TEN FOUR OH NINE

I am returning from three days at the gorgeous Mountain View Grand Hotel in Whitefield, NH. As I mentioned in a previous post, Seth and I went to celebrate our one year anniversary at the hotel where we were married. When we were leaving on Saturday morning I had this wave of panic thinking that we had built the weekend up so much and it wasn't going to be as fun and enjoyable as we had thought. I was so wrong. Our stay was better than I could ever have imagined.

We did absolutely nothing besides enjoy each other. We sat, without talking, for large chunks of the day. We drank champagne in the evening and coffee and hot chocolate in the morning. We watched the people come and go and visited with the farm animals in the mornings after breakfast. On the night of our anniversary we grabbed a couple blankets and snuggled up on a wicker seat on the porch. Life is grand.

Of course we consumed massive amounts of food. The only shots I got of anything was of this pan au chocolat from a little vegetarian bakery in Bethel and of my caramel apple. I sort of have a thing for pan au chocolat and it is on my list of things to tackle this winter. This was so so tasty. I was told that the woman who makes these is pregnant and loves working the dough. That made me smile.

The apple was my dessert in the tavern. The granny smith was coated in a homemade caramel, then dipped in chocolate and presented with spun sugar (cotton candy) on the stick of the caramel apple. This was so cute and fun...and delicious!

Even though I don't have the photos to show most of the food we ate I have to talk about it!! The first night we ate in the tavern. Seth had a seafood bake and I had stuffed sole with lobster sauce. This was where I first figured out that they had a new chef. The food for our wedding was great and I loved it but this was over the top. Our bartender confirmed that they had hired a new chef, one of the best in New England. A great investment for them!

The next night (our anniversary) we ate in the main dining room. This was heaven. I think, quite possibly, the best meal I have eaten in my life. I had a tomato and mozzarella salad with an aged balsamic glaze. Seth had an artichoke salad with mozzarella. I love when restaurants give you sorbet prior to your entree. I was hoping that they would and they certainly did not let me down. We were served a lemon ginger poppy seed sorbet. My palette was cleansed for my entree...yellow fin tuna served medium rare. Now, I wasn't sure about ordering tuna because every time I have it has been over cooked. This one was perfect. Very very pink and raw in the middle. It was served with an oyster sauce and herb whipped potatoes. **sigh** I wish I had some right now! Seth had scallops in a brown butter with a Parmesan tuille. His was really good too! I had been craving creme brule since I saw it on the dessert menu in the tavern. Again, they didn't disappoint me. It was excellent. To my surprise Seth even ordered dessert! He had Indian pudding with homemade cinnamon ice cream. Oh. Now that is fall in a dish!!

We were so sad to leave and it was so hard to come to work this morning. Seth reminded me that we have to work in order to go on vacations like that!

Enjoy the photos!

Take 2 (literally) Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

As this is being posted Seth and I are in the White Mountains at the same place we were married one year ago. People keep asking me if it feels like it has been a year. I honestly can't gauge. Getting married didn't really change very much for us. I just feel like Seth has been my love for a long time, since I've known him. We just go about our lives and are happy and in love...that is all I can say! And if you know us, you know we aren't afraid to show how in love we are. It's OK to make gagging noises at us. I'm used to it at this point.

While I didn't make these whoopie pies today I chose to post them today because the recipe came from the same place we got our wedding cake; Two Fat Cats Bakery. Two Fat Cats is my favorite bakery in Maine. Not only do they have THE best cake and cupcakes but they have the coolest shop. It is exactly what imagine my bakery looking like. It is very open, you can see everything they are doing. They have their cookbooks out in the open. And of course they have their fat cats lying around in the windows to greet treat seekers.

This is my second batch of pumpkin whoopie pies this fall. The first was a Rachael Ray recipe and I thought those were pretty good. These are different. The cake part is a bit more cakey. I prefer this part of the recipe over the other. The filling is very different, this filling has no cream cheese. It is butter, fluff, powder sugar, and maple flavoring. While I really liked it I prefer to have my pumpkin whoopie pies with a cream cheese filling. That's just me. You might prefer something entirely different...like chocolate filling!

If you make these I promise you will not be disappointed...lack of cream cheese and all. They are wonderful.


Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Marshmallow Filling
Source: Two Fat Cats Bakery via Bon Appetit
Yield: 24 pies

3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
2 teaspoons maple extract

FILLING
Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add marshmallow creme and maple extract; beat until blended and smooth. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

CAKE
Sift first 7 ingredients into large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in another large bowl until blended. Gradually beat in oil. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Beat in pumpkin. Add dry ingredients in 2 additions alternately with milk in 1 addition, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Cover and chill batter 1 hour.
Arrange 1 rack in bottom third of oven and 1 rack in top third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment; spray lightly with nonstick spray. Spoon batter onto baking sheet to form cakes (about 3 level tablespoons each; about 12 per baking sheet), spacing apart. Let stand 10 minutes.
Bake cakes until tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through baking. Cool cakes completely on baking sheets on rack. Using metal spatula, remove cakes from parchment.
Line cooled baking sheets with clean parchment; spray with nonstick spray, and repeat baking with remaining batter.
Spoon about 2 tablespoons filling on flat side of 1 cake. Top with another cake, flat side down. Repeat with remaining cakes and filling. DO AHEAD Can be made 8 hours ahead. Store in single layer in airtight container at room temperature.

Roasted Tomatoes

Don't know what to do with all those cherry tomatoes from the garden? Yeah, you can do sauce. Yeah, you can do salad. I suppose you could do some sort of canning if you're into that. But what about slow roasting them with olive oil, garlic, thyme and salt? Oh yes. I do suggest this one!

I served this over rice because Seth could live on rice. He loves it. You could serve it over pasta as well or even on crostini as an appetizer! You could also add different herbs like oregano and basil.

Enjoy the freshness my friends!



Roasted Tomatoes
Source: Martha Stewart (I think...I cut it out of a magazine and I think it was hers)
Yield: depending on what you are doing with it...4

1 pint cherry tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 sprigs of thyme
2 T olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Combine all of this in baking pan and cook at 300 for 30-40 minutes. I broiled mine for a couple minutes to get a very light char on the tops of the tomato skins. Serve over rice or pasta.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Do you ever get horned tomato worms? Those are nasty little buggers! They started attacking my crop so I picked any large tomatoes that I thought they may get to, including the green tomatoes. Of course the options are so varied as to what to do with ripe tomatoes. I had a whole bowl of green tomatoes. I saw that some people make cakes with them (eww) and some made a sauce. I decided to go with the standard, fried green tomatoes! Let's review why fried green tomatoes are so wonderful:

1. They are so easy to make.
2. They are so delicious to eat.
3. They remind me of the south. (I've never even been to the south!)
4. They are the perfect balance of soft tomato and crunchy outside.
5. They are the perfect balance of salty and tangy.

Fried Green Tomatoes
Source: ME!
Yield: As many as you want!!

Green tomatoes
Flour
Egg(s), beaten
Milk
Cornmeal
Salt
Vegetable oil for frying

Add a bit of milk to the beaten egg, for one egg I'd say maybe a tablespoon. Combine the cornmeal with a teaspoon or so of salt. I dip my tomato slices in flour followed by the egg mixture and then the cornmeal. Then fry them until golden in the hot oil. Sprinkle with more salt if you'd like...I do!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

I dedicate this post to my friend Anna in Tennessee!! She has been after me for this recipe and I have been such a procrastinator. Anna - I hope you love these!

Tis the season for all things pumpkin. I have 3-4 different pumpkin whoopie pie recipes and I may have to try all 3-4 to decide which I like best. This is a Rachael Ray recipe (did you just roll your eyes at me?!) and I love the simplicity of it. The cake part is really moist and stays really moist. I did have to add more powder sugar to the filling but maybe my palette is a little different than yours. Do what you like!!

As you can see I really liked the filling. Shortly after this photo I went in with my finger and enjoyed the last few gobs of filling. YUM!

These froze very well! Stay tuned for other versions of pumpkin whoopies!!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Source: Rachael Ray
Yield: 12 whoopies

1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, 1 stick melted, 1/2 stick softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon plus 2 pinches salt
1-2/3 cups flour
4 ounces cream cheese, chilled
1 cup confectioners' sugar

1.Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, the baking powder, the baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour.

3.Using an ice cream scoop or tablespoon, drop 24 generous mounds of batter, spaced evenly, onto each baking sheet. Bake until springy to the touch, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

4.Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter with the cream cheese. Add the confectioners' sugar and the remaining 2 pinches salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; mix on low speed until blended, then beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

5.Spread the flat side of 12 cakes with the cream cheese frosting. Top each with another cake.

Scallops and Raw Tomatoes

Not too long ago Seth and I went to the Liberal Cup for dinner. Wait a minute. Have I ever told you how I met my handsome husband??

