This is America…

My glorious gluttonous foodie America.  On 4th of July weekend I visited my foodie friend in the America people dream of- the America others assume we all are.  When I imagine foreigners thinking of a picturesque seaside America they envision this.  I was in a quaint little town outside of Portland, Maine with the foodie friend and family.  As a fellow American also raised in rural suburbs even I didn’t think this America existed anymore. Neighbors there knew the residents of their entire streets by name and I think some doors still went unlocked at night.  There were churches in backyards and kitschy diners with friendly nonironic waiters. 

 

   I knew from the start that a trip to Maine to visit said foodie meant a few things- a great meal in, a great meal out, strong cocktails, and hours of catching up.  It also worked out that foodie friend was inspired by Papa foodie who was so excited to have a guest with a passion for food and eating that he was ever so gracious in supplying me with whatever culinary delights I required.  This included champagne and coveted wine as well as ordering two giant bright red lobsters from his local market and providing a luxurious vanilla bean.  Oh shiny black vanilla specs, it’s been too long!  On a side note-his spice pantry (part of my tour of his house) was beautiful, a serious culinary accomplishment.

 

   The lead up to the trip was filled with menu planning.  I was recently in a restaurant that offered lobster ravioli in a champagne cream sauce and I couldn’t get it off my mind.  If there was ever a place to find freshly made lobster ravioli I thought for sure it would be Maine.  While relaying this idea to Jane things got a little misunderstood.  I present to you excerpts from the actual conversation:   

     

     me: keywords “lobster ravioli”
             for a starter
             but it’s maine
             so there might be better places to get that than whole foods
     Jane: yes
               where my pops lives
               do you want it cooked?   
     me: fresh or frozen?
     Jane: fresh NOT frozen
                live lobsters is what you want? how many?
      me: no
              `lobster ravioli’
                i can’t handle live lobsters
                unless you wanted to try and make the ravioli from fresh lobster meat

       Jane: oh we aren’t making the ravioli?
       me: haha I LOVE it
       Jane: hahaha
       me: let’s make the ravioli 

  

  

    So you see, my intentions were never really to MAKE ravioli but alas the idea was born.  So we made a menu that was as follows:

 

Cocktails (Pimms & Honey Vodka) & Wine

Jane’s Guacamole & Salsa

Lobster Ravioli in Champagne Cream starter

Herbed Tuna Burgers (served on homemade Rosemary Focaccia) w/ Rosemary Aioli

Mexican Corn

Grilled Vegetable Skewers marinated in Chipotle BBQ

Sweet & Sour Cherry Tarts with Goat Cheese Cream

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies stuffed with whipped Sweet Cream and Cherry Compote

 

  This menu was for just Jane and myself with the possibility of her sister being around.  Since we always have too much food I suggested we invite more people.  After they accepted Jane promptly informed me that they were vegetarians- of the no fish eating variety. Slight kink but no real worries- I knew I could do them proud.  Then Dad got invited.  I wanted to spend time with him but I was intimidated about cooking for him.  For years Jane has been telling me stories of a childhood filled with homemade beef wellington, fine restaurants, and-well, fancy vegetables hidden behind the entertainment center. Nervous as I was I saw it as a chance to please a knowledgeable critic.  Well, that and an excuse to make slightly stiffer drinks so that maybe he wouldn’t notice if something was off.

 

   There are very few times in my life when I miss or crave Suburbia.  Grocery shopping is always one of them.  I had secretly been looking forward to the GIANT uncrowded Whole Foods and Shaw’s as well as local gourmet markets but a traffic filled drive to Maine meant I was going to be short on time.  Jane and I are used to eating our well planned meals at midnight but I didn’t think the guests would be so pleased with this idea.  And so she went from store to store and back again as I kept phoning with more ingredient requests.  I casually mentioned that the tuna burgers were meant to be served on Herbed Focaccia and I knew she would make it (bread is her signature)  but when I walked into that house and was greeted by the scent of warm salty rosemary I loved her even more.

 

   It was near midnight but I knew we needed to prep or we wouldn’t be ready for our guests.  She was reluctant but I tricked her by saying “oh just this” and “we should do this too while we’re at it” and “it would be better if it had time to marinate” and soon enough it was 3 am and we had had one of those rare chats that you can’t have over a phone and you don’t get in real life very often.

 

                                                              The next morning we sipped coffee in good company at Papa’s house.  We wore ridiculous hats collected by the Russell family and watched her dad drive his restored World War II jeep through the local parade.  It was then that I was taken by my surroundings and the charm of small town Americana .  After the parade and town BBQ (naturally) we shopped Papa Russell’s pantry for a few last minute ingredients and started the cooking.   The friends came with fresh mint from a farm and garlic scapes to throw on the grill.  I had never seen or eaten garlic scapes but they were delicious and made the most beautiful topping to my skewered vegetables.  Thank you, vegetarian friends, for your rather excellent contribution.  Dad came with wine and a sweet walnut cheese and we got things started with my favorite new summer drink.

 

   The food was successful despite taking some risks on preparing things I’ve never made before.  The tuna burgers, for example, were my least favorite item being a bit dry and dense but were not a total disaster.  I don’t think it was necessarily related to a mistake made in cooking so I’m going to withhold that recipe until I find one that I like more.  The vegetable skewers and ravioli came out surprisingly well especially if you consider the small drama we had with the pasta dough.  It was a bit too thick and we didn’t have enough time to let it dry properly.  I really loved the champagne cream sauce and I believe it was one of our ‘vegetarian friends’ who suggested it would be great with bacon-I say pancetta but agree none the less!

  

   The liquor flowed and the food was slowly eaten course by course. Conversation was great and much laughter was had- some courtesy of our new foraging vegetarian and her antibacterial garments- not related details, I assure you. I made my most beautiful pastry yet despite my new found “food” photography setting letting me down on color.  Later in the weekend I got my fried clam strips, some great scallops, and fresh Maine ice cream.  In the end it was a great trip that filled me with a new found patriotism and a continued desire to eat my way through this glorious country.