Lemonade Day Recipe Contest

Last Saturday, I was a judge at the Lemonade Day Recipe Contest at the Children's Museum and Theater of Maine.  I was entertained by nonchalantly answering, 'Oh, judging a little kids' lemonade contest,' when asked what my plans were for the first nice Saturday in a while. 

The contest was a kick-off for National Lemonade Day, June 5th, where kids across the country are going to set up their carefully planned lemonade stands.  They've been testing recipes, creating business plans, marketing schemes, and budgets.

The grand prize winner of the recipe contest (selected from 5 finalists out of 16 submissions) received a serving pitcher for their lemonade stand.

The judges ranged from a teacher, a Parks & Recreations Department supervisor, to a chef, and me, a food blogger.  Lemon Head there, in the background, was the (slightly creepy?) mascot for the day.

After all the sips had been slurped, and all the contestants quizzed about their business acumen, the judges retired to the judging room (aka the children's play kitchen outside the theater).

 

And in the end, we were all won over by Haley and Emma's "Lemon Love" pink lemonade.  These cute sophomores from Bowdoin and Topsham created the best tasting recipe, with fresh raspberries and slices of lemon.  Absolutely delicious, and perfect for the almost hot day we had last Saturday. 

Congratulations to Emma and Haley, and good luck with your lemonade stand!

Haley & Emma's "Lemon Love" Pink Lemonade

Simple Syrup:

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup water

Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice

1-1/2 cups "superfine" sugar

2 cups 100% cranberry/raspberry juice

1-1/2 quarts cold water

4 lemons thinly sliced for garnish

1 pint fresh raspberries for garnish

1 bag ice

Make a simple syrup.  Bring 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in medium sauce pan over high heat.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.  Let cool 10 minutes on stove top, then refrigerate until chilled. (1 hour)  

While simple syrup is cooling, juice lemons.  For maximum juice place washed lemons in microwave for 30 seconds.  Roll lemons with hand FIRMLY on counter.  Cut in half and place one half at a time on juicer.  Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze until you can't get anymore juice out.  Repeat until you get 2-1/2 cups.  Pour lemon juice through a fine mesh strainer to remove the pulp (if desired) and any seeds. 

In large pitcher add lemon juice, 1-1/2 cups superfine sugar, 2 cups cranberry/raspberry juice, simple syrup and 1-1/2 quarts cold water.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.  Refrigerate until ready to serve - up to 1 day.

To serve, in each glass add ice cubes and garnish with lemon slices and fresh raspberries.

Note:  4 small lemons will yield about 1/2 cup juice.

Makes 3 quarts. 

Petite Jacqueline Review

I'm sensing an upheaval.

As you may know, Local 188 has been my go-to restaurant in town for a spur of the moment, quality, moderately priced dinner. I know their white fish special will always be good, they have great small plate starts, their cocktails and wine list are great, and the ambiance can fit most any occasion.

But Petite Jacqueline is sneaking up into those categories. Its name has started to spring to my tongue faster than Local's in response to the question, where should we eat tonight?

While this may be a short-lived phenomenon, as I've only been to Bistro PJ twice, whereas Local has stood the test of time, I believe the restaurant has the makings of a 'short list' restaurant. That is, one I'll recommend to out-of-towners, one for friends looking to entertain, and one that I can count on to deliver a reasonably priced, great meal whether it be a Wednesday or a Saturday. 

Petite Jacqueline focuses on French classics- without a twist, just straight-up. I heard someone describe the menu as entry level culinary school 'French Cooking 101,' which, to me, is not a detraction. In Portland, there are very few 'classics' in the new restaurant category- everyone is reaching for something new.  But Steve and Michelle Correy (of Five-Fifty Five) are turning out classics that are simple and good, and can be unexpected if you (like me) are not too familiar with well-executed French classics.

The menu is heavy on the meat- rich preparations of charcuterie, from the trotters ($8) you see above to the charcuterie plate ($9), on this night including pork pate and chicken liver, bacon-wrapped terrine.

The trotters were not my favorite, served cold, and a little too 'springy' (ie. too cartilaginous), but the country-style pork pate was silky smooth and creamy.

