Yes, Maine is famous for its lobster! You can have it baked, boiled, in a roll or hundreds of other ways. A trip to Castine usually includes a lobster for most everyone. If lobster is not your thing, fresh seafood is plentiful — everything from clams and mussels to haddock and scallops can be found on most menus. Fruit is plentiful from the start of the summer right through the fall. Strawberries, blueberries, peaches, raspberries and apples are some of the favorites. You will find them fresh, baked in desserts, made into a martini and even in ice cream. Maine farmers offer seasonal specialties from heirloom tomatoes, gourmet greens, and organic chicken, beef and pork just to name a few. Supporting our local farmers and farmers markets is a way of life in Maine and that makes everyone a winner. No matter what your taste, we have it here and we are even providing some of our favorite Maine recipes for you to make at home. This way you’ll never feel too far from Castine. Bon Appetite!
How to Steam a Lobster — The American Culinary Institute
Steaming is more gentle cooking technique that yields slightly more tender meat. It preserves a little more flavor and it’s more forgiving on the timing front. It’s harder to overcook a steamed lobster.
Instructions:
Choose a pot large enough to hold all the lobsters comfortably; do not crowd them. A 4- to 5- gallon pot can handle 6 to 8 pounds of lobsters. Put 2 inches of seawater or salted water in the bottom of a large kettle. Set steaming rack inside the pot and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the live lobsters one at a time, cover pot, and start timing. Halfway through, lift the lid (careful – the steam is hot) and shift the lobsters around so they cook evenly. The following recommends timing based on lobster weights:
This dish is assembled the night before serving and baked in the morning. Serves 6 and uses a 6 x 10 baking pan
Ingredients:
1 loaf of sturdy white bread, crusts removed, cut into 1″ cubes
¾ lb Vermont cheddar cheese, grated
½ lb breakfast sausage
2 cups half & half
6 eggs
2 t dry mustard
Procedure:
Remove meat from sausage casing and sauté until browned. Set aside. Whisk together half & half, eggs and dry mustard. Set aside. Butter baking dish. Layer bread to cover bottom, add layer of sausage, half the cheese, layer of bread. Pour seasoned cream/egg mix over contents. Top with remaining cheese. Cover with tin foil. Butter interior foil surface so cheese doesn’t stick while baking. Refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 375° Bake on sheet pan for approximately 60 minutes or until center is set.
Nancy’s Banana Bread From the Manor Inn, Castine, Maine
Yield: 1 loaf
Ingredients:
¾ coarsely chopped walnuts
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ tbsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tbsp ground cloves
3 to 4 ripe bananas (not so ripe they are fermented) to equal 1 ¼ cups of mashed banana)
2 eggs
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup regular plain (whole) or French vanilla (whole milk) yogurt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ shredded coconut (can be dried)
½ cup dried cranberries or died blueberries or both
Procedure:
Preheat the oven to 350º. Grease and flour a large (9 ¼ x 5 ¼ inch) loaf pan—lined with parchment in bottom). Toast the nuts to remove the moisture and intensify the flavor, and set aside. Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves, and set aside. Next, mash bananas with potato masher in large bowl, add eggs, sugars and yoghurt and whisk until well blended. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla. Next, make a well in center of flour mixture and scrape banana mixture. Stir carefully until batter is moistened and not specks of flour remain.Fold in nuts, coconut and dried berries. Scrape batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until the crust is a rich golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.Cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Turn onto a wire rack and cool completely.
