Ode To The Taste
I don't want a lot for Christmas
There is just one thing I need
I don't care about the presents
Underneath the Christmas tree
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is Maine food...and drink
When it comes to gatherings from small to large, I would like to say I’m the one behind the cooking but I’m not. Instead, I focus on the gathering, to make sure my guests feel at home, their drinks are poured and always full, and ensure that the space feels just right.
When my guests arrived at our lovely home I grabbed their coats and hung them in the closet, set up the appetizers (which there wasn’t much to set up thanks to the Gathering Board), and started pouring the beverages.
I typically set up the mini-bar on the sideboard in our dining room as it holds all the essentials including all the spirits you need, the lemons beautifully displayed in Campfire Pottery & Jennifer Bravo’s Bone Pouring Bowl, and a place to hold popped corks in Campfire Pottery & Jennifer Bravo’s Sienna Pouring Bowl. To top off the display, I have a 10 + Stem Vase ($45) crafted by SOFTSET Ceramics that includes dark, moody florals put together by Watershed Florals.
Preparing the mini-bar set-up with candlelight.
Items included in this photo: Funky Rock Designs Single Stone Candles Holders (6 for $100), Vena’s Fizz House Mixes ($12.50 each), Vena’s Fizz House Grove Bitters ($20) & a bottle of Hardshore Distilling Gin ($33.90).
Photo Credit: Justin Smulski
All the bar necessities ready to be used.
Items included in this photo: Benoit Design Co.’s Glassware, Campfire Pottery & Jennifer Bravo’s Bone Pouring Bowl and Campfire Pottery & Jennifer Bravo’s Sienna Pouring Bowl.
Photo Credit: Justin Smulski
I wanted to keep our beverage offerings simple by offering a refreshing cocktail or beer for the appetizers and then sipping wine during the seafood dinner. I highly enjoy the Vena’s Fizz House mixes for my cocktails as it’s easy to throw together and there are no chemicals, preservatives, or high fructose corn syrups. It’s truly my bar in a jar. A couple of days before the dinner I mixed Hardshore Distilling Gin which is based out of Portland right off of Washington Avenue and Vena’s Fizz House Blushing Grapefruit.
The mason jar mix includes all of the ingredients to make an excellent cocktail and there are instructions right on the label so you know how much to fill the jar with your spirit of choice and then you have the mix sit for a couple of days to get the gin to soak in well with the mix. I give the mix one last shake and pour the beverage over ice into Benoit Design Co.’s Old Fashion Glassware with a Moose ($39 for a set of 2) and Anchor ($39 for a set of 2) design (so Maine!). I also threw in a little Vena’s Fizz House Grove Bitters ($20) to add another touch of flavor and slid on a slice of lemon on to DMG Designs Specialty Forged Cocktail Pick ($15) that was a beauty accessory placed into the glass.
I also handed out some Banded Brewery’s Charms & Hexes and Surf Logger cans as some folks in our small gathering couldn’t handle the grapefruit cocktail. I highly enjoyed the Chams & Hexes as it is a nice sour if you’re into that tarty goodness.
While sipping on my refreshing cocktail, I grabbed two beautifully curated charcuterie boards from the refrigerator that were created by Annie Lampen, which by the way she is the sweetest person and felt like my best friend once meeting her over Instagram. The boards were filled with Maine made items including Crooked Face Creamery’s Ricotta Cheese Sampler Pack ($32) and Smoked Cheddar ($10), The Real Dill Mill Cove Crackers ($6.50), and Maine Street Bee Wildflower Honey ($10) that sit on a Maine made cutting board handmade by Daybreak Designs ($199.99). The DMG Designs spreader knife made out of copper ($32) was the perfect utensil for digging into that creamy ricotta.
A beautiful curation of cheeses, meats, fruits and blueberry jam.
Items included in this photo: A&E Stoneworks Maine State Cutting Board Set ($53), Springdale Farm cured meats, Turtle Rock Farm Blueberry Jam, Crooked Face Creamery’s Ricotta Cheese Sampler Pack ($32) and Smoked Cheddar ($10).
Photo Credit: Good to Go Studios
The second board is crafted by A&E Stoneworks and is made out of slate and cut free-handed into the state of Maine and it comes with a knife spreader where the handle is made out of smooth rocks. Evan and Alana are a powerhouse couple as they work day to day in making this business grow even while Evan works most of the time for a stonemasonry business his father started. Springdale Farm cured meats and Blueberry Jam from Turtle Rock Farm in Brunswick, Maine are placed nicely around florals to make the board pop with color against the dark slate.
Now, did you know that Justin is not only an amazing photographer but he is also a certified chef? Yes, there was a reason why I invited these lovely folks to my house especially when I suck at cooking. Here is a little Q&A I had with Justin that tells you more about his background in the culinary world and his passion for cooking in general.
Let the preparation begin.
