The Maine Course

Cooking, grocery shopping, and making memories in Maine

Jun 30, 2025

Hi from the Bangor airport as I journey back to reality after a very restorative few days in Maine. I look forward to this visit with Tilden every year (see our first and second trips) and especially this year. According to my five year journal, I started couples therapy shortly after last year’s trip to Maine. I remember being so stressed about my relationship, even in a beautiful place. This year, I felt freer and more present and actually got to unplug and relax. I still don’t know what the future holds but I feel slightly more in control. I missed Este but knew she was in good hands.

As always, we ate very well and had so much fun cooking together. It feels so luxurious to source nearly every ingredient from farm stands and small markets, adjusting the menu to the season and day’s inventory. Tilden’s aunt Ann, who hosts us along with Frank and the exuberant Goose, orders lots of vegetables from Farm Drop, an online farmers market/CSA hybrid. It was an abundance of riches and I’m so, so grateful.

Outside of Maine, I’m so excited about last week’s election results and Zohran Mamdani’s win (and Cuomo’s defeat). It’s thrilling to see someone who grew up in the same city I did (we’re two years apart and have a few mutual friends on facebook) articulate and propose solutions to the issues that affect us everyday. And the co-endorsement with Brad Lander is so moving and effective.

Now, let’s dive in. On Thursday, I’m sharing a summer baking round up with some of my favorite recipes!

Something to cook:

I got a gorgeous tomato at The Meat Hook and made myself some ricotta tomato toast (I had leftover ricotta from last week’s baked pasta and was determined to use it up). I also got very juicy blackberries from a random bodega, it’s produce season!

In Maine, we arrived to a very well stocked fridge and made mushroom toasts with gorgeous shitakes on local whole wheat sourdough. We got the mushrooms nice and crispy and piled them atop pesto ricotta. The whole dish was finished with a little chili crisp and we roasted some brussels sprouts with lemon zest on the side.

After a morning of strolling around Bar Harbor, we made a very savory and zippy miso chickpea salad for lunch. It was the perfect fuel for a very short hike and cooking dinner for our special guests.

A few months ago, Hillary asked me for Maine recs and we realized our trips overlapped. Ann and Frank kindly invited her and Ronen over for dinner, which was such a treat. Tilden and I made pasta with asparagus, alliums (scallions and garlic scapes), feta, and lemon, they brought delicious cheese and crackers, and we made a quick salad with apricot vinegar from Fiore. For dessert, we made a strawberry crisp with local whole grains (I’ll share the recipe on Thursday because I love making a crumble).

Saturday was Tilden’s uncle’s birthday, which called for a celebratory meal. Her cousin, Helen, is a chef and it was so much fun to cook with her. It was a rainy day so we basically spent all day grocery shopping at spots like Beech Hill Farm, Acadia Provisions, Parson’s, and John Edwards Market. The final menu was: oysters with homemade mignonette, caviar with potato chips (I tried the Quince caviar and it was good), chives, fromage blanc (we couldn’t find creme fraiche), clams with white wine and garlic, roasted purple potatoes with sage and garlic, rainbow chard with lots of lemon and white wine, New York Strip with onions and herbs, and a garlic scape butter that went with local sourdough and anything else on the menu. There was something for everyone and it was a true feast, especially since everything was so fresh and local.

Before our flight, we needed a hearty breakfast, so Tilden made a version of the cheesy eggs they have at Smor with garlic scapes, cheddar, and a little goat cheese. We ate them on whole wheat sourdough with a chipotle aioli I made with mayo and chipotle Cholula.

When I got home, I wanted something fresh and couldn’t decide on anything to order. Instead, I took a walk and got what I needed for

deb perelman

’s cucumber crunch salad with tofu. I love anything with peanut sauce and I added some rice to make it more of a meal. The leftovers will be a great lunch for today.

Something to order:

Amy and I got the viral coffee of the moment: the coco americana from Rhythm Zero. It’s frothed (but not sweetened) espresso over coconut water and it’s so delicious. You stir them together and the combination is lovely. You can also make this in a simpler way with non frothed espresso and it’s refreshing in the hot weather. If you see a coconut water drink at your local coffee shop, try it (or try it at home, Julia and James are DIYing).

A hot sauce party is my kind of party and I was so excited to attend Stuzzi’s launch party at Pasquale Jones, a restaurant I had been wanting to try. The hot sauce is made in Italy from Italian peppers, including calabrian chilis, so naturally it’s great on pizza and the pizza is excellent. Leah came with me and we enjoyed every bite—and will be returning for dinner with the whole family.

In Maine, we had lunch on a rainy day at Zeppa’s in Ellsworth. The pizza is good and it’s dog friendly. It gets quite busy so call ahead. We also grabbed coffee and matcha at Choco-Latte in Bar Harbor—I like to buy coffee beans as a souvenir.