It can be really tricky to juggle all the components of Thanksgiving dinner, especially when it comes down to "T minus 2 hours".  Last year I posted a blog entry about how I set up my meal plan - including the timing of each step to take for each part of the meal.  Working it out on paper (with the clock) was a huge help.  It also pointed out tasks that I could do a day or two ahead.  In the posting you will also find a link to an attachment that lays out my exact plan for Thanksgiving morning - in 15 minute increments.  Was it micro-managing?  Yes.  Did it reduce stress?  Absolutely.  As you'll see by the plan, there was nothing fancy about the meal.  Just your basic Thanksgiving dinner.  The beauty of the attached grid is that you can adapt it and use the same exact process for any dish you want to substitute. 

Don't stress out this Thanksgiving.  Plan a little, so you can have time to enjoy what you have all around you.

Paul Gagne
Tasting in Tongues Maine
www.tastingintonguesmaine.com
www.tastingintongues.com
paul@tastingintonguesmaine.com

        

Open Creamery Day - this Sunday, October 11th

How about this for a plan this Sunday:
- gather a friend or two
- drive around the Maine countryside on this nice cool autumn Sunday
- stop at a number of local cheesemakers to take a tour, discover their methods, and sample some wonderful local cheese

There are many cheesemakers in the southern half of Maine participating in The Maine Cheese Guild's Open Creamery Day.  A complete list and a Google map of participating cheesemakers can be found on The Maine Cheese Guild's home page.  Check out the map and find one or two near you. 

To get an idea of the total number of cheesemakers out there, visit the Deli page of The Maine Grocery List on my Tasting in Tongues Maine website.  There are even more cheesemakers that I just haven't added yet.  Bottom line - if you like cheese, you've got lots of places to go, especially this Sunday when they open up for you!

Harvest on the Harbor - Thursday, October 22nd through Sunday, October 25th

Presented by the Greater Portland Convention & Visitors Bureau, the 2nd annual Harvest on the Harbor is coming our way.  The first 2 events are already sold out.  Be sure to get tickets soon!  Check out the official website for more info. 

You know how sometimes you go to a food and wine related event and you walk away disappointed because you got 3 crackers and waited for hours in line for 2 sips of wine?  Yeah, well, that won't happen here.  At the opening event - the Grand Tasting on the Harbor (which I'm lucky enough to have tickets to again) - there are copious amounts of many different canapes crafted by 20 of Maine's most esteemed chefs.  The layout of the food and wine area was well designed - everywhere you look you'll find it!  This prevents long annoying lines.  I've been looking forward to going back to The Grand Tasting for a year!

Be sure to check their site out.  There is a lot going on that weekend!

"We are so proud of our creative chefs, our locally grown and harvested foods
and the excellence of our products, that we want to share our bounty.

Experience three chock-full days where you can enjoy the flavors of Maine,
all on the magnificent coast during the beautiful harvest season."

                                                                 - From www.harvestontheharbor.com, 10-9-09

        

What I bought:

• Green peppers - Beckwith Gardens
• Greens, leeks, and French melon - Dandelion Spring Farm
• Jalapeno peppers - Fishbowl Farm
• Sweet red peppers - Lalibela Farm
• Pumpkin - Merrifield Farm
• Purple broccoli, baby eggplant, and baby bi-color summer squash - Old Ocean House Farms
• Peaches and Italian flat beans - Snell Family Farm
• Fire-roasted Sweet Red Pepper and Garlic Chevre and Whole Wheat Bread - Tourmaline Hill Farm  
• Some of the best corn I've had this season - Pineview Gardens

What I did with it:

