Wednesday, June 16, 2010

PAN ROASTED HALIBUT WITH JULIENNE CARROTS, SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS AND CHIVE OIL

This recipe which I prepared last night was inspired by our New England seafood adventure in Maine last week. Halibut is another fish which I ate in abundance during my childhood. Now it seems to come only from Alaska and is quite dear, but just as delicious when wild and fresh!

1 pound Alaskan Wild Halibut fillet
2 organic carrots cut in julienne
1/4 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 large clove garlic, minced
handful fresh chopped chives (I used a mixture of garlic chives and regular chives)
canola oil
chive oil
sea salt
seafood seasoning
2 -3 tablespoons Chinese Oyster Sauce, Hoisin or Tamari, or Thai Sweet Chili

Preheat the oven to 400. Season the fish with salt and rub with a little chive oil.
Blend the carrots, mushrooms, garlic and chives with some canola and chive oil, 2-3 tablespoons, and season with salt.
Heat a cast iron or other heavy oven proof skillet and add the vegetable blend. Saute briefly just to soften the vegetables (1-2 minutes). Remove vegetables.
Brown the fish, flesh side down (you may season it first with some seafood seasoning for more color if desired). Then turn, skin side down. Surround with the vegetables and more oil if necessary.
Roast in preheated oven for 10 minutes (depending on the depth of the fish) until it flakes easily and vegetables are done. Drizzle with the Oyster Sauce or other choices.

Serves 2

I served this with Herb Roasted Potatoes and Watercress and Romaine Salad with Walnut oil and White Balsamic Vinaigrette, Yellow Peppers, Tomato and Vidalia Onion

Forgot to take pictures!! I will catch on to this eventually! Trust me, it was good and pretty!!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Vacation in Maine



Although our time share has a kitchenette which in the past has enabled me to produce some decent fare, THIS time, the only activity the kitchen witnessed was early morning coffee, toasting an English Muffin or two, and placing Brie on a cracker with Wild Maine Blueberry Preserves! However, we dined delectably all week.

One memorable breakfast was at Bintliff's http://www.bintlilffsogunquit.com
Tuscan French Toast Creme Brulee with their homemade Tuscan Bread, a creme anglaise type custard on top with Bruleed crust. I requested fresh blueberries on top! Wonderful! Even great as a leftover heated in the oven with Wild Maine Blueberry preserves (Stonewall Kitchen) in place of the fresh ones!


Bob at Bintliff's


Of course we had our fill of lobsters, steamed clams, lobster rolls, clam rolls, clam chowder, fresh haddock at it's New England best in many variations, and sea scallops, all in quaint, and some beautiful locations.



Barnacle Billy's in Perkins Cove offers good food and great views!

Enjoyed every last bite!!

One of the nicer lunches we had was at the Wild Blueberry Cafe. The Avocado Salad
with fresh corn and tomato and lemon aioli suited my mood perfectly, but seemed "lonely". I requested an addition of Tuscan Bread Crostini and Grilled Shrimp to make a lovely, light entree. I wonder if they will make that a menu option; it was a great combo!



Maine Mimosas, blueberry juice and champagne made the lunch complete

The Wild Blueberry Cafe

Beach Plum Farm is right across the street from our time share. It is a salt water farm, the last one in Ogunquit. You can walk to the marshes and savor views of the river and sea beyond while enjoying wildlife and gardens and wild plants. On the other side is a lobster and clam shack. They ship live and cooked lobsters everywhere and will cook yours to order. It is NOT a restaurant, but they have the best cold water, hard shell lobsters you can find, and steamers, local, soft shell long neck clams!


The Farm

The Market





Steamed lobsters and clams are best eaten at home with lots of butter and paper towels!

One of the most memorable dinners and charming experiences we had was at Joshua's Restaurant in Wells, Maine. The restaurant is in a restored 1774 home. All the food is prepared from scratch including the breads and ice creams. The meals are prepared to order and they take reservations to allow for proper attention to each diner. Everything is delicious, innovative and beautifully presented.
The Mather family runs the entire operation, Joshua, the chef, Barbara, the dining room manager, and Mort, the farmer whose farm is just 6 miles from the restaurant.


Joshua's

We have no photos of the interior, but I can assure you it is elegant but not stuffy or pretentious, a real New England gem! In our friendly conversation with the waitress and Barbara, it seems that Barbara had dined at my restaurant, The White Rainbow in Gloucester , many years ago, and enjoyed it. So glad, because we thoroughly enjoyed our experience at Joshua's and will return whenever possible!

I started with a Strawberry Cosmo (Never do that!) but it was wonderful, made with fresh Maine Berries and a citrus vodka! Tasted like sorbet! and so pretty!!

We then had Wood Grilled Wild Mushrooms with Truffle Butter and Herbs and shaved Reggiano Parmigiano...as heavenly as it sounds. I guess the analogy is wrong, mushrooms are woodsy and earthy, but you know what I mean! The waitress told us it was the first night Joshua was able to grill outside this year (I guess they are roasted in the oven during the colder, snowy months) Oh, those fresh Chanterelle!
I can only imagine how charming and inviting the restaurant is in the winter...

Bob and I both had the signature dish of the restaurant, Haddock with a Caramelized Onion Crust, Chive Oil and Wild Mushroom Risotto...need I say more! The crust was light and crispy, like Panko, with caramelized onion flavor, moist and sweet.

The bread basket featured three homemade breads: French Baguette, Focaccia and Anadama (an old New England favorite which I have been longing to taste ever since we moved to Florida). It is a batter bread, made with cornmeal and molasses. Legend has it that the name is a contraction for, "Anna, Damn Her!" cursed at a lazy cook who forgot to knead the bread.
We complemented dinner with a Willamette Valley Chardonnay. Wish we had room for dessert! Maybe next time..No, definitely next time! http://www.joshuas.biz

We returned to Bintlifff's for dinner one night; well, it was our 46th anniversary to be exact...
Sea Scallops with a Port Wine Balsamic Glaze over Arugula with Roasted Garlic and extra virgin olive oil was a special treat. The meal was complemented by a Vidal Blanc from Blacksmith Winery in MAINE! Who knew?? A winery in Casco Bay! They specialize in fruit wines, but this selection was not sweet; it was fruit forward, and just right with seafood; another unexpected treat.
http://www.blacksmithswinery.com
This restaurant also prides itself on using fresh and local ingredients and products. The Maine Strawberry Sorbet which delighted us for dessert was a fine example, smooth, creamy, and more "strawberry" than a berry itself! It was especially welcome since the cold weather in Florida this February curtailed and weakened our strawberry season. We had another chance at savoring fresh fruit at the peak of the season.


Our last day turned rainy and chilly, but offered us a chance to shop...Spoiled Rotten, an unusual gift shop in the Village of Ogunquit was a lot of fun and ships anything they offer to lighten your travel burden. They have gourmet selections from Stonewall Kitchen and others and will open any you wish to try. Some of the soy candles have fragrances named for local areas, to make a great souvenir, certainly better than a plastic lobster or lighthouse key chain! http://www.spoiledrottenogt.com

Dinner at Angelina's did not disappoint either. We had a fresh, moist and flavorful Swordfish Piccata which we paired with a Pinot Grigio Rose. The wine was dry and refreshing but stood up to the Piccata nicely. The Amaretto Torte for dessert was "over the top". Our tummies were so full from the array of foods we'd sampled all week, we could not finish it, SO, we enjoyed it for breakfast before departing the next morning!
Vacation is the time to break rules and habits and enjoy the moment.

The Happy Cooker and Spouse had a memorable Maine Vacation Adventure and looking forward to the next!