Items included in this photo: Stoneybrook Lobster Pound Scallops, Lobster and Hake, Bangs Island Mussels and Nick Rossi’s 8’ German Chef’s Knife.
Photo Credit: Justin Smulski
Now I can’t speak to the prep and cooking of the meal as Justin speaks to his inspiration quite nicely in the Q&A but I can tell you the makers behind each of the items that were brought to the table and I do want to share one recipe I did provide to Justin that turned out amazing that you need to try it at home.
I’m a big fan of bread. I was taught in my younger years by my Aunt Lynn who is all about cooking seafood and just amazing meals. You have to have bread with everything and then melted butter on the side for some dipping. Night Moves Country Bread is just the bread you need when having a seafood feast. It is nice and soft on the inside and a little crunchy on the outside. When you dip a slice into melted butter, the taste is something you can’t express… it’s amazing.
Let the preparation continue.
Items included in this photo: Stoneybrook Lobster Pound Lobster and Benoit Design Co.’s Glassware.
Photo Credit: Justin Smulski
There were four seafood dishes prepared by Justin (yes I worked his chef skills to death...sorry Justin!). Stoneybrook Lobster Pound Scallops, Lobster and Hake as well as Bangs Island Mussels. Emily Sawchuck is a good friend of Justin and Amy’s and is also a photographer, her partner runs Stoneybrook Lobster Pound and they offer fresh seafood all year round from lobster, fish, and scallops all caught here in Maine. They have a great local pick-up option for those who live in Maine. Bangs Island Mussels is a family operated business and the mussels have been hand-raised locally in the cool, clean waters of the Casco Bay for more than 15 years. The mussels are positioned away from sandy, silty tidal zones, they mature rapidly and accumulate almost no grit on their way to your plate. I think they are way better than mussels from Prince Edward Island. One can purchase their mussels at these locations but my go-to vendor is Harbor Fish Market in Portland who offers FedEx shipping options for those who want Maine seafood outside of the state. You can get all of these lovely dishes delivered right to your door in time for the holidays!
My family is a huge fan of Royal River Grill House in Yarmouth, Maine and we always order their Bangs Island Mussel appetizer. My mother who lives in Maryland loves this dish and decided to call up the restaurant to find out their secret. Well, we got the recipe and I modified it a tiny bit. Justin did a fantastic job bringing this recipe to life. Try it out for yourself, you won’t regret it!
Adding a pinch of locally sourced kelp to the main courses.
Items included in this photo: Atlantic Sea Farms Seaweed Salad
Photo Credit: Good to Go Studios
We topped off the dishes with some fresh, locally sourced kelp from Atlantic Sea Farms as well as Slack Tide Maine’s Finishing Sea Salt ($9). I highly enjoyed the Seaweed Salad as a side dish when digging into the mussels. Their variety pack ($29.99) is a great way to try out all of their options including the Sea-Chi, Sea-Beet Kraut, and Seaweed Salad.
Embroidered oyster on a kitchen towel laid gently in a loop serving bowl.
Items included in this photo: Stitch of Maine’s Oyster Kitchen Towel ($20) and Campfire Pottery’s Loop Serving Bowls in Charcoal ($115).
Once the main dishes were cooked and ready to be served, we took the hot plates off the stove with Stitch of Maine’s Oyster & Wild Maine Blueberry Kitchen Towels ($20). Stitch of Maine is a woman, veteran-owned business, and Austin’s pieces include Maine and New England inspired designs. We placed the lobster on a SOFTSET Ceramic Big Serving Platter ($150, similar to the one linked but the one we used is bigger), the Hake on a SOFTSET Ceramic Tucked Corner Serving Platter ($135, you can reach out to them to ask for this to be crafted as it is not currently on the website) and the scallops and mussels were placed in Campfire Pottery’s Loop Serving Bowls in Charcoal.
The blueberry juices are flowing in the middle of the savory crust of the pie.
Items included this photo: Two Fat Cats Blueberry Pie 9” ($26.50), SOFTSET Ceramics Seamed Shared Serving Tray ($48) and an Embroidered Blueberry Napkin from aluckiergirl.
Photo Credit: Good to Go Studios
Once we ate everything, we were certainly full as it was a lot of seafood for four adults but there is always room for dessert. I placed individual slices of Two Fat Cats Blueberry Pie on to SOFTSET Ceramics Seamed Shared Serving Tray ($48), you can reach out to them to ask for this to be crafted as it is not currently on the website) and my daughter Elayna highly enjoyed Two Fat Cats Chocolate Whoopie Pie as you can tell from her messy face in the video. Two Fat Cats Bakery is accepting holiday orders through 12/19 or until sold out. They’re having quite a holiday selection of goodies and they also offer shipping arrangements to folks who are out of state.
Lastly, don’t forget the holiday tunes from Sean McGowan, a renowned musician who is from Bangor.