• Peppers galore!  With the green and red peppers, a few of the jalapenos, that incredible corn, some cannelini beans and chopped tomatoes I made some vegetarian chili.  Nothing fancy - after roasting the corn and cutting it off the cob I threw everything together with some spices and a little bittersweet chocolate into a dutch oven and baked it at 225 for a few hours. 
• Simple Treatment #1: Salad with greens, tomatoes, cukes and tuna with vinaigrette.  The perfect light lunch.
• Simple Treatment #2: That French melon was unbelievable!  The water was pouring out of it like a faucet.  Nice aroma and flavor.  
• I quickly sauteed the baby eggplant, baby squash, and Italian flat beans and threw them together with sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella and vinaigrette.  (See first pic below.)
• Okay, I know what you 're thinking about the second picture below - all that its missing is a witch and a black cat.  The look I was going for in my head was something that would grace the October issue of Bon Appetit magazine - a savory fresh-out-of-the-oven pumpkin with soup steaming from the inside.  Instead, the bright orange jagged edges scream "Happy Halloween" and make it look like the cover of a crafting magazine!  Oh well, it was delicious anyway.  Here's what was inside: I cooked 2 potatoes, a small squash, the leeks, and roasted garlic in chicken broth.  With a hand blender I pureed it and filled the pumpkin which I had cooked separately. Scary huh?  
• While the pumpkin was baking in the oven, I also roasted the seeds with soy and sesame oil.  (See third pic below.)
• A few posts ago I wrote about making a goat cheese version of jalapeno "poppers".  I made them again, this time with the Fire-Roasted Sweet Red Pepper and Garlic Chevre.  These are pretty hot, so I remove the seeds and most (but not all) of the pith/ribs.  I do like a little fire.
• The purple broccoli is going into a very simple stir-fry tonight. 
• The peaches continue to be a regular snack for me (I've been getting some each time I go to the market).  So much flavor!

I'll see you Saturday at the market!

Paul Gagne
Tasting in Tongues Maine
www.tastingintonguesmaine.com
paul@tastingintonguesmaine.com

 

        

What I bought:

• Red and yellow carrots and golden beets - Beckwith Gardens
• Spicy Salad Mix - Dandelion Spring Farm
• Red onions and jalapeno peppers - Fishbowl Farm
• Swiss Chard and Stir-Fry Mix - Old Ocean House Farms
• Fava beans, cucumbers, and peaches - Snell Family Farm
• Feta - Tourmaline Hill Farm  

What I did with it:

• I used a few of the carrots, the cukes, and tomatoes from the garden for a traditional Gazpacho, but I wanted something a little different.  The jalapeno provided a little kick, but that wasn't enough for me.  Then came the fava beans - par-boiled first of course.  Nice.  Then I looked through the cabinets and spotted two different packages from Maine Coast Sea Vegetables - Nori and Dulse.  I chopped up a little of each and added it to the Gazpacho, and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours.  As you can see in the first pic below, it wasn't a "seaweed soup".  There was just enough to provide a nice "surf" accent to a chilled "surf 'n turf" soup.  For a little protein I added some diced extra sharp cheddar.   I'll definitely be making this again.
• The white onions I had leftover from last week and the red ones from this week all went toward a delicious batch of caramelized onions - simple and slow cooked over low heat with a little bit of olive oil.  Some of this mixture topped the spicy salad mix for a sweet and spicy salad.  The rest went into the next item.
• Simple Treatment #1: The golden beets and the remainder of the red and yellow carrots were peeled, coated with olive oil and slow roasted in the oven.  I added the rest of the caramelized onions to this mixture when it came out of the oven (see second picture). Tomorrow night's dinner will be a baguette with brie and this sweet beet, carrot, and onion mixture served "bruscetta"-style.
• Simple Treatment #2: A little whole wheat pasta, a little red pepper, a little Swiss chard, a little olive oil, some olives, and a little feta.  Yum. (see third picture)
• Tonight's dinner was a marinated tempeh stir-fry.  I cut and marinated the tempeh in a sesame teriyaki sauce with some pistachio nuts I had kicking around.  (The stir-fry mix - a combination of 3 different greens - is an awesome idea.  It is like "fast food" at the farmers market.  Ready to go flavor combos.)  Everything got stir-fried and was served over brown and white rice.   (see fourth picture)
• Tonight's dessert - Simple Treatment #3.  If you can cut a peach and sprinkle brown sugar on it, you're all set.  That's all I did - cut them in half, put them in a baking dish, sprinkled brown sugar on the top of each (about a tablespoon per half), and baked them at 275 degrees for about 45 minutes (nice and slow).  When they came out of the oven they were begging to be served with a scoop of Smiling Hill Farm's Black Raspberry Ice Cream. (see fifth picture)

I'll see you Saturday at the market!

