Coastal Eats

Since moving to Kennebunkport, we've had access to a lot of great food.  And we are all about food.  We've indulged in everything from duck prosciutto (house cured at Old Vines wine bar) to fresh fried artichoke hearts (at Joshua's, a restaurant run by a local family with an organic farm). Lobster rolls and mac & cheese are seemingly on every menu, and they're totally different at each place. Our favorite might be Bandaloop, which somehow manages to makes dishes as diverse as egg rolls, beef carpaccio, and quesadillas into a something both compatible and delicious. And, of course, it has to be said that the heaps of beautiful seafood available to us could make any recent Midwesterner weep.  We've tried so many restaurants now, even we have almost hit our limit.

What we aren't getting tired of yet are our own experiments in the kitchen.  We've been working on updating and expanding the offerings at our inn from breakfast to cheese boards, and we're just warming up.  That's the great part about running an inn:  no matter how many variations on eggs Benedict or coffee cake you can create, there's always someone to share it with. 

In honor of our ongoing "test kitchen", here's one of the recipes!  Jed researched and tried out a few different procedures, eventually settling on the following simple instructions for mascarpone.  Personally, I love the stuff.  We can make it on short notice in house, feature it on small plates with wine, and incorporate it into savory or sweet breakfast dishes.  Win - win- win.  

Hope you enjoy the spreadable goodness :)

Homemade Mascarpone

Tools:
Double Boiler
Cheesecloth
Metal Strainer
Bowl
Thermometer

Ingredients:
2 Cups Heavy Cream (not ultra-pasteurized)
1 Lime

Heat heavy cream in double boiler till it reaches 190 F
takes about 15 minutes
Add juice of lime and stir until fully incorporated
it should start to thicken and look custard-like
Remove from heat and let cool 15 minutes
While cooling, prepare the cheesecloth and strainer by dampening the cheesecloth and lining the strainer with the cheesecloth.
Once cooled, slowly pour cream through strainer over bowl
Cover the strainer (still inside the bowl) with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to sit for at least 12 hours.
You should be left with cheese in your cheese cloth!

Open for Business

Well, we've done it.  Two errant foodies packed up everything from our madeleine pan to our trusty santoku and drove it all the way from Kansas to Maine.  It was a long and tedious journey--through snow, ice, and crazy New York drivers--but it was completely worth it.

We've been on the coast for over a week now and can hardly believe our luck.  In such a short time we've already gotten a lot of innkeeping practice.  When we are not exploring the area and trying the local cuisine (probably the most grueling job requirement to date), we are cooking, cleaning, planning menus, managing the office, and generally taking care of our guests' needs.  It might not seem glamorous, but this is the stuff we love to do and it all seems like an adventure to us.

Through this blog we hope to chronicle our experience and conduct the biggest experiment of our lives:  can a dream job stay a dream when you've got it in real life?