use real butter

Recipe: artichoke roasted pepper crab dip

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I grew up sailing in southern Virginia since the age of nine, but living in Colorado doesn’t present many (any) opportunities to sail. So it was a huge enticement for me when part of my trip to Maine included a 4-day (4-night) cruise aboard The Schooner J. & E. Riggin, a historical landmark as decreed by the National Park Service. You can find the recap of the first half of my trip to Maine (the part on land) here.

Full disclosure: The Maine Office of Tourism and The Schooner J. & E. Riggin sponsored my transportation, lodging, and meals with no obligation on my part. All photographs, words, experiences, and especially opinions, are my own.

Day 4: Rockland, Russ Island, Lobster Bake
Day 5: Stonington, Islesboro
Day 6: Camden
Day 7: Rockland

Day 4: The Riggin was originally an oyster boat, built in 1927 and converted to a passenger boat in 1977. Now when I say cruise, I should note that this is not the kind of cruise that most people envision when they hear that word. It’s a real sailboat and guests participate in many of the manual operations on deck (no motorized winches or even winches for that matter) and partake of chores like dish duty. The sleeping quarters remind me of camping… but different. Each cabin has a small sink with cold running water and there are two communal heads (bathrooms) above deck which require manual flushing and minimal use of toilet paper (8 squares max per flush, kids). One of the heads doubles as a shower stall.

rockland

down the hatch leading to my cabin

where i slept

It’s an adventure, and if you’re game – it is a tremendous experience.

Before we set sail in the morning, chef and co-captain Annie Mahle (wife of Captain Jon Finger) and her galley crew, prepared a hearty and beautiful breakfast of banana cardamom pancakes with cinnamon pecan coffee syrup, fruit, and bacon for everyone. Maine boasts the largest windjammer fleet in the United States, but the Riggin is only one of two that has an actual chef on board. Annie has authored two cookbooks: At Home, At Sea: Recipes from the Maine Windjammer J&E Riggin and her latest book Sugar & Salt: A Year at Home and at Sea. Most of what is served aboard the Riggin is locally sourced and masterfully prepared in a closet-sized kitchen on a wood-burning stove under the restrictions of limited water usage (there is a finite amount of fresh water on board). Annie does not waste food, the Riggin composts as much as possible, and tries to keep trash to a minimum.

breakfast was served below in the galley

you can’t not love a woman serving a heaping pile of bacon

Sharon joined us for breakfast, but hugged us good-bye before we set sail, leaving us in the care of Captain, Annie, and the crew. I learned from Captain that there is no set agenda per se, that they sail based on the wind.

first mate, scott or “scoot”, keeps it tidy

scott and ian do a safety demo

the galley is small, but everyone congregates there

Once we cleared the harbor, passengers were asked to help the crew raise the sails. It was a bluebird day with steady winds as Captain sailed us across West Penobscot Bay past North Haven and through East Penobscot Bay. Annie served up a lunch of Asian rice noodles, cilantro and coconut duck, salmon zucchini rice cakes, and a whole slew of fresh vegetables and pickles on deck as we sailed. We set anchor just off Russ Island and Annie gave us a lesson on lobsters.

ian and scott on the throat

tying off the sheet

sails

we got schooled

Captain shuttled us from the Riggin onto Russ Island where Annie and crew had set up a lovely spread of crudités, bacon blue cheese dip, watermelon, chips, and homemade apple cider. While the crew prepared for the lobster bake, Annie and Captain sat with their youngest, Ella, for some quality reading time together. Ella is part of the crew and you would be hard-pressed to meet an eleven year old as mature, hard-working, talented, and sweet as her. It’s a testament to the loving environment that her parents have provided for her. The kid is awesome.

appetizers

boiling the lobsters

family time

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There is a special love I have for the state of Colorado – the place I call home. You can probably sense that from the way I photograph and write about Colorado in this space. It is not unlike the adoration that Mainers have for Maine. Before last week, Maine was never much on my radar except when good friends of mine waxed nostalgic for it (my pal in graduate school always referred to her as, “Maine, the great state”). But my western-centric attentions were pointed East when my friend, Sharon (who I met at IFBC Seattle in 2009 on a chance shared cab ride), invited me out on behalf of The Maine Office of Tourism and The Schooner J. & E. Riggin for a trip to explore some of their fine state. So yeah, I was in Maine last week and it was… AWESOME.

Full disclosure: The Maine Office of Tourism and The Schooner J. & E. Riggin sponsored my transportation, lodging, and meals with no obligation on my part. All photographs, words, experiences, and especially opinions, are my own.

Day 1: Portland: El Rayo Taqueria, Cantina El Rayo
Day 2: Portland: Gulf of Maine Research Institute, The Well, Jordan’s Farm, Broadturn Farm, Maine Mead Works, Regency Garden Café, Fore Street
Day 3: Portland to Rockland: Standard Baking Company, Rock Paper Scissors, The Slipway, Salt Water Farm, Rock City Roasters, J&E Riggin, In Good Company
Days 4-7: Rockland, Stonington, Camden: The Schooner J. & E. Riggin, Rheal Day Spa

Day 1: I left my house in the Colorado Rockies at 3:45 am and arrived at the Portland Regency Hotel and Spa in Portland, Maine, with enough time to drop off my bags and change my clothes for dinner. Joining my travel companions Joy and Rebecca, we walked with our host, Sharon, to the brightly colored and lively El Rayo Taqueria. The smell of savory Mexican food drifted on the fresh sea air as we approached. There we met with several local Portland food scene folks for refreshing margaritas and appetizers on the patio where every table was occupied with happy patrons.

a round of margaritas de la casa – perfection on a summer evening

flash fried shishito peppers with oaxacan sea salt, chips, salsa, and guacamole

abigail describes the different oysters she brought from her farm

and there were fabulous goat meat tacos… did i mention this was merely appetizers?!

