The pastry is a dream–rich, buttery and very flaky.  The filling is enhanced with a thin swath of Dijon mustard and the whole gist of tomatoes is topped with slices of goat cheese with fresh herbs and capers, moistened with olive oil and honey.. It cooks up quickly in a hot oven. You don’t even have to rest the pastry before rolling it out to fiit into a 10-inch tart pan. I found the recipe from David Leibovitz who got inspiration for it from Gascony food writer and cookbook author Kate Hill.  He made some changes and I made a few, too. Tomatoes are still holding their own and plen ..read more

The season so far has been good for blueberries both for high bush and the coveted wild berries.  So many other local crops have not done as well.  Local peaches are a bust, and sour cherries were nearly nonexistent.  I bought two pounds of cherries and have used them up, one time in a cobbler and the other in a small 8-inch pie.  In other seasons I’ve had many pounds that I pitted and froze for future use.  Not this year. As for blueberries, they’re everywhere, and I’ve taken to combining both high bush and wild in various pies, tarts and cobblers.  I like the c ..read more

Berries and stone fruits are the stars of the proverbial summer dessert repertoire.  Even though this year’s summer climate has been difficult for most farmers–witness the late start of juicy-ripe tomatoes and corn just trickling into market stands–berries have done OK.  We had a brief, short array of strawberries, and I haven’t seen a box of those cherished berries for several weeks.  Well, not necessarily.  Some farmers have rotating crops for a second and third crop, but none seem to make it to markets in Greater Portland. For a strawberry fix all summer travel to Beth ..read more

No  thick plush of white tablecloths because there’s no room for them with tables just inches apart apart and noise levels beyond comprehension, these traits might describe  the scene at so many otherworldly dining chambers in Portland nowadays where the civilities of the past give way to guileless  gimmickries as though we’re shoppers, not collectors. And let’s not forget the prices.  If you think navigating  at the local supermarket where shelves are stocked with sticker shock is fruitless, dining out is a way more perilous game of arithmetic.  One example is T ..read more

The price of butter is out of whack.  Some brands cost over $7 per pound, which is 50 percent  more than last year when the average price was about $3.50 per pound at our area supermarkets like Hannaford’s,  Shaw’s, Whole Foods (for store brand) and Market Basket, the latter offering the best price deals for these sticks of gold.  Incidentally Shaw’s is one of the most expensive sources for butter, just under the average  whopping price at Whole Food’s butter aisle.  For example, Vermont Creamery butter half-pound package costs over $6  at Whole Foods wherea ..read more

And by that I don’t mean the venerable food shop, Rosemont Market, which has anchored this neighborhood for years with its array of mostly locally sourced foods. But rather it’s across the road on Woodford Street.  In my one and only visit thus far to The Knotted Apron several weeks ago we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner because the food was so thoughtfully and artfully prepared and served in a true neighborhood bistro setting.  Think of it  being like a counterpart to the West End’s Chaval, a mainstay of the West End or The Blue Spoon on Munjoy Hill.  That every neighborhoo ..read more

Note: This was originally published on July 10, 2015 and having been reminded by a Facebook post in memories I decided to include it in the Golden Dish again since it’s so terribly apt for today, seven years later showing that fine cooking is timeless and still relevant without all the hoopla that swirls around our culinary scene today. The food world is under siege with trendiness.  Fried chicken has become an artisanal  super-star.  The rarest tomato, the sustainable fish fillet, the rigors of omikase and Asian panache–even pizza are elevated to otherworldly stardom.  Ca ..read more

Out of the farm fields and farm shops in Cumberland Center is a growing list of purveyors who are integral to Maine’s food lore.  My list includes Pine Ridge Acres  farm store, Spring Brook Farm and Cumberland Food Company. The latter has now become a destination for dining-in for dinner known as Dara Bistro. Their “Story” best describes the change: “Dara Bistro, formerly named the Cumberland Food Company, started on January 1’st, 2017 by Chef Bryan Dame and myself, Kelsey Pettengill.   We serve as a community meeting space in the form of a casual neighborhood Coffeeshop by mor ..read more

It’s been a great strawberry season in Maine, but it’s coming to an end.  According to regional producers there’s about a week or two left in the growing season.  However, don’t fret just yet.  Some growers cultivate the everbearing  variety. At Beth’s Farm Market in Warren they have berries all summer long, sometimes well into the fall from their everbearing variety.  Others like Fairwinds Farm  and Alewive’s Brook Farm have a second grow cycle in late July and beyond.  I’ve found that these second cycle berries aren’t as juicy and sweet as June varieties ..read more

Two restaurants beyond  Portland’s sturdy culinary confines are exemplary. They are  87 miles apart, the distance from Cape Elizabeth’s The Well at Jordan’s Farm to Rockport’s Nina June.  They excel for one simple reason.  The food at each is fabulous. I visited Nina June in early June, and it was my first time there. I loved the place when it was the Salt Water Grill some years ago.  The room was lily white then, right out of a Ralph Lauren playbook, Rockport Harbor being the perfect backdrop in this gorgeous little village as the quiet side of Camden next door.  ..read more