Author: PFM

Jeff & Cheryl Buerhaus

| Posted in People

The new issue of Maine Ahead includes an article about Jeff & Cheryl Buerhaus and their restaurant Walter’s.

Buerhaus has as much concern about the textures as the tastes of his menu. His Loch Duart Salmon (see recipe below), for instance, is wrapped in edible rice paper and gently grilled with a fresh cilantro leaf placed on top of it, leaving behind a lacy appliqué. The accompanying bamboo-scented rice and sesame spinach add a unique flavor and color effect. “The entire dish—the look, the colors, the textures, and, of course, the flavors—all play a role in making it a success,” Buerhaus says.

Jeff & Cheryl Buerhaus

| Posted in People

The new issue of Maine Ahead includes an article about Jeff & Cheryl Buerhaus and their restaurant Walter’s.

Buerhaus has as much concern about the textures as the tastes of his menu. His Loch Duart Salmon (see recipe below), for instance, is wrapped in edible rice paper and gently grilled with a fresh cilantro leaf placed on top of it, leaving behind a lacy appliqué. The accompanying bamboo-scented rice and sesame spinach add a unique flavor and color effect. “The entire dish—the look, the colors, the textures, and, of course, the flavors—all play a role in making it a success,” Buerhaus says.

Immigrant Kitchens: Eritrean Ingera with Spicy Chicken

| Posted in Cooking

Lindsay Sterling over at Immigrant Kitchens met up with Asmeret Teklu at Asmara where she learned how to make Eritrean Ingera with Spicy Chicken (intro, photos, recipe).

When Asmeret arrived here thirteen years ago, a friend gave her some starter. Ever since then, Asmeret’s been using the reminder of her batter as the starter for the next batch. “But where did your friend get her starter?” I asked. She laughs at my guessing, “There is no beginning.” I think maybe in addition to evolutionism and creationism we should be teaching our children ingera-ism. There simply is no beginning…

Want to make it yourself but not sure where to get the ingredients? Lindsay has offered to mail out portions of “berbere spice, teff flour, teff starter, and ghee” so you can give this recipe a try.

Breakfast, Menu Creation, Vegan Cooking

| Posted in General News, Events, Cooking

Today’s Press Herald includes an article about the business of breakfast,

Breakfast’s flexible pricing is another thing that [Bintliff’s owner Joe] Catoggio thinks makes it successful and “recession-proof.” A full meal could cost only $7 or an extravagant lobster eggs Benedict with a mimosa could cost a lot more. The price range attracts everyone from college students to successful business professionals, he said.

insight into how chefs plan and change their menus,

Some menus change daily. Others change every few weeks or months, following the swell of the seasons or the whims of the kitchen.

Two Maine restaurants, the Salt Exchange in Portland and Natalie’s at the Camden Harbour Inn, recently offered a peek into the process of how they change their menus.

a Natural Foodie article on the upcoming visit to Portland by chef Mark Anthony, a proponent of lowering cholesterol through eating a plant-based diet,

He doesn’t hope you’ll buy the latest food prep gadget. He’s not trying to sign you up for a diet plan with meals shipped straight to your door. He won’t entice you with a shiny stack of cookbooks.

Instead, he’ll let you watch him cook, and then he’ll serve you a full-course meal. For free.

Food & Fundraising

| Posted in General News

Wines;Tasted! has reported on the success of 2 recent wine & food charitable events: Tastes of France for Share Our Strength and the 3rd 20/20 wine event for Ingraham’s Spiral Arts.

On Sunday the 18 I, along with Tabitha from Crush, Scot from Davine, and Steve from Wicked hosted the third 20/20 charity wine tasting on Caiola’s back patio.  It was gorgeous weather and holding the tasting outside shaded by a big old maple allowed us to really take advantage of it.  We showcased 20 unusual wines from southern France and also managed to raise over $1100 for Ingraham’s Spiral Arts program which focuses on engaging the elderly.

Food & Fundraising

| Posted in General News

Wines;Tasted! has reported on the success of 2 recent wine & food charitable events: Tastes of France for Share Our Strength and the 3rd 20/20 wine event for Ingraham’s Spiral Arts.

On Sunday the 18 I, along with Tabitha from Crush, Scot from Davine, and Steve from Wicked hosted the third 20/20 charity wine tasting on Caiola’s back patio.  It was gorgeous weather and holding the tasting outside shaded by a big old maple allowed us to really take advantage of it.  We showcased 20 unusual wines from southern France and also managed to raise over $1100 for Ingraham’s Spiral Arts program which focuses on engaging the elderly.

Iron Chef at the Whole Grocer

| Posted in People

Edible Obsessions has published memories of her days as the resident cook at the old Whole Grocer.

There were needs: vegan muffins, vegan cookies, two soups, two hot dishes, sandwiches and deli items. Mostly all vegan. Every day was playing a bit of (the original) Iron Chef, the mystery ingredients you’d have to create with wouldn’t be revealed until a box of produce or grocery items were culled and left. Dandelion Greens? Quinoa? Seitan? Huh? So, long before I was roasting pork bellies and failing miserably at pickling a cow’s tongue, I was a vegan and, sometimes, raw cook. And, honestly, it made me the cook I am now.