October 2017

First Bite: The Toast Bar in South Portland Is the Brainchild of the Scratch Baking Dynasty and Well Worth the Trip Across the Bridge

October 28, 2017 / / Restaurants

The new, much awaited endeavor, Toast Bar from Scratch Baking is, among other attributes, a luxurious use of dining options in our region.  I mean, a toast bar?  What is it exactly?  I pictured rows of toasters lined up on a counter in various stages popping out puffy browned breads.

The Toast Bar carries on the bakery’s high standards to bring some of the best baked styles of bread- making around.  Of course, there are their famous flakey-crusted croissant-like lightly sour-dough bagels along with their great breads.  If, for instance, you haven’t picked up a baguette from Scratch baking, it’s one of the best baguettes around. And it’s a marvel of bread making. Their starter has a slight zing of sourdough from long fermentation, and added shelf life, exhibiting a crunchy outer crust and intense bread flavor.  There are 12 to 13 breads made at the bread shop, the selection of which changes daily.

the Toast Bar for breads and bagels and spreads

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On the Bone: For a Chuck Roast It’s Bigger and Better

October 25, 2017 / / Mains, Recipes

On the bone –or not–is a choice to make when you buy any of the big cuts of beef, lamb or pork. Generally, I prefer roasts that are on the bone.  They have more flavor and produce richer juices than their de-boned counterparts. The recipe I offer here is for a beef chuck roast on the bone.

Certainly, there are those who, for example, prefer a standing rib roast on the bone (without it how can it stand?).  Conversely, the boneless cut is easier to carve, cooks in less time and is just neater.  If the flavor difference is not crucial, boneless is a doable alternative.

Chuck roast on the bone

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Briefly Noted: Put Island Creek Oyster Farm (The Shop) On Your Washington Avenue Dining Must-Haves

October 20, 2017 / / Restaurants

Island Creek Oyster Farm, otherwise known as The Shop, is the newest aspirant along the Washington Avenue restaurant strip. The oyster bar is part of a chain of oyster shops in Boston, Burlington, Portsmouth and now Portland.

The dining area and bar; tinned fish for take out

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The Regal Soufflé Rises to its Old Glories–a Dish That Should Never Have Lost its Luster

October 18, 2017 / / Uncategorized

The magic rise of the classic savory soufflé has lost some of its luster in today’s home kitchens.  But in the 1970s, along with another staple of French cuisine, the quiche, they were the ne plus ultra, helping to educate the American home cook in the ways of European cookery.

About a month ago I started making soufflés to serve as a light supper dish with a salad or as an accompaniment to grilled fish or chicken.  I wondered why it had gone out of favor?  Now I think of it as essential as mashed potatoes for a side dish.  You literally can whip up the soufflé mixture in minutes.

Cheese souffle

The formula is straightforward.  You need a solid base, usually a béchamel enriched with cheese, vegetable or fish.  Corn is a great addition as is crab meat or salmon.

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Diner Spaghetti Sauce, So Basic and Good

October 4, 2017 / / Uncategorized

It’s such an unlikely source for Italian American style meat sauce, which is simply called Spaghetti Sauce in a compilation of recipes that I generally turn to for the old-fashioned desserts like coconut cream pie.  The cookbook is Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant Cookbook, a compilation of family recipes that highlight this long-standing roadside restaurant in the Shenandoah Valley town of Staunton, Virginia.

The recipe is called DiGrassie’s Spaghetti Sauce, named after Mildred Rowe’s husband, Willard DiGrassie. And it’s so good there’s barely a drop left in the bowl.

The sauce is so good you’re apt to lick yur bowl clean

It bears no relation to more complex sauces that you’re apt to find in the tomes of Mario Batali, Marcella Hazen, Lidia Bastianich or even Rachel Raye (though she would probably love this sauce).

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