Back in August of 2005 I was a lost girl. I didn't know what I was doing. I was partying, I was binging and purging (oh how skinny I was back then), I was leading a life that was going nowhere. I was at the Liberal Cup with some friends and this guy caught my eye. I mentioned him to my girlfriend and told her that he kept looking at me. So I waited for him to A. come talk to me or B. send me a drink. Nothing. Waited. Nothing. So I went home and didn't think much of it. THEN, I got a message on Myspace (remember when Myspace was cool?) from him that said, "Were you at the Liberal Cup on Saturday night?" I think I jumped out of my skin! So we went back and forth that way for a while...and well...the rest is history I guess. The handsome prince saved the princess. My life hasn't been the same since. He put me on my path and what a wonderful and glorious path it is.

How's that for ADD??

Anywho...we were at The Cup for dinner and he got the special. You know...the expensive one. Scallops with wild rice. It was so tasty...and simple. I knew I would be able to make that on my own! So I did. But better! I had set aside this recipe from Rachael Ray's magazine and had a ton of cherry tomatoes from the garden. One thing I didn't do...read the damn recipe! I didn't give myself enough time to let the tomatoes sit and absorb the garlic flavor. I gave them about 30 minutes and it was very good...but imagine if I had done it properly!

I splurged on the rice and bought a medium sized tub for nearly $7. So worth it though. I will definitely be making this dish again!

This photo kind of sucks. I wasn't going to blog this but then, when I bit into it I ran into the kitchen to get the camera. I knew I needed to share it with all of you. Scallops with Raw Tomato Sauce
Source: Rachael Ray Magazine
Yield: 4 servings

1 clove garlic, smashed
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (such as basil, mint, thyme, dill, parsley or cilantro)
Salt and pepper
24 sea scallops. patted dry
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
4 lemon wedges

1.Rub the inside of a large bowl with the garlic. Add the garlic to the bowl along with the tomatoes and herbs. Season with salt and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Discard any large garlic pieces.

2.Preheat a grill to medium-high. Thread the scallops on skewers and brush with the olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning once, until firm and slightly charred, about 8 minutes. Remove from the skewers and add to the tomato mixture.

3.Add the butter to the scallops mixture and gently toss until melted. Serve with the lemon wedges.

Mac and Goat Cheese

Do you like goat cheese?

I do. A few years ago I was convinced that I hated it. Now it is one of my favorite foodie delights. Weird how your taste buds change or your palette develops...or you just become more open to other foods! I remember when I was a kid I hated quite a bit of stuff. Did not like mayo. Did not like butter (me??!!). Picked the breading off fried food. Wasn't a fan of Mexican food. Now I will try just about anything. Just don't expect me to eat steak or brains or testicles...ewww...ick...nasty.

I liked this mac and cheese but I probably won't make it again. If I am going to splurge and have mac and cheese...it better be worth it. Cheesy and gooey. This has tomatoes and spinach as well as walnuts. The weird thing was that I brought this to work the next day and the walnuts had turned the noodles purplish. Why? Can anyone answer me?! WHY? That is not appetizing.

I apologize for this picture...terrible lighting and I was in a hurry.

Mac n Goat Cheese
Source: Rachael Ray Magazine
Yield: 4 servings

3/4 pound macaroni pasta
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
One 9-ounce bag spinach
Salt and pepper
6 ounces goat cheese, broken into chunks
3/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1.In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water, and return to the pot.

2.Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, spinach and the reserved pasta water and cook until heated through, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir into the pasta along with the goat cheese. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle the walnuts on top.

Portland Eats (my personal challenge)

I like to consider myself a foodie. I love eating food and making food. I love reading about it and the science of it. Obviously I love writing and talking about food. As I've mentioned, sharing food (in writing or in person) is my way of showing that I love you, care about you, want to see you happy. How sad is it that I haven't been to some of the greatest restaurants in Portland, Maine; my nearest big city?!?! Sad. Very very sad.

Here is my personal challenge: below I have listed restaurants in the Portland area that I am dying to try. Seth has agreed that once a month we can make the trek to Portland and try one of the places on the list. I will then blog what I think about each place. Exciting right?! I do think so.