El Rayo is run by the dynamic duo: executive chef Cheryl Lewis and general manager Norine Kotts. Their kitchen manager, Elena McMahan, gave us a tour of her urban garden which supplies the restaurant with fresh herbs and edible flowers in summer. The incredible oysters we sampled came from Abigail Carroll’s oyster farm: Nonesuch Oysters. I got to step inside the restaurant (which was also hopping) and get a quick tour from Cheryl.

pickled peppers at the counter

festive and packed with locals

the busy line keeps up with demand

We then walked next door to the swankier Cantina El Rayo which features cocktails and more refined fare compared to its sister, El Rayo Taqueria. I sat next to Margaret Hathaway and Karl Schatz of Ten Apple Farm, Elena, and Anestes Fotiades who writes Portland Food Map. Not only was everyone genuinely warm, but they are all fascinating people. Margaret and Karl supplied the goats for our dinner (from their farm). I think I kinda fell in love with those two. Here are just some of the noms we enjoyed for our meal, although I was in a food coma by the time the churros rolled around. Everything was fantastic. And then Cheryl gave us each a luscious, frosted coconut cupcake as a take-home treat.

the cantina

blueberry shrub refresco (yes to this!!)

delectable hibiscus pickled deviled eggs

heavenly chili pesto oysters

mexico city style street corn with cotija cheese and chipotle

goat meatballs with mole sauce and pickled onions

griddled hoja santa leaves with three cheese and tomatillo sauce

Things I really liked from Day 1
Virgin margarita and goat meat tacos at El Rayo Taqueria.
Oysters from Nonesuch Oysters.
Blueberry shrub refresco, chili pesto oysters, and Mexico City style street corn at Cantina El Rayo.
My elastic waistband pants.
A comfy bed at the Portland Regency Hotel and Spa.

Day 2: To counter the effects of the first night’s feast (hey, elastic only gets you so far), I got myself to the Regency’s fitness center for a run before our tour of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI). Blaine Grimes explained how the institute provides a supportive connection between the science of the Gulf of Maine (and its watershed) and the communities that depend on it. GMRI builds working solutions to balance the needs of the environment with the needs of the fishing industry. Additionally, they have developed an impressive outreach program to educate Maine’s 5th to 8th graders on the Gulf of Maine through interactive exercises that teach the scientific method (this was the coolest thing ever).

gmri

blaine starts with an overview of the physical geography of the region

educating children by not giving the answers, but letting them discover for themselves

After the tour, we moseyed on over to Jordan’s Farm where Penny Jordan welcomed us. She then ushered us down to The Well, a tiny unassuming restaurant on the farm that is only open for dinner service. Chef/owner Jason Williams graciously hosted us for a special lunch demo of his preset menu. Much of the food is locally sourced, if not harvested right off the farm – fresh and beautifully prepared to highlight the ingredients. Jason’s kitchen is a converted trailer and there are outdoor tables and a couple of screened gazebos where patrons can enjoy an exquisite meal.

penny greets us in front of her farm stand

heading down to the well

nice fresh summery touches

jason works his magic here

in the gazebo

gorgeous salad with summer tomatoes and house-cured bacon

shishito peppers and a peekytoe crab sandwich

penny, jason, and his family joined us for lunch

vanilla bean maine blueberries with shortbread

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Recipe: heirloom tomato and corn salad

It’s good to be back in Colorado. It’s good to be home. I had a lovely and exhausting working trip in Maine last week and will write that up for you shortly. I know some people think these trips are vacations, but 1) I never relax and 2) I never relax. You knew this, right? Right! Now that I no longer feel like everything around me is rocking back and forth, I’m trying to get back into the groove over here. Kaweah was super waggy to see me again, sniffing my bags and my pants to figure out where I’d been. It was nice to cuddle my pup, hug my guy, and sleep more than 5 hours (in my own bed!).

kaweah hanging out in the yard

the house got a new stain while i was away

It is now officially September, The Month of Awesome. Awesome for so so so many reasons that I can’t even list them all here. Awesome because we still get the last dribbles of summer splendor in the markets. Awesome because the light and the weather has changed subtly. Awesome because our leaves will turn at the end of the month. Awesome for the birthdays, and the crisp cool nights, and the smell of fireplace smoke on the air, the stillness, the arrival of my favoritest season ever: autumn, which sounds a lot like awesome. So yeah, there’s all of that and more. But I won’t shock you with apple cider and pumpkins just yet. We’re going to milk summer for all it is worth. I’m talking tomatoes.

heirloom tomatoes, corn, and basil

I hope you aren’t sick of tomatoes by now, because I am never ever ever sick of tomatoes… EVER. Aside from eating tomatoes straight up like you would an apple, another way I’ve been enjoying them this summer is in a non-lettuce salad. It takes no time to prepare and it is fabulous enough to serve to dinner guests. The corn could be optional, but I can’t resist those sweet ears as the season winds down. You could serve the corn raw, but I like to either give it a quick nuke in the microwave (30 seconds) or a blanch in boiling water.

cut the kernels off the cob

slice the tomatoes

Slice your tomatoes however you see fit – wedges, rounds, chunks – it’s ALL good. Personally, I’m a fan of the shape that can easily fit into your mouth. Then chuck them into a bowl or arrange them on a plate or platter, drizzle some balsamic vinegar, some olive oil, and sprinkle the corn on top.

arrange the tomatoes

drizzle olive oil

add the corn

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