Entrees are reasonably priced, from $12 to $26, with $18 being the average.  M. returned to his favorite, the Tartare Frites, a blue plate special on Thursday nights. The mound of steak tartare is gently seasoned (not too much truffle oil, like some) and served with a sous vide egg that creates a richness within this dish.  

And the frites are pretty spot on (my ultimate test being whether I still want to eat them once they've grown cold). 

On this particular night, I tried the Steak Frites, but found it did not surpass the Fluke Meuniere as my favorite entree to date. The steak is a hangar steak, and while it was cooked and seasoned well, the cut of meat just wasn't to my liking. This is not to say I didn't enjoy it, but it's memory didn't follow me around the way the fluke's did.

This meal was enjoyed with a carafe of their house white (C'est La Vie, $11) and finished off with a scoop of espresso ice cream.  I've also had their banana Nutella hazelnut crepes (delicious) and would expect that they make a stellar creme brulee.

Only after dining at Bistro PJ twice, did I realize that this restaurant is doing what few other new restaurants in Portland have done.  While many restaurants open with buzz, as this one did, few deliver on expectations.  Petite Jacqueline seems as though it will appear regularly in the places I visit when I feel I've earned a nice meal out and don't want to risk disappointment. 

Pioneer Woman's Sesame Noodles

Are you familiar with the Pioneer Woman?  Is that a bit like asking 'are you familiar with Oprah?'  The Pioneer Woman is a blogger in Oklahoma who has spun a nice story about how she came to be a ranch wife and mother.

She has three books (two cookbooks, one childrens'), gives away All Clad cookware sets, Kitchen Aid mixers (actually had four custom painted mixers donated for her giveaways), and reaches millions of readers.  She's like a blog guru.  If one's into that sort of thing.

But as with all popular things, there is backlash.  Hate on her made up persona, hate on her "brand," hate on her cooking.

I'm gonna stay out of all of that.  But I will tell you that I've made two of her recipes that I like very much.  One is an Asian marinated flank steak and the other is these sesame noodles.  

Both involve soy sauce, honey, chili flake, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic.  All good things.

And while these noodles seem to verge into junk food territory, aside from the sodium (and general lack of vegetables), I don't think they're too bad for you.  But still they seem like late night or single food.

They come together quickly and disappear just as fast.  I'd imagine the variations are endless (adding meat and all sorts of veggies), but so far I've only stuck with the simple version.  Spicy, salty, full of flavor.  Just like I like it.

Simple Sesame Noodles

Adapted from the Pioneer Woman

1/4 lb. thin spaghetti or Vietnamese rice noodles

1/2 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon chili flake, or more

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

chopped green onions

sesame seeds, for garnish

Boil noodles until al dente in salted water.  While noodles are boiling, mix soy sauce, ginger, garlic, chili flake, sugar and whisk together well.  Whisk in sesame oil, vinegar, and vegetable oil (in a slow, thin stream until fully incorporated).  Drain noodles and toss with sauce.  Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.  Eat!!

Giada's Almond Citrus Olive Oil Cake

Did you know that big grocery stores are closed in Maine on Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas?  This makes no sense to me.  But apparently, as a leftover "blue law" (laws that enforce Sunday as a day of rest), retail stores over 5,000 feet are to be closed on these three Christian holidays.

I thought Maine was 'Open For Business' now?  No?  Whatever. 

The end result of this law is that you get an Easter potluck full of dishes made from Colucci's, Paul's Food Center, and Rosemont Bakery.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I made this Almond Citrus Olive Oil cake because I had all the ingredients and didn't have to go to the store.  That never happens- especially not with baked items.  But the stars aligned, and the cake was good.

Does that sound like a line from Genesis?  Unintentional.

But divine cake.  Great for a potluck (unless it's a potluck where the only other dessert is a perfectly light, flaky, cool, creamy lemon icebox cake that trumps your cake).

The cake is moist, because of the olive oil with a sweet, crunchy almond powdered sugar topping.  Served with a citrus compote (or blood orange marmalade like I did), I just found out this cake is also good for breakfast.

