My Dinner Party at Skylands
As you know from reading my blog, I spent Memorial Day weekend at Skylands, my home in Maine. My guests were so generous with their time and energy on Saturday helping to plant the giant urns on the terrace, that I decided Sunday would be a day to relax and do some fun stuff. My guests joined me for a walk through the Eden Farmer’s Market in Bar Harbor. You may recall my blog about this wonderful market last July. It’s always interesting to see what’s being offered and to mingle a bit with my farmer friends. Of course, we also did some antiquing at my favorite places. Later in the day, back at Skylands, we prepared for a dinner party with some of my friends and neighbors. Because the weather was quite chilly, I asked Pierre to make a big and beautiful pot-au-feu, the ultimate French comfort food.
1 The woods surrounding Skylands look so magical in the dense fog.
2 A view through a leaded glass window.
3 These cacti are thriving in this sunny spot.
4 A view out of the dining room
5 This is the flower arranging room at Skylands.
6 The house is equipped with many styles of vases.
7 More vases
8 This table in the Great Room has many books about Maine and its natural surroundings. Guests have many interesting things to read about.
9 That same faux bois table was later decorated with lovely blossoming branches.
10 Another view into the fog from a terrace off of one of the upstairs bedrooms - The planters will fill in beautifully as the summer progresses.
11 In preparation for dinner, I visited the wine cellar to select dinner wine. The cellar was built around this giant pink granite boulder.
12 For dinner, Pierre made a pot-au-feu (pot on the fire), a wonderful French stew and the most celebrated dish in France. These are all of the ingredients.
13 Chicken breast, veal shank, beef shank, beef short ribs, ox tail, marrow bones, saucisson a l'ail, carrots, parsnip, turnip, leeks, scallion, cabbage, and lots of fresh herbs
14 The vegetables and meat are simmered together, creating a very rich and flavorful broth. The individual ingredients are removed from the broth when they finish cooking.
15 Marrow bones produce a natural gelatin, giving the broth a thick texture.
16 Pierre removed the meat from the broth as it finished cooking. He covered it with a damp towel to keep the meat moist and warm.
17 All of the cooked meats and vegetables arranged on a serving platter
18 Condiments for the pot-au-feu - coarse sea salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, horseradish, cornichons, and an herb sauce verte
19 Serving asparagus with pot-au-feu is not traditional, but there were so many from my garden that I had Pierre prepare a platter anyway.
20 The pink granite table was set with Skylands original china, silver, glassware, and linens.
21 Hannah decorated the table with flowers from the garden.
22 Another view
23 It was quite chilly outdoors and the birch log fire was set just before the guests arrived.
24 Here I am with my dinner companions Julia Merck-Utsch and David Rockefeller.
25 Hannah made David Rockefeller a boutonnière of heliotrope and forget-me-nots. He was quite happy!
26 Ryan, Kate, and my friend Brian Lindquist
27 Hannah and artist Allen Blagden
28 Hans Utsch and Ann Marie Almeida
29 Kevin and Ian
30 The assembled platter of pot-au-feu was brought to the dining room.
31 The plates were served. This is the ultimate comfort food.
32 Dessert was an upside down rhubarb cake made with rhubarb from my garden.
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Lovely!!!
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | June 7th, 2011 at 12:31 am
Good morning Martha! What a beautfiul place and dinner with your friends, delicious menu. I love the previous post and how you were all busy planting and fixing your amazing home and getting ready for the summer. Best of luck and success. Wish you a wonderful summer.
Posted by: Rowaida Flayhan | June 7th, 2011 at 4:12 am
Martha,
I absolutely love your pictures from Skyland. I have only seen pictures of Skyland but they inspired me so much that I went there last year with some friends and stayed in Bar Harbor. What a beautiful area. I can only imagine how splendid it must be at Skylands. I also enjoy pictures from the farm. They are amazing. Thank you for sharing your homes with us.
Karen
Posted by: Karen Tracy | June 7th, 2011 at 6:53 am
Ooooo! A fire on June 7! Here in NC, it's been in the 90's for weeks...another awful summer I guess- but you and your guests look fresh and comfortable! We get to move out of NC within the year, to NY's northern Mohawk Valley...if that doesn't work out, Maine is our next stop! What a gorgeous state!! Enjoy your holiday!