Paul Gagne
Tasting in Tongues Maine
www.tastingintonguesmaine.com
paul@tastingintonguesmaine.com

 

        

What I bought:

• Arugula - Dandelion Spring Farm
• Lady Red Apples - Meadow Brook Farm
• Bok Choi, Salad Mix and Broccoli Raab - Old Ocean House Farms
• Tomatoes - Pleasant Hill Farm
• Blueberries and Peaches - Snell Family Farm
• Garden Chive Chevre - Tourmaline Hill Farm
• Basil - Uncle's Farm Stand

What I did with it:

• Simple Treatment #1: Caprese Salad - sliced tomatoes, basil and mozzarella drizzled with olive oil.  Love this stuff!
• The bok choi (as you can see in the picture above) had ivory white, crisp stems, the cells of which were filled with water.  This hot humid weather has me craving hydration, so the bok choi was perfect.  I didn't want to cook the water out, so I sliced it into large bite-sized pieces and topped it off with quickly sauteed apples.  Over this salad I added a dressing that I made in the blender with a little oil, orange juice, fresh ginger and soy.  After a sprinkle of black sesame seeds, my eyes as well as my stomach were ready for the feast. (see first picture below)
• Simple Treatment #2: I've mentioned in a previous posting that I like broccoli raab, and this bunch was the greenest, lushest bunch I've ever seen.  The leaves were broad and the tops tender.  The stalks, like the bok choi, were full of water.  The only part I discarded into the compost was the very last 1/2 inch on the bottom.  All I did was coarsely chop the raab and sautee it in olive oil and sea salt.  Then I served it with grilled kielbasa sausage. (see second picture below)
• Simple Treatment #3:  I found some pomegranate-infused red wine vinegar at the grocery store, mixed it with olive oil and tossed the salad mix with it.  
• Yet another Simple Treatment (#4):  In a blender I mixed a little of the pomegranate-infused red wine vinegar, olive oil, and a dollop of garden chive chevre.  The consistency was like yogurt.  I tossed the arugula with this dressing and made a sandwich with it and some yellow bell peppers.  Perfect summer lunch on a scorching hot day.   (see third picture below)
• Simple (but elegant) Treatment #5: The peaches were at the peak of ripeness.  I sliced them (unpeeled) into thick slabs and put them in a baking dish.  On top of that I put a quart of blueberries.  A little brown sugar and butter.  Then a sheet of puff pastry (freshly thawed from the box in the freezer - nothing fancy here).  I baked this at 375 for about 30 minutes until the puff pastry was golden brown and the juices were just starting to bubble up.  A very brief cooling period and a scoop of vanilla-bean ice-cream later, I was a very happy man.  (The picture I took - the fourth below - was the next night, after the puff pastry crust got a little soggy.  The lesson here - invite a few people over to eat it all fresh out of the oven!  The other lesson?  Next time I think I'll toss a shot of Grande Marnier in the dish.  Or maybe I'll just toss it into me instead.  What was that quote from Justin Wilson - "a little Sherry for the cook"?)

I'll see you Saturday at the market!

Paul Gagne
Tasting in Tongues Maine
www.tastingintonguesmaine.com
paul@tastingintonguesmaine.com

 

        

The more recent hot, hazy, and humid weather is very different from Saturday's.  I walked to the market in a flannel shirt and started making plans for a roasted chicken dinner.  How "summer" is that?!  I'm not a big fan of hot humid weather but I'm not complaining - it finally feels like summer.  As imperfect as it is, I'll take it.  

