go) as an account for a branding and packaging makeover. Now called The Gilded Nut Snack Co. and packaged in some sharp looking boxes, John's spice-coated pistachios come in four flavors: habanero heat, Mediterranean herb, salt and pepper, and original. 

John and his Gilded Nut Co. are from the San Francisco Bay area, but he had the good sense to move to Portland, Maine. The pistachios are sourced in California, but the spice and olive oil tumbling bit takes place here in Portland. 

Having never seen flavored pistachios in the first place, I was impressed with the idea - and the taste as well. Encouraged by package instructions to suck the shells for more flavor, I found the Mediterranean herb blend to be my favorite and the habanero heat to have a slow, building heat that was eventually too much for me, but boyfriend A. loved them. 

The Gilded Nut Snack Co.'s pistachios can be found locally at gourmet snack and gift shops like LaRoux Kitchen, Black Tie Catering Co., and The Cheese Iron in Scarborough (see Store Locations for more details). Pick some up, see for yourself how they're an unexpected departure from regular pistachios. 

Just for fun, a before and after shot of John's Nuts/The Gilded Nut Snack Co.'s packaging, courtesy of Pulp + Wire. 

And insert your own nut joke here! 

Homemade Cronuts

Since there are people out there who still haven't heard of a cronut (ahem, Jenner), let's start at the beginning. The cronut is the creation of NYC baker Dominique Ansel and is described as half-donut, half-croissant. These pastries are so popular in New York (well, everywhere, but you can only get them in New York), that people begin lining up before 6am to attempt to score a cronut. (Read Cronut 101 if you think that sounds like a pleasant way to spend your morning in New York). Madness. 

Really, the ideal way to eat a cronut is fresh out of the fryer, after NOT standing on line for 2+ hours, and as breakfast to start your day at the beach. I saw this perfect storm coming months ago when I signed up for my family's annual week at the Outer Banks of North Carolina: stepfather (expert fried dough maker) + sister's friend Dr. T (bringer of the fryer) = cronuts. 

While the cronut recipe is proprietary, making croissant dough, shaping it like a donut, and frying it was close enough for me. There's also pastry cream and glaze involved in Ansel's cronuts, but I just went with granulated sugar as a topping. Keepin' it simple, folks. 

The dough is a laminated dough, which means that cold butter is folded into it and refrigerated between folds. This technique keeps the butter from becoming incorporated into the dough and creates those signature flaky layers. I followed the butter croissant recipe from Gourmet via Epicurious. 

I then rolled the dough out to 1/2" thick and stamped out donut shapes and holes with Buck's excellent cutter set. By this point, there was a lot of people hovering around the kitchen. 

Finally, the most exciting step: the frying. Dr. T's fryer was perfect for cranking out 3 cronuts at a time (with a few holes for good measure). They didn't take long to fry up to a perfect golden brown, expanding their crispy layers as they sizzled. 

With a sprinkle of sugar they were ready. Need I tell you they were delicious? It should be obvious by now. I hate to say anything bad about donuts, but they really are missing the flaky edges of a croissant. Despite this dough being more work than donut dough, it was totally worth it. If you make the dough the night before like we did, then in the morning, you're left with just the frying and all the glory. 

I was then declared the cronut queen and used my title to curry favors for the rest of the day (like beer refills while in the pool). I highly recommend it. 

First Look at MJ's Wine Bar

I have to admit that when Professor A. initially wrote that a wine bar was going into the Food Court area in One City Center, I was skeptical and made some snarky comment about how I'd pass on drinking wine in an office building's basement.

But a tradition is a tradition, so when Prof. A. asked if I wanted to join him for the opening of MJ's Wine Bar last night, as we have made a habit of this year (see our "First Looks" at In'Finiti, Little Tap House, P&R Public House), I went along to see what this new wine bar entailed.

And as I stood at the top of the non-moving escalators inside One City Center, looking down into the empty food court, I felt a sense of dread. And confusion.

But after looking at facebook photos that showed a street level entrance, I walked outside the building into Monument Square, went down a few steps, and then rounding a corner, found a little patio with bistro style tables and umbrellas and plenty of al fresco wine drinkers. So one can easily forget that this space is technically in a soulless office building, and rather look out over Free Street and down into the heart of the Old Port. Perfectly positioned.

Inside, the space is light and airy, but with warm, dark woods and leather couches, creating a coffee shop/cafe feel, but also slightly living room-ish (complete with record player and all). We sat on a couch with a low table in front of some floor to ceiling windows.