Posted by: Leigh | June 7th, 2011 at 9:26 am
Martha, what a place! I'm still so in awe of it: the woods, the view, the architecture, the décor. (Nice to see the Deyrolle book I gave you sitting so prominently on that gorgeous table!) Sorry I missed you in Toronto last night. I wasn't in town and could not attend the talk at Roy Thompson Hall. Yours always.
Posted by: Andrew Ritchie | June 7th, 2011 at 9:36 am
So Lovely!! What a cozy dinner (and beautiful food!), with a fire glowing in the fireplace. Thank you for posting.
Posted by: Judy | June 7th, 2011 at 9:40 am
Hi Martha, Thank you so much for taking us on this absolutely beautiful, stunning indoor tour at Skylands! Every photo is once again fantastic and I love seeing everyone of them! What would you do without all of these wonderful friends who help you so much, the delicious vegetables from your Bedford farm, as well as Skylands, and outstanding Chef Pierre?! I love the dinner table decorations with the flowers designed by Hannah and the beautiful 'library table' with more beautiful flowers!! Pierre's wonderful dinner looks absolutely delicious! How fun it would be to be there at Skylands! The beautiful plantings will look even more stunning as summer aproaches and can't wait to see more photos then! Off to see The Daily Wag with their 'Planting Hens and Chicks'! Hope you have another great day! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | June 7th, 2011 at 10:11 am
Imagine popping into the Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto, while your Skylands, in Bar Harbour, is preparing for dinner guests? I obviously am not connected to the 'grapevine'. T'was a beautiful day and I was gardening an hour away.
I appreciate your gracious sharing of being a new grandma and the many splendid details of your homes and travels. It is a blessing.
Skylands has such history. Your photos from dinner make the building look brand new! The photo of the dinner was totally authentic. Beautiful,(except for the marrow bones-tough to digest)
Perhaps, you will return to the Cdn. National Exhibition in the autumn? The horse show is wonderful. A display of your food specials and/or fall gardening would be great to view. PLEASE LET US KNOW
Merci beaucoup,
Louise
Posted by: Louise McCallum | June 7th, 2011 at 11:04 am
Love the exquisite tablescape...indeed the guests feel special!
Posted by: sherey | June 7th, 2011 at 11:21 am
I love your quality food. It looks so farm fresh. Marrow bones are my absolute favorite treat. YUM! I eat the marrow after boiling them while making a rich bone broth soup. I too just baked with fresh rhubarb over the weekend. Wonderful inspiration.
Posted by: Lauren | June 7th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
Oh I just love the fog and the forest. Looks amazing! Love the picture of the table linens with the fireplace roaring in the background. Dreamy!
Posted by: Frances | June 7th, 2011 at 1:42 pm
Hi Martha,
Whenever you post a blog about Skylands, my mind just wanders. To spend a weekend there has to be a wonderful experience and I think your guests are so lucky to get invited.
I cherish all of your magazines that have anything to do with Skylands such as the May ’07 Color Issue. The more I look at pictures of the pink guest house, the more I like it. It is of course genius as are all of your decorating ideas. You didn’t want it to be ‘garish or girly’ and it isn’t. I wish I had just a smidgen of your decorating sense.
~
As usual, Pierre’s food made me hungry but since I have nothing close to a French stew in the house, I fixed Eggs Kevin again. I suppose you can call me impressionable! Anyway, my place setting wasn’t quite as beautiful as yours which looks so nice on the pink granite tabletop and I will never be able to do all the things that you do but thanks for inspiring me to want to do some of them. Trish
Posted by: Trish | June 7th, 2011 at 2:18 pm
Two quick points: you are such a good example to us as you work hard and play hard. Living well is its own great reward.
Secondly, every time you blog about Skylands, I'm newly convinced how wonderful it is that you are such a loving caretaker of its treasures and history. And, you share it all with us.
Thank you!
Posted by: Bobbie | June 7th, 2011 at 2:58 pm
Martha,
I just love your style and your friends....well I hope they know how lucky they are to be sharing Skylands with you! What a magical place.
Maybe in my next life????
Posted by: Patricia Tomaso | June 7th, 2011 at 4:45 pm
We visited Maine last year on a motorcycle trip, it is such a beautiful state and everyone was so kind and helpful. You are very luck to have a home in such a beautiful state
Posted by: patti koons | June 7th, 2011 at 6:06 pm
Quick question...Why is the knife on the left in the picture of the place setting?
