Cape Cod, MA - Part #2 & Seafood Summer Dishes

Cape Cod was a beautiful dream, the one you love to come back again and again. My friend told me that if I come to Cape Cod in October, I can pick enough wild mushrooms for next three years. I don't remember the last time I picked forest mushrooms, but I surely love to cook, dry, and marinade them. This would be a treat to cook mushrooms from the place as unique as Cape Cod!

Cape Cod, MA - Part #1 & Summer Desserts

We have taken few days off to get away from our kitchen renovation and headed for Cape Code, Massachusetts, to enjoy some sand beaches, blue water and fresh air. Instantly I fell in love with the beauty of Atlantic coast. I even think I would love to move there in my near future tender age :) I have put together few pictures from our trip for your enjoyment!

Wednesday Morning Walk on Lavender Farm

Sometimes we just get in the car and go to the Carousel Lavender Farm. 

It is only 20 minutes drive and you feel like you are in Provence.

Enjoy the walk!

A Little Cranberry Island, Maine, Part Two and Island Gingerbread - 100 years old recipe

Nestled just 30 minutes by ferry southeast of Mount Desert Island, with superb views of the mountains of Acadia National Park, the five Cranberry Isles host a year-round community of lobstermen, boatbuilders, and craftsmen, as well as numerous rusticators who’ve been returning each summer for years, if not generations.

Little Cranberry Island is fairly flat as Maine islands go, but that quality contrasts nicely with the stony peaks of Mount Desert Island that loom so dramatically to the north. Another pleasing contrast is how few motorized vehicles dash along its easy-going roadways. They're called "Cranberry" because of the low-bush cranberries that grow right on the dry ground. Islesford—the name of Little Cranberry’s village, and a popular alternate name for the whole 200-acre island—feels uncrowded, especially in the shadow of the nation’s most popular national park.



Back along Main Street is the village’s nerve center—the combined market, post office, and bakery (where I got my recipe for Island Gingerbread). It’s a must-visit, and we had a lot of time before next ferry so we also make it to Gilley Beach. It’s not a beach of sand, but rather of surf-rounded stones of mostly gray granite mysteriously interspersed with clusters of pink ones. Is their presence due to a weight difference between the two colors? Is it something islanders do? Inquiring minds would like to know.



Islesford Pottery, located on the Islesford Dock, has been open mid-June through Labor Day every summer since 1989. It is a shop as well as the working studio of potters Marian Baker, Cindy Thomas and visiting potter Kaitlyn Duggan.

Art on the island isn't just a part of the lives of artists visiting the islands. It is a vital part of the islands' way of life.

If you like to see more photos, please, visit here.



Island Gingerbread

If you haven't been to Little Cranberry Island, you've probably never had this cake. We've never tasted anything quite like it. They make it from a recipe that's been passed down among island families for over 100 years. On Little Cranberry, it's known as Island Gingerbread, even though there's NO ginger in it. Isn't that crazy? The Island Gingerbread cake has an old fashioned taste that reminds us of the warmth of our island kitchen all year long. When the Woodlawn Hotel was on Little Cranberry over a century ago, it was called "white gingerbread" and served every morning. They still eat it in the morning for breakfast, in the afternoon with tea or lemonade, and in the evening for dessert. The cake is divine, serve it with a little ice cream and cherry sauce.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oil (I used canola oil)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar plus 3 Tbsp. for sprinkle
• 2 tsp nutmeg 
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 cups flour 
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/3 cup buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans.
In the medium bowl mix together oil, sugar, nutmeg and salt. Add flour, baking soda and buttermilk to the mixture. Blend and turn into prepared loaf pans (or one 9x13 pan). Sprinkle sugar on top of the batter and bake in oven for about 30 minutes.

Maine, Acadia Park, Part One and Perfect Boiled Lobsters

We took a week off and ventured in the Acadia Park, Maine, wandered in the rocky forest, as well enjoyed some ocean breeze and lakeside sunset.


Small lobsters under 2 pounds are the most delicate and desirable. Larger ones tend to be tough. The tail carries the great part of the good meat. The white flesh of the claws and the body, the roe, and the liver of the lobster are all edible. The shell of a live lobster is a mottled green and red, which turns to a bright red when cooked.

There is a great difference between the North Atlantic Coast lobster and the so-called lobster or Langouste of the Gulf and the Pacific Coasts, the most obvious deference being in the claws. An Eastern lobster has large, meaty claws, while the Langouste's are small.

Boiled Lobster
Bring a large pot of sea or salted water to a rolling boil. Add two tablespoons of salt for each quart of water. If sea water is available, even better, skip the salt.  Grasp the life lobster by the middle of the back and push it into the boiling water headfirst. Cover the pot and simmer 15-20 minutes. The lobsters will be a clear, bright red when done.

To serve boiled lobster, which may be eaten hot or cold, arrange lobster halves on serving plates or a platter, removing the claws and cracking them lightly with a nutcracker. Discard the dark vein, spongy tissue, and the sac near the head, but save the green liver and coral, if any. They are considered a delicacy. Hot boiled lobster may be served with melted butter, parsley butter, Hollandaise sauce, or a Sauce Mousseline.