Wines are available by the half glass, full glass or bottle, and there is an interesting selection of imported bottled beers and local draught beers as well. I started with a glass of GSM, then a glass of sparkling rose, and a half glass of a Torrontes, which the obliging staff picked out for me when I asked for the weirdest or most challenging white they had. (I was having a "life is so hard" moment and didn't have the enthusiasm to pick out my own wine.) 

We also shared an amazing spread of cheese, nuts, and olives, all ordered a la carte, with the cheese selections accompanied by mustard, baguette, and pickled vegetables. 

I hear 'wine bar,' and I think 'stuffy.' But this place, run by an affable man named Mark who used to bartend at Little Tap House, has not one fleck of pretentiousness. The staff is clearly knowledgeable, but will help you out when you just want a glass of wine and don't care what it is. I think MJ's wine bar is a welcome addition to this awkward little corner of space where Monument Square meets Free Street.

Royal Rose Simple Syrup Party

This winter, while the Hunt & Alpine Club was throwing their private "Hush, Hush" cocktail parties, I said to Professor A., I don't get jealous of others' foodie pursuits often, but watching local bloggers detail their fabulous cocktails and samplings from local chefs was making me positively green. 

So you can imagine my excitement when I received an invite to the Royal Rose Simple Syrup one year anniversary party, with cocktails from Hunt & Alpine Club and food by Blue Rooster Food Co. 

Royal Rose simple syrups are made in Biddeford by a couple that moved up here from Brooklyn and who have an appreciation for craft cocktails. They use all organic ingredients, and their line includes intriguing flavors like strawberry fennel, lavender lemon, and tamarind. 

The party was held in a private apartment in the Biddeford North Dam Mill building, which is an old paper mill building renovated to house apartments, condos, and retail and industrial spaces. The mill buildings are home to Rabelais Books, Vervacious, and Inspired Wire Studio. 

Cocktails were mixed up by a bartender from the Hunt & Alpine Club, a much-anticipated craft cocktail bar opening at 75 Market Street in Portland's Old Port. Here, bartender Kit is measuring some juice for my favorite cocktail of the night, a rum swizzle made with dark rum, snap, fresh pineapple and lemon juices, tamarind and cardamom clove syrups, and angostura bitters. 

Other cocktails included The Weekender, a vodka, aperol, lemon, grapefruit juice with the saffron syrup that was bitter, but sweet and spicy, as well as Summer Haven, a sort of French 75 with gin, lillet blanc, lemon juice, prosecco and the lavender lemon syrup. Very easy drinking. 

Food from Blue Rooster Food Co. served by the friendly proprietors was delicious as always. I particularly enjoyed the moroccan-spiced hummus, the tomato, black olive, ricotta, sea salt crostini and their bite-sized bahn mi sandwiches, made with country pate slices on toasted focaccia. I also stole away with a beautiful, light-as-air sugar cookie.  

In Portland, Royal Rose simple syrups are available at the new cocktail and soda shop Vena's Fizz House on Fore St. Check them out for a fun, locally made addition to your cocktail repertoire or to mix into some seltzer water for a homemade Italian soda.

Bonus best statement of the night, where conversation frequently turned into a Biddeford love fest (yes, you read that right): "Biddeford is to Portland as Brooklyn is to Manhattan." 

First Look at Portland & Rochester Public House

The Portland & Rochester Public House opened quietly tonight, down in Bayside across the street from Bayside Bowl. The friendly bar manager who chatted with me indicated they hope to be well positioned when the neighborhood fills out with some significant real estate projects that are in the works.

I was just excited to have a restaurant back in the space that used to house G&R Dimillo's. While I never wrote about it here (it wasn't really note worthy), I loved the little Italian-esque, family restaurant/sports bar that was. 

The place has had a facelift, mostly some changes that make the bar area flow better and the restaurant space more warm and welcoming, rather than cavernous like before. Dark hardwoods and recycled materials set the mood, with a beautiful stained concrete floor that resembles ceramics glaze. The large windows overlooking Preble St. have had the frosting removed, brightening up the dining space significantly. 

Professor A. and I sat at the bar, where he ordered a "beet.nik" cocktail of yellow beet infused vodka, beet puree, ginger simple syrup, and lemon. At first it tasted like, well, beet vodka, but the bartender was very amenable to our suggestion to add more ginger syrup to create a more balanced drink. 

I ordered off the selection of mostly local draught beers, starting with a Scrimshaw Pilsner and next a Rising Tide Daymark Pale Ale. 

We ordered mussels ($11), Scotch eggs ($11.5), and pretzels ($7), but were also tempted by a flatbread pizza with pork belly and smoked mozz, a burrata salad, and a charcuterie plate. 