I slightly adapted a Giada de Laurentiis recipe, to make it a bunt cake.  I read in the reviews of the recipe that when baked in a 8" cake pan, the cake overflows.  I recommend reducing the cooking time if you chose to bake in a bunt as well (I baked it for 35 minutes and it was slightly overdone, but still great).

Almond Citrus Olive Oil Cake

From Giada de Laurentiis

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted, coarsely crumbled
Powdered sugar, for sifting

Preheat oven to 350*F. Lightly oil a bunt pan. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl), beat sugar, eggs, and zest together until pale and fluffy.

Continue to mix while adding milk slowly until fully combined. Slowly add oil (drizzle in a thin stream) until fully combined.

Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour batter into pan and sprinkle with chopped, toasted almonds. Bake for 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Let cake cool for 10 minutes; remove from cake pan onto a cooling rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with blood orange marmalade.

Two Lights Lobster Shack, Cape Elizabeth, Maine

The Two Lights Lobster Shack in Cape Elizabeth is open for the season!  That must mean that warmer weather is approaching.  You wouldn't know it from the weather forecast (uh, does 51 degrees count as warm?), but I'm all for signs of summer.

Two Lights sits on the Cape, which sticks waaaay out into the Atlantic Ocean (well, compared to Portland), so the view is very dramatic.  Crashing waves, wheeling gulls, lighthouses, all that.  

The decor inside the shack is pretty dramatic too—old wooden tools and bridle bits.  Lots to look at while you wait for your food.

So you order at the counter from a pretty standard menu: sandwiches (including PB&J- but, why??), salads, "boats" (or platters), soups, and sides.  While the call of fried shrimp is always heard, this time I went for the big guns: the lobster roll.

(And a whoopie pie, of course.)  The lobster roll here is served as all traditional ones are: on a buttered, toasted, split-top bun.  It's stuffed with lobster tail, claw, and knuckle meat, and topped with a pickle, a glob of mayonnaise, and a dusting of cayenne.  Under all the meat, there are a few iceberg lettuce shreds lurking.

After I awkwardly spread my mayonnaise around, attempting to evenly distribute it (futile), the roll disappeared pretty fast.  Lobster rolls are great because they're a nice blend of cool lobster meat, and the buttered toasted bun.  A little crunch from the lettuce and the crispy bun provides nice texture contrast, but it's all about the lobster.

If I'd made this roll at home, I'd have chopped the lobster up smaller, since I don't like to drag the contents of my sandwich out with a bite.  But some people might like the bigger pieces of lobster.  I found it, again, awkward.

Next time, I'm sure I'll heed the call of the fried shrimp, and I'm certainly looking forward to being able to eat outside, despite seagulls competing for my food.

Oh, don't you worry, Two Lights Lobster Shack, I sure will "Come Again."

Cupcakes with Salted Carmel Buttercream, Bacon Praline

Does anyone else use baking in lieu of therapy? Or as stress relief? And I'm not just talking about the part where you eat a bunch of sugar and butter to feel better.

But I've found the act of baking- following a recipe and meticulously (sometimes ::cough::) measuring ingredients takes my mind off of a bad day. Or a series of unfortunate events, if you will.

So when I'd had a few bumps along the road one morning, I decided I'd make a batch of the trendiest baked goods I could muster. Cupcakes to start. Salted caramel in the frosting. Bacon praline on top.

Done.

I used Joy the Baker's recipe for Brown Sugar Cupcakes (side note: I love Joy the Baker, check her out; she's fun and lives in California with a cute cat).

Give Me Some Oven provided the recipe for the Salted Caramel Buttercream frosting, and Alton Brown the recipe for the bacon praline.

I apologize in advance for introducing these things into your life. They might take over. But sometimes you just need to retreat from life into the kitchen and let the trends guide you.

Do it. I won't judge.

Burgers Around Portland: Gritty's

The third installment of Portland burger reviews brought me to a classic in the heart of the Old Port: Gritty McDuff's brew pub. Our topic this month was pub burgers; see the Portland Food Map round-up for more reviews.