What I bought:

• Mixed carrots - Beckwith Gardens
• Breakfast bacon - Cornerstone Farm
• Arugula - Dandelion Spring Farm
• Poblano peppers and Jalapeno peppers - Freedom Farm
• Artichokes and white onions - L&A Farm
• Fresh garlic - Lalibela Farm
• Toscana Kale and a bush beans mix - Old Ocean House Farms
• Farmhouse cheddar - Silvery Moon Creamery

What I did with it:

• Simple Treatment #1: Just your basic roasted chicken dinner - including the fresh garlic, artichokes, potatoes and carrots
• The cool weather on Saturday put me in a comfort-food mode.  So when I saw those beautiful white onions, I pictured them in a cream sauce.  I went one better though.  When they came out of the oven I topped them with an unsweetened few dashes of blueberry puree - just as an accent.  I wish I got a picture!  It was comfort-food-central. 
• Sunday morning, to continue the comfort food theme, was for bacon and eggs.  The nitrate-free bacon from Cornerstone Farm was really nice - not salty and scary-red like the store-bought stuff. 
• Simple Treatments #2, #3 and #4: We had company Saturday night in front of the fire outside and I opted for simple apps.  I tossed the bush beans together with thinly sliced red carrots, olive oil and sea salt, covered them and baked them for about 10 minutes.  At the same time, I tossed baby bok choi with tamari, a splash of peanut oil and a splash of sesame oil, covered it and baked it as well.  While those were in the oven, I quartered the jalapenos and added them to the oven for about 10 minutes.  When I removed them I added goat cheese to each and returned it to the oven for about 7 or 8 minutes.  Three very easy and quick (and healthy) apps for company. 
• Tuscan Breakfast Salad - okay, I have absolutely no idea if they eat this in Tuscany.  I'm completely making it up and taking my cue from the name of the "Toscana" kale from Old Ocean House Farms.  Basically it is just like a spinach salad but with chopped/sauteed kale instead.  The leftover bacon was perfect with the kale. (first picture)
• Roasted Poblano/Yellow/Red Pepper, Grapefruit and Rice Salad - I originally wanted to use mango, but the mangoes at the store were not ripe.  The grapefruit worked well in combination with the roasted peppers and brown rice.  (I added a spoon of honey to balance out the acid from the grapefruit.)  This would work well hot or cold. (second picture)

I'll see you Saturday at the market!

Paul Gagne
Tasting in Tongues Maine
www.tastingintonguesmaine.com
paul@tastingintonguesmaine.com

 

        

What I bought:

• Red carrots - Beckwith Gardens
• Spicy greens - Dandelion Spring Farm
• Napa cabbage - Fishbowl Farm
• Zucchini - Meadowood Farm
• Sunflowers and corn on the cob - Merrifield Farm
• Romanesco (is it a cauliflower or broccoli...the debate goes on....your thoughts?), purple baby bok-choi, and fingerling potatoes - Old Ocean House Farms
• Tomatoes and fresh basil - Olivia's Garden
• Fava beans and heirloom tomatoes - Snell Family Farm
• Honey - Tom's Honey & More

What I did with it:

• Stir-fried edamame beans, purple baby bok-choi, and tofu on spicy greens
• Napa cabbage, red carrot and jicama slaw with fresh ginger dressing (first pic)
• Zucchini stuffed with ground sausage, red pepper and corn with melted mozzarella (second pic)
• Sauteed romanesco with saffron, crushed red pepper, and Pernod (third pic)
• Simple Treatment #1: roasted garlic fingerling potatoes with olive oil, Maine sea salt, pepper and parsley
• Simple Treatment #2: Caprese Salad - tomatoes, fresh basil, mozzarella with olive oil, salt and pepper
• Simple Treatement #3: Sliced heirloom tomatoes with Maine sea salt
• Fava bean, red pepper and corn fritters with sour cream tomato sauce (fourth pic) .  The second time we had them I used ponzu sauce instead - much better, and lighter.

I am in love with the phrase "Know your farmer, know your food".  Each week I visit the farmers market and talk with the people who grew and picked the food I put in my basket.  They raised my food from seed!  They tell me how they grow it, tip me off to varieties that will be in season soon, and offer recipe ideas.  Its so simple and so perfect.  Do you know where your food came from?  I'll see you Saturday at the market!

Paul Gagne
Tasting in Tongues Maine
www.tastingintonguesmaine.com
paul@tastingintonguesmaine.com

 

        

(This week I am going to make a slight change.  The single "what I bought" picture has always displayed everything that I purchased.  It performed its job of showing a slice of the bounty that is available at the market, but it doesn't do justice to the quality and beauty of some of my purchases. So instead of showing the whole kit-and-kaboodle in a single picture I will post multiple close-ups focusing on a few of the highlights of the shopping trip.  I'll still list everything I bought below these pictures.) 