The mussels were surprising, in that they were 'dry' or not served over that lovely wine, garlic sauce that is so right for sopping. But rather these were smoked and served with a garlic herb cream sauce. I enjoyed the different albiet unexpected preparation. 

I've never seen Scotch eggs offered in Portland, and again they were different than I was expecting. A small quail egg was wrapped in heavily spiced lamb sausage and fried. I've previously had them rolled in a bread crumb coating and deep fried. I think maybe for this price point that some may be disappointed with the portion. 

The pretzel bites were very good (I was truthfully afraid after being scarred from one too many bad pretzels at In'finiti). While not especially pretzel-y, the bites were crispy on the edges (almost like a cheese puff) and very buttery. The mustard sauce was good, but the cheese sauce had a mobility problem, so we didn't get too much to adhere to our pretzels. 

While I admit my love for the previous place has carried over to this one, I want to see this place succeed. The draught list is solid, the cocktail list intriguing, and the wine full of things I'd never even heard of. Entrees range are typical proteins - chicken and steak, but with intriguing sides like spatzle. The restaurant is staffed with industry pros, and the space transformed into a hipper, younger joint. 

I encourage my fellow bowlers to stop in and check the place out before or after a game. And the rest of you will just have to make the trek down into Bayside to see this place's potential for yourself. 

Thai Steak Salad and Strawberry Peach Pie

I don't know what's up with the weather in Maine. It's been brain-liquefying, stupor-inducing heat, then back to fleece-wrapped, muggy drizzle. For dinner, I have alternately had cold fried chicken with zucchini corn salad and then spicy chipotle chili and cornbread.  

I guess if I've learned anything about the weather patterns in Maine, it's that they follow no pattern. But here's two dishes that will be seasonally appropriate at some point soon - a cold salad topped with grilled sliced steak and a zingy dressing and a delicate pie crust filled with sweet, in season fruit, whatever it happens to be. 

Thai Grilled Steak Salad

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen

1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon white rice

juice of 2 limes

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 (1 1/2 pound) flank steak, trimmed

Salt and white pepper*

4 shallots, sliced thin

1 1/2 cups fresh mint leaves, torn

1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro leaves

1 Thai chile, stemmed and sliced thin into rounds

1 cucumber, sliced 1/4 inch thick on bias

Salad greens

Toast spices in a frying pan over medium heat until fragrant. Set aside. Toast rice in frying pan until golden brown. Grind into a fine powder using a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle.** Set aside. 

Whisk together reserved toasted spices, lime juice, fish sauce, water, and sugar. 

Season steak with salt and pepper liberally on both sides. Grill on high heat for 5 minutes per side. Let rest for 10 minutes and slice against the grain into thin slices. 

Toss steak with dressing. Serve over salad greens, garnished with shallots, mint, cilantro, chilies, cucumbers, and rice powder. 

Serves 4. 

*I enjoyed walking down to La Bodega Latina and Hong Kong Market on Congress Street to shop for the supplies for this recipe - specifically I bought a huge cheap bag of shallots, a big (again, cheap) tray of bird's eye chilies, white pepper, and cilantro. However, you could easily find everything you needed at a supermarket. 

**I failed to find rice powder at Hong Kong Market, so I made my own by employing my boyfriend, a rolling pin, and a zip top bag. If you decide to make your own rice powder, do follow the recipe's advice and use a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle. The rolling pin-smashed rice was a little large, and therefore bordered on molar endangering. 

On pie: first, do not be intimidated. I'm not here to make it sound easy, but I'm telling you firsthand that you can make a good one. If it's your first one? It might not be good. Or it might be great, giving you baking confidence, only to find that your next six are tough or bland. But press on, because even not great pie is good and can be fixed with ice cream. 

However, this pie was good, and I give the credit to my new pasty blender. Forget the whole 'two knives' thing you may have heard. Just buy a pasty blender to cut your butter into the flour. The right tools really do make a difference. 

Pie Crust 

Makes two 9-inch crusts

Adapted from Joy the Baker

2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons ice cold water

2 tablespoons ice cold vodka*

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes

*Replacing some of the water with vodka prevents gluten from forming and helps create a tender crust. 

Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix water, vodka, and vinegar together in a liquid measuring cup and add several ice cubes. Add cold butter to dry ingredient mixture, blending until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add vodka/water mixture by the tablespoon, stirring gently to combine, until mixture comes together (or looks like it will after some kneading). 