I love the blogs from Skylands and hope you'll do a book about it someday.
Posted by: Karen | June 7th, 2011 at 6:44 pm
I'm just across the border from Maine in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. Would be great to get you here to do a show on traditional Acadian food, including our many desserts and traditional dishes (poutine râpée -- no, not french fries with cheese curds and gravy... these are large potato dumplings adapted from German settlers, etc.).
Posted by: Brian Cormier | June 7th, 2011 at 8:13 pm
Martha dear: my husband wants to retire in summers in Maine, just there. My little son Gino now 14, had been in a Rockefeller house in Bar Harbor that today serves as a guest house for the Acadia Oceanographic and marine biology summer camp. I've never been there, but after these pics of yours...I mey consider that gladly. You should come to Mexico someday to my pre columbian gastronomic tour.
blessings!
Posted by: Adriana P. de Legaspi | June 7th, 2011 at 9:56 pm
I hope you will be going back to Maine for Lobster Festival, there will so much to see. I will be next year. Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Silvia D | June 7th, 2011 at 9:58 pm
Martha,
I just discovered your blog, while looking for explanations on the Reversable Hat pattern (we need help there!)Anyway, I read your magazine from cover to cover and I have been doing it for many years,(not time for the computer). I love all that you show us, but your house in Maine is special!Give us more! I have been to Seal Harbor and had a picnic there,what a lovely spot it is and the view from the privacy of your home it must be just magic! We have a little cottage on a lake in Maine and been vacationing there for over 30 years,my whole family love it, but Mount Desert Island is the proverbial "Icing on the cake". Enjoy it! Congratulations on your beautiful grand-daughter, pretty soon she'll be making trips to Maine and make sweet memories. Have a wonderful summer.
Posted by: Tina Nobilini | June 7th, 2011 at 10:51 pm
very nice
mamdouh
Posted by: mamdouhsoliman1 | June 8th, 2011 at 4:54 am
Our niece, Stacy and husband, Tom served us all a wonderful meal at Rachel's graduation. Kathy just could not identify the blossoms she picked but some of us thought they were Wiegelia. Love your party pictures and as always you inspire us.
Posted by: ann | June 9th, 2011 at 9:57 am
I always enjoy your posts from Skylands...it's nice knowing you're just up the road from me in Portland. While we have gotten off to a poor start weather wise,I hope you have many wornderful days at Skylands this summer.
Posted by: Julie Sherburne | June 10th, 2011 at 8:31 am
Where did you find your faux bois table and benches? I have a garden bench and birdbath. There is a famous family in San ANtonio near here that has made it for years....
Posted by: Laura | June 11th, 2011 at 10:23 am
Hi Martha,
I attended your talk on June 6th in Toronto at Roy Thomson Hall. I am disappointed that you have no photos to post of your visit to Canada.
I was hoping to see some and hear what you had to say about your visit.
I have been a loyal fan since 1993 when I first discovered your magazine and since then have treated myself to most of your beautiful books and I still subscribe to Living.
You did promise to get your programs back to Canada soon.
Hope you enjoyed your visit north to our wonderful country.
Did Alexis like the gifts from Advice from a Caterpillar?
Posted by: Uylond Lynch | June 12th, 2011 at 8:30 am
Ms. Martha, I'm wondering with Karen. Why is the knife on the left? It is very provocative.
Posted by: Alice | June 14th, 2011 at 9:10 pm
That just sounds great. I wish I had known. I would of hopped into a Rain Drop. Taken the trip on the Rainbow, known as a "Cosby" to see you folks. (of course if I was invited). I also like lobster from Maine. Best always.
Posted by: Michael John McCann- Mayor of PurpleUmpkin | June 16th, 2011 at 5:19 pm
You inspire. Thank you!
Posted by: W. Akio Hashimoto | June 20th, 2011 at 8:39 pm
Hi Martha - I noticed that the knife was placed on the left re: table setting. Could you please let me know if this is correct (styles change)?
Also see the copied comment below (also noticed by Alice.
Ms. Martha, I'm wondering with Karen. Why is the knife on the left? It is very provocative.
Posted by: Alice | June 14th, 2011 at 9:10 pm
Thanks,
Dianne Hawn
Posted by: Dianne Hawn | July 11th, 2011 at 6:30 pm