I've grown to love Gritty's in my three years here in Maine. It's just busy enough to make you feel like you're hanging out where the cool kids are, but not too busy that you can't find a seat. The food is good, standard pub fare, the house made beer is good- it's a nice place to catch the Jerks of Grass and share a pitcher with friends.

It's also the home of Wednesday night burger specials ($5.99, regularly $8.75), and it's a pretty decent burger at that.

This most recent dining experience was in Freeport, a more family oriented Gritty's location (in that it was crawling with children when we arrived). The menu is similar, with some different additions, such as these summer squash fries we started with. They were on the salty side, but paired with some spicy mayonnaise, they were a good way to temper our hunger.

My burger came cooked the rare/medium rare I requested, after some difficulty. I discovered in the Portland location that there is actually a rare/medium rare button. This time around, I asked for the rare/mid-rare split, but experienced some push back from our server. He wanted me to pick one. Oddly, he said if I asked for it in between, the likelihood increased of the kitchen getting it wrong.

Whatever. I just don't want an overcooked burger. And sometimes that's a struggle in Portland bars. Overcooked meat really bums me out. Fortunately, this was not one of those times. Even though the bartender forced me to pick one or the other, he used the split button and I got a perfectly cooked burger.

I must rave about their fries. They're totally from a freezer bag, but they are my favorite kind of bar fry. The kind that's good even when they're cold. They really do it for me in a trashy food kind of way. The fries here are crispy, salty, and full of potatoey-goodness.

My only gripe about their burger is that it comes with lettuce and tomato, while anything else is considered an extra (read: $.75 upcharge)- including raw onion. So this can be an expensive endeavor if you want a bacon cheeseburger plus onion.

Next Wednesday night: you, Gritty's burger special. Do it. You won't regret it. You may not come away thinking that it was the best gourmet burger you've ever had. But assuming they don't overcook it (and they've been pretty consistent in my experience), you'll get a great meal for under $20- that includes your beer too, of course.

Brunch at The Porthole, Portland, Maine

Ed. Note: The original Porthole closed in October of 2012 and has since reopened. This review is of the now closed Porthole. 

I have so many thoughts on brunch. I am getting a little worn out on musing about the weekend meal that is brunch though. There's just so much to consider: the food, the wait, the price, the coffee, the boozy drinks (if indeed it's that kind of brunch)...

Sigh.

I know, poor me. But to put my brunch fatigue to rest: the Porthole. Good food, no wait, great prices, hot coffee, and plenty of Portland character.

I have been many times, but a recent visit solidified my love affair. Nothing special happened, just that moment where you know- yes, yes I can eat brunch here many times.

You've had that moment, right?

My recent plate of biscuits and gravy wasn't even my favorite (I've yet to meet a restaurant version that beats my Bittman Cheddar Biscuits and Sausage Gravy), but for the price ($5.99), I'm willing to let it go.

The biscuits were great, the sausage was spicy, but the surrounding gravy tasted a little like... soup. Maybe the addition of celery and onions are to blame.

Their Eggs Florentine ($7.99), however, is delicious. I've yet to meet another Florentine in town that doesn't make you choose between meat and vegetables on your Eggs Benedict. And why should you have to?

M. likes to get the Lobsterman's breakfast- two eggs, home fries, toast, a pancake and your choice of meat, all for $8.95. I asked him to snap a photo of it for me, and this is what I got:

The best thing about the Porthole is that it's not just a brunch spot. They serve breakfast and lunch during the winter and add on dinner in the summer. There's a great deck overlooking the waterfront, and it's the home of Reggae Sunday in warmer months.

...ahh, warmer months... sorry, got distracted.

The Porthole can be warm and cozy or cool and happening, depending on the time of year. It's the kind of place where you can spot your friends, mingle with tourists and the business happy hour crowd, and get your $5.99 All-You-Can-Eat Fish and Chips at lunch on Fridays.

And as I've learned, they serve a good brunch. Check it out, I hope you like it. But save me a table, will you?