What I bought:

• Green beans - Beckwith Gardens
• Arugula and, yes, more shiso - Dandelion Spring Farm
• Golden beets and kohlrabi - Fishbowl Farm
• Raspberries - Lalibela Farm
• Sour cherries - Merrifield Farm
• Cheddar cauliflower, salad mix, herbal tea, and black radishes - Old Ocean House Farms
• Cukes and cherry tomatoes - Olivia's Garden
• Fire-Roasted Sweet Red Pepper and Garlic Chevre - Tourmaline Hill Farm
• Carrots, black raspberries, and zucchini - Uncle's Farm Stand

What I did with it:

• With the cucumbers I made a tadziki sauce, which I served on falafel in a pita pocket with tomatoes and red onions. (first pic below)
• Black and red raspberry and sour cherry crumble - served warm with vanilla bean ice cream (second pic below, minus the ice cream)
• Simple Treatment #1: carrot sticks - ready to go snacks.  I love red carrots.  To my taste buds they have a slight "piney" and cinnamon taste that I like a lot.
• Zucchini, kohlrabi and cheddar cauliflower gratinee
• Cream of golden squash soup
• I never tasted black radishes before.  They were similar to daikon in their heat.  I placed thin slices on pita bread with butter and Maine sea salt (third pic below).  At another sitting, I had them on crackers with Fire Roasted Sweet Red Pepper and Garlic Chevre.  Nice!
• Salad mix with cherry tomatoes and a very light vinaigrette dressing.  Just a quick note on salad mixes - there are SO MANY options at the farmers market.  Some farms mix the greens for you and package it in ready-to-go bags. There is a huge variety of greens to mix yourself.  Every week there are new options and mixes.  If you like greens, don't forget to pick up the fresh stuff!
• Chicken and green bean peanut stir-fry on arrugula
• In my previous 2 postings I mentioned shiso and sour plum dressing and sauce.  I purchased the preserved sour plums in an Asian market.  They are quite salty.  When I saw the sour cherries at the market I knew that I had to try the fried tofu batons on shiso again, but this time with a fresh sour cherry sauce. The sweet, the sour, the salty, all together.  Came out perfect.  NOW, I can put this flavor combo out of my head. (fourth pic below)
• Last, but not least, the fresh herbal tea mix was delicious.  The basil in it gave it a nice kick.  Every week, Mary Ellen and Austin Chadd from Old Ocean House Farms bring new blends in and they are absolutely worth a try. 

I'll see you Saturday at the market!

Paul Gagne
Tasting in Tongues Maine
www.tastingintonguesmaine.com
paul@tastingintonguesmaine.com

 

        

What I bought:

• Spicy greens, shiso, and baby squash from Dandelion Spring Farm 
• A bouquet of sunflowers from Merrifield Farm
• "Hot Dilly Pickles" from Uncle's Farm Stand
• Peas from Beckwith Farms
• John Davis climbing roses from Michal at Old Sheep Meadows Nursery .  Check out their site.  The gardens in Alfred look like a perfect destination for a Sunday afternoon drive. 
• Kohlrabi and garlic scapes from Lalibela Farm
• Fennel and radicchio from Fishbowl Farm
• Baby Swiss chard and purple peacock broccoli from Old Ocean House Farms
• Oak leaf lettuce and tomatoes from Olivia's Garden

What I did with it:

• Fennel orange salad with parmesan curls and honey vinaigrette, served on a radicchio "platter" (which was a nice background to the somewhat sweet salad) - first pic
• Simple Treatment #1: scrambled eggs with garlic scapes and bleu cheese (not to be eaten just before a meeting or first date!)  - second pic
• Comfort food: spaghetti with garlic scape pesto, topped with meatballs  - third pic
• Simple Treatment #2: Sliced kohlrabi, red peppers and carrots with lemon white bean hummus
• Baby swiss chard and purple peacock broccoli with crushed red peppers and currants
• Fried tofu batons on spicy greens and shiso with sour plum dressing
• Simple Treatment #3: baby squash sauteed in butter, olive oil, Maine sea salt and pepper
• Simple Treatment #4: chef salad with oak leaf lettuce, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, peas, corn and low-fat chicken sausage

I'll see you Saturday at the market!