The list of eateries (this list could go on and on):

Portland Market House (they house three different kiosks)
Bresca (I've been dying to go here since they opened but I'm nervous because they have limited vegetarian options)
Pepperclub
Rabelais (this isn't a restaurant but a book store)
Fore Street
Bar Lola
Local 188 (for brunch)
Five Fifty Five (for the green and sweet plates)
Standard Baking Company
Duckfat
Hot Suppa!
Micucci's
Caiola's
Federal Spice

Some Portland Restaurants that I have thoroughly enjoyed:

Bibo's Madd Apple Cafe (they had a chocolate banana bread pudding that was amazing)
Novare Res (great little plates...they have me hooked on Marcona almonds)
The Green Elephant
Fuji
Two Fat Cats (my favorite bakery in Maine and where I got my wedding cake)
Katahdin
Dogfish Cafe

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Buttermilk Icing

I posted on Facebook that I was going to be making these and people expressed a lot of interest! I wish I could have delivered some to each of my friends but some of them are just too far away (Tennesee and Texas!). I was able to catch my friend Bruce before he left his shift at work. I think he liked them...he ate both before I left, a great compliment to a baker.

My friend Anna mentioned that she was looking for something more cake like than muffin like. These are really wonderful little cupcakes. Definitely more cakey than muffiny and topped with a simple tangy icing. The recipe says that you can top them with cream cheese frosting if you want but I like the simplicity of the icing, it doesn't take away from the pumpkin flavor of the cupcakes.

I think you will really like these my foodie friends!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Buttermilk Icing
Source: Chow
Yield: 48 cupcakes (I halved this recipe)

4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups canned pumpkin purée
1 cup whole milk (I used buttermilk)
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Buttermilk Icing
2 cups powder sugar
3 tablespoons buttermilk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange the rack in the middle. Line muffin pans with cupcake liners. Sift together dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Whisk together pumpkin and milk in a separate bowl and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Add eggs one at a time, beating and then scraping the bowl down after each addition. Add vanilla and beat until smooth. Add dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with pumpkin-milk mixture, mixing on low speed, and scraping the bowl down between additions. When all ingredients have been added, mix batter 30 seconds on medium-high speed until uniformly combined.

Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter and bake until a tester inserted in cupcake centers comes out clean, about 18 to 20 minutes.

To make the icing just whisk together the three ingredients.

Remove cupcakes from the oven and allow to cool 5 minutes before removing from the pans. Let cool completely on a rack, decorate with icing, and serve.

Flaky Flat Bread

Did you know that Portland, Maine was named Bon Appetit's "Foodiest Small Town"? How exciting is that?! I was absolutely star struck when the BA Foodiest (Andrew Knowlton) was on the local news. It showed him talking about some of the local great places that I love; Novare Res, Two Fat Cats Bakery, Standard Baking Co., and Fore Street (OK...I haven't been yet but I know I will love it. We are going on Friday). There are so many places that I am dying to try but we live an hour away and just don't get down there as much as we (I) would like. Ask me anything about the restaurants in Hallowell!

Another place that I enjoy that wasn't mentioned by BA was the Green Elephant. I brought Seth there for his birthday last year and we had this Indian flat bread with a dip that was so good. Nearly a year later I found a recipe that sounded similar. This is Kerala Parotha described by Foodess as a flaky south Indian flat bread.

I thoroughly enjoyed this bread. It is meant for dunking into the juices of hot curry and getting the last bits of curry goodness at the bottom of the bowl. I chose to serve this as an appetizer and made a curry bean dip as an accompaniment. Another great piece to this flat bread, it freezes well! It made about 8 rounds and I froze 5 of them. I just heated a bit of oil to a pan and added the frozen bread, flip once and you're done!


Kerala Parotha
Source: Foodess
Yield: 8 rounds

2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp oil
3/4 cup water
4 tbsp butter, melted
oil, for frying

1. With a fork, mix the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Add beaten egg, oil, and water, and mix with fork till dough starts to come together. Turn out on floured surface and knead into a smooth, elastic ball, about 10 minutes. You may need to add more flour or water to make the dough a workable consistency.

2. Return dough to ball and cover with a damp towel. Leave it to rest for 1 hour or more.

3. Pinch off lime-sized balls of dough, and roll them out into thin circles on a floured surface. Brush a thin coat of ghee over entire surface. Starting at one end, roll dough into a thin roll (like rolling up a jelly roll, or cinnamon buns). Holding one end of the roll between fingers, twist the dough in on itself in a spiral, pinching loose end into the circle to secure. Allow dough to rest for 15 minutes.

4. Heat 2 tsp oil in a cast iron pan over moderate heat. Flatten the spirals of dough with the palm of your hand, then thoroughly flatten them into thin circles using a rolling pin. Transfer to hot pan, and cook until air bubbles form in dough, about 2 minutes. Brush with butter, and flip. Continue cooking till golden brown, about 1 minute longer. Transfer to a serving plate and tent with foil to keep warm. Add another 2 tsp oil to pan and fry next parotha, continuing the same procedure for all the dough.