Portland Buffalo Wing Off

Mmm... chicken wings. *Homer-like noises*


My thoughts on wings: they must be crispy, saucy, hot and come with a good, creamy dressing (Ranch or Bleu cheese dressing are both fine with me). And that's it really! Why is it so hard to find a good wing in town, then?

A recent Sunday Funday had M. declaring a 'wing off.' First, we hit up Sebago Brewing Company in the Old Port, the home of the previously held best plate of wings in town.

Pluses: usually crispy, plenty spicy, will bring you ranch, bleu cheese or both, and... the best part: wings are served whole. *Insert flapping arm-as-a-chicken-wing demo here* (think about it...) So for $7.99, a half dozen is really a dozen!


These are my go-to wings. Winner! Right? Right?? Not so fast.

So, after consuming two big beers here, it seemed like a good idea to head up the hill to the Stadium. Here they serve Binga's Wingas, which come in a myriad of flavors. (Usually a bad sign. Don't try to get fancy- just make good Buffalo wings.)

And... even worse, they come either breaded or smoked. I say, no thank you to both. But, forcing my hand, I'll go with breaded. Just hoping it's not too breaded.

We ordered two half orders: Buffalo and Redneck (maple and Buffalo). At $6.49 for a half order, and a half order being 6 of the wing pieces, not the whole wing, these are decidedly more expensive.


But, here comes the upset... Redneck wings, FTW! I loved them. Buffalo is pictured above, and they were OK. But the sweet and hot combo of the Redneck Buffalo blew me away. Good thing they were placed in front of me, so there were no fights.


Even though the Stadium only serves "blanch" (wha?) aka bleu cheese and ranch, I really loved how crispy these wings were. You know the deliciousness that results from a crispy fried coating softened by some sticky, hot sauce. I can't stop thinking about them.

I rather regretted the wing off in the middle of the night, but let's just know that the next time I'm ready for wings (I'll need a few weeks to recover), that I'm heading for these Redneck wings at the Stadium!

Also, I have railed against the breaded wings at the Stadium before. But I am prone to changing my mind- hence my blog, where I can chronicle my flip-floppery.

Fermenting Away

I did something and didn't tell you about it. *gasp* I know- in a world of TMI, you're thinking, thank God. Someone keep their mouth shut about something.

But sometimes I need a meal off. Like, I just want to go to a bar and eat a burger without taking pictures. Or notes. Or thinking about it. (Too bad, shouldn't have participated in the Burger-o-rama!)

Then there's those times where I start something, don't document it, but then want to share it with you. Fortunately for me, the sauerkraut I started is still around, bubbling on the kitchen counter.


It all started when M. and I's friend Matt visited from Haiti. (He's been working there building schools for a year. He has to leave periodically to renew his visa and let his various ailments heal. And he comes to visit us and we have weekends full of debauchery and eat all of his favorite foods.)

Matt loves all things fermented (drinking, eating, and making). Before I took the Master Food Preserver course, I ate some fermented pickled beets that Matt had made. They were smoking. Not like, smokin' but like, literally smoking. I don't know that I would have tried them knowing what I know now! (He still insists they were perfectly safe.)


Most recently when Matt visited, we went and toured the Maine Mead Works facility, watched some mead violently fermenting, and inspired by all the talk of DIY fermentation, I started some sauerkraut.


I had two small to medium sized heads of green cabbage in my crisper from my winter CSA share. I shredded them using my awesome new mandolin slicer and made a brine of 1.5 tablespoons of salt to 1 quart of water.

Usually, you salt the cabbage as you slice it, but I thought that since the cabbage was (shamefully) old, that it probably did not have a lot of moisture to draw out of it. So I just skipped that part and created my own brine.

I packed the kraut into washed quart jars and weighted down the cabbage below the brine with plastic bags full of brine. I used brine instead of water, so that if the bag were to puncture and leak, it wouldn't dilute the salinity of the kraut brine.


And that's it! I left it to ferment on my kitchen counter- that way I can check on it every day. And after two weeks, it's definitely kraut-y, but the cabbage is still very crunchy. So I'm going to let it sit for a little longer before transferring it to the fridge. 