Dump out mixture onto a lightly floured, clean countertop. Knead until mixture forms a ball. Divide the ball into two equal size pieces, and gently flatten them into disks. Wrap with plastic wrap (to prevent the exterior from drying out/crusting over - ew) and refrigerate for 1 hour. 

After an hour of chillin', roll out your crusts. Start by generously flouring your countertop and your rolling pin. Roll gently and slowly, in one direction, from the outside of the pie crust to the edges. Rotate it frequently and if it sticks at all, add more flour. Roll until it's 1/4" thick and as round as you can make it. 

Gently transfer one crust into a glass pie pan. Fill with your favorite fruit filling. I used a quart of sliced peaches, a quart of sliced strawberries, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, and a tablespoon of cornstarch. 

Cut off the overhanging crust off to be even with the edge of the pie pan and top with the second crust. Press two crusts together with your fingers. To make this neat pattern, pinch together the thumb and forefinger of one hand and press crusts between pinched fingers and your thumb. After a few misshapen dents, you'll get a rhythm. 

Brush with milk or egg wash for a pretty browning effect, sprinkle with sanding sugar (big cubed sugar) if you have it, and cut a few slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Bake for 15 minutes at 400*F. Reduce heat to 375*F and bake for 45 to 55 minutes more. 

"Barbecue Friendly Reds" Wine Wise Tour

Despite drinking a lot of it in my eight years of legal drinking, I know very little about wine. I've never taken a systematic approach to learning about it or even cataloging what I've drank in order to help narrow down what kinds of wine I like. 

While I know what I like when I taste it, I don't have the words to describe my preferences to help a merchant or a server make a recommendation. It's pitiful. I suspect many of you may feel the same way. So when I saw that Wine Wise was offering a "barbecue friendly reds" themed walk through the West End of Portland, I snapped up a ticket. 

Wine Wise is a company that offers educational wine events, hosted in various restaurants around Portland or on a sailboat in Casco Bay. Erica Archer is the founder and tour guide and she did a great job of introducing us to the language of wine. 

We started at bonobo pizza where we paired their pulled barbecue pork pizza with an Argentinian Malbec. Here we learned to aerate our wine and how to anticipate a wine's flavor based on its appearance. 

I was surprised to remember how good bonobo's pizza is, as I live very nearby and never frequent the place. The wine, as was the case with all of our wine and food pairings, stood up to the bold flavors of the barbecue due to the bold flavors of this young, high alcohol wine.  

Next we headed to the outdoor patio of Hot Suppa! where we paired their smoked and barbecue wings with a California Pinot Noir. Here we learned that a high alcohol wine can amplify the spiciness of food - which may or may not appeal to you. But I learned this lesson the hard way after sampling one of Hot Suppa's excellent barbecue wings, which I thought were plenty hot. 

Our third stop was only a few doors down at Local 188 where we caught a glimpse of the good things to come from Salvage BBQ with Chef jay Villani's smoked brisket paired with a South African Pinotage. 

And with this matching, we learned the "secret" of pairing wines and food - for success, match the body of the wine (indicated by the percentage of alcohol) with the body of the food. So for barbecue, which Erica pointed out is not a delicate affair, we drank high alcohol, young wines. 

After Local, we tripped down to Outliers Eatery, our longest walk of the tour, but much appreciated to enjoy the beautiful weather we had on Saturday. 

Outliers was one of the best stops - the interior of the restaurant was very beautiful on a sunny afternoon. Because the place is so new, it was nice to see everyone on the tour appreciating the beautiful restaurant and the fantastic food they served us. 

Here we had a California Zinfandel paired with a seared lamb chop served over a spicy eggplant relish with a spicy blueberry barbecue sauce. 

I was surprised to learn that I liked this wine the most, as Erica described it as having some residual sugars (sugar leftover after the yeast die). But the wine was very fruity and not too sweet (I mean, I should know that Erica was picking out nice wines) and the food was incredible. 

The lamb was cooked perfectly and despite thinking that the eggplant relish tasted of hot dogs (once I made the association, I couldn't taste anything else about it!), this food and wine pairing was my favorite. (This is not a menu item, but the staff encouraged the kitchen to add it.) 

Did I mention that this Wine Wise tour was only $40? I had such a good time learning from Erica, as she is so incredibly knowledgeable and approachable. The atmosphere of the tours is casual, so you can take as much or as little as you want from it. 

Erica has several wine sails coming up (one with oysters!), as well as a Rose vs. Reds Old Port walk that sounds intriguing. Sounds like I might be advantage of the 'buy 5 - get the 6th Wine Wise event free' promotion before I know it!