Paul Gagne
Tasting in Tongues Maine
www.tastingintonguesmaine.com
paul@tastingintonguesmaine.com

 

        

What I bought:

• Squash blossoms, pea shoots, and a shiso/fennel mix from Dandelion Spring Farm.  (They had a nice "mini-salad bar" where you could mix your own combination of many different greens.) 
• Strawberries from Merrifield Farm
• Snap peas and baby carrots from Beckwith Farms
• Tomatoes from Olivia's Garden
• Anadama Bread and a Pumpkin Whoopie Pie from Rippling Waters Farm
• Maple breakfast sausage from Cornerstone Farm 
• "Tally-Ho with Peppercorn" cheese from Silvery Moon Creamery
• Fresh herb tea (lemon balm, roses, blackberry leaves, and clover), and Chidori kale from Old Ocean House Farms
• Sauerkraut with caraway and juniper from Thirty Acre Farm
• Blueberry chevre from Tourmaline Hill Farm

What I did with it:

• One of my favorite maki rolls is made with shiso and a sour plum paste.  On a bed of the beautiful shiso leaves and fennel mix I served a piece of flounder topped with some plum paste that I made with sour plums and some simple syrup. It was a very light dish with tons of flavor.  (first pic)
• Simple Treatment #1: hot dogs with sauerkraut 
• Simple Treatment #2: Pea shoots - with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper
• Simple Treatment #3: Blueberry chevre on crackers
• Simple Treatment #4: Sunday morning breakfast with Anadama toast, maple sausage, and eggs
• Simple Treatment #5: Herbal tea with blackberry leaves
• Simple Treatment #6: Tally-ho cheese with peppercorns and sweet cantalope
• The Simplest Treatment this week: whoopie pie - wow!
• The peas were really snap peas not shelling peas, but some of them had fairly large peas in them, so I opened most of them up.  Maybe they were not at their peak of flavor, but the idea of fresh peas helped me think of sunshine, which I haven't seen enough of lately.  I don't usually have creamy pasta sauces, but seeing the peas, baby carrots, and tomatoes got me thinking of "primavera" style pasta.  The sauce I made wasn't exactly "light", although I did use light cream.  Bring the cream to the point just before a simmer and add a cup of Prosecco.  Stir almost constantly and reduce it a little over the course of about 15-20 minutes.  Add some freshly grated Parmesano Reggiano and continued to stir.  Quickly sautee diced carrots, yellow pepper, tomatoes, basil until they're just cooked.  Add the sauce to cooked fettucine and top it with the veggies.  (third pic)
• I've worked with fryolators for years in restaurants, with no bad stories to tell, but there's something about deep-frying in my own kitchen that makes me nervous.  I know you have to be extremely careful with the temperature, over-filling, adding moisture to the oil, burns, flare-ups, lions, tigers, bears... Ok, so I'm a frying wuss.  So what?!  Well, here's what - if you don't bring your oil up to the proper temperature, your stuffed squash blossoms won't get to the ideal golden brown, the stuffing may leak, and they can be a little greasy.  Luckily, mine weren't too greasy or gooey, but if you want to see some really nice looking fried squash blossoms, take a look at Cornucopasetic's version.   (Mine are in the 4th pic below)
• On my homemade yogurt I always like to put a dollop of really good jam.  With the strawberries, I made a very basic jam with the strawberries and some sugar.  Perfect on plain yogurt.
• Tomorrow night I will quickly blanch the Chidori kale leaves and, in the style of stuffed grapeleaves, stuff them with risotto, or polenta, or...hmmmmm...not sure yet, but you could go a number of directions with that. 

I'm taking the 4th off.  Have a great holiday, and I'll see you the following Saturday at the market!

Paul Gagne
Tasting in Tongues Maine
www.tastingintonguesmaine.com
paul@tastingintonguesmaine.com