Also inspired by Matt's visit, was my purchase of the book, Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz. It's an awesome book that details how fermentation works, and then the process for making your own fermented veggies, yogurt, Kombucha, beer, wine, and on and on. Stuff I've never even heard of.


And someone asked how my fermented pickles went from last summer. I didn't tell you that the end result was gross. They ended up in my friend's compost. I have no idea what went wrong, but I read in Wild Fermentation that any number of things could have happened. But after a few weeks, they tasted terrible. Like awful sea water. Sad. I'll try again when the cukes are back!

And I'll be sure to take lots of pictures for you. :)

BBF Travels: Box Hill Pizzaria

When I was younger, I was fascinated that companies could call their product 'the best' without any verification. I remember, in particular, being struck by a beer label that claimed their beer was better than any other. I asked my dad, who says? and he responded, no one, they just say that. *Insert mind boggling*

Well, here you have it, ladies and gents- according to Box Hill Pizzaria, the best crab cake anywhere.

That's right, anywhere.


Pretty amazing, huh? Yes, of course, I mean the crab cake, but the superlative too.

My only regret was how full it made me- I attempted to take the other half to go, but since it was 70 that day, and it sat in the car for 3 hours, I decided to toss it.

Or more like others decided for me. 'Cuz I might have eaten it, it was that good.



P.S.- Best. blog. ever.

BBF Finds: Salted Herbs

Look what I found!! Spotted in the refrigerator section of pickles and bacon in the Portland Hannaford. It's Mailhot's Salted Herbs. Now, you know I heart their sausage, so I was excited to see a new-to-me French Canadian product. The ingredients are simple: salt, parsley, leeks, and scallions.

Now what to do with it...

Google taught me that herbs were preserved in salt before refrigeration was widespread. My co-worker with French Canadian relatives tells me it's used in pork pie. And of course, I infer that you can put it on anything relevant- meats, eggs, in soups, stews, etc.

But does anyone know of any other traditional uses? Educate me!

Update: After polling all the French Mainers I know, I believe there is no one specific use for herbes salle. Rather, it's just used in French-Canadian cooking, from omelettes, to soups and stews. Basically, if you'd add herbs or salt to it, you can use salted herbs.

This jar does need to be refrigerated and probably can last as long as it'd take you to use it. I'd keep it 6 to 8 months to be safe and of course, discard it if you notice any mold. It can easily be made- see this Food in Jars post for tips on making flavored salts or sugars.

I Love Maine Mead Works

I'm just gonna title the post that way, so you have no doubts as to what I think of our local meadery.

And maybe you've heard of and love Maine Mead Works too, since their popularity is on the rise. Maybe you've sampled their product at a Greendrinks or eyed up a bottle at the Portland Public Market's Maine Beer & Beverage Co. But have you ever toured their production facility or sipped their mead while chatting with the staff? If not, get thee to Washington Avenue.


Located at 51 Washington Ave. in Portland, Maine Mead Works' new facility houses all aspects of their production, from brewing to aging, bottling and shipping. There's also a retail store and a tasting room (my favorite part).


For those of you who think you don't like mead but are willing to have your minds changed, head on down to the meadery on a Saturday between 12 and 5pm. There, you can sample the line of Maine Mead Works' mead, from the Semi-sweet to the Dry Hopped, from the Lavender to the Special Reserve (if you're lucky). Their honey wine is a lot lighter, thinner, and more delicate than the thick, syrupy, dessert mead that you may have had.


My favorite variety is the Dry Hopped Mead, where they add Cascade hops (the ones used in Sierra Nevada Pale Ale) to the sweet mead, giving it a distinct herby flavor.

Their mead is great on its own, but would pair well with lighter dishes and seafood. It makes great gifts, as it is uniquely Maine, made with all local honey, fruit and herbs. And the staff are about the friendliest people you could hope to meet, happy to answer any of your questions about the fermenting process and their patent pending custom equipment.


Maine Mead Works is a great place to spend a while, as their new space is very posh and inviting, whether you are entertaining out-of-town guests or just want another reason to be proud of the great vendors we have here in Portland.