A Fantastic Sunset After a Rainy Day in Maine
Last Thursday, I blogged about hiking up Parkman Mountain near Skylands, my home in Maine. I mentioned that when we arrived on Saturday, it was cold and rainy. My guests and I spent some time exploring Seal Harbor and the surrounding communities. We also indulged in some really wonderful food. Thank you Thomas Joseph from the TV kitchen and Cheryl Dulong and the house staff at Skylands! I don’t feel too guilty eating good meals in moderation in Maine because, when the weather allows, I’m always ready for a vigorous hike, which we did the following morning. I hope you enjoy these photos of just some of what we did on Saturday in Maine and please tell me what you think about the sunset.
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- We ate at the long, metal-topped table in the toasty kitchen.
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- Lisa, Sally, and Thomas ready and waiting to eat
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- We feasted on braised shortrib sandwiches. The short ribs were made on my TV show the day before by Le Cirque chef Craig Hopson – delish! http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/braised-short-ribs-with-sunchokes-and-kale
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- I coated my slice of bread with mayo, Dijon mustard, and horseradish.
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- Richard and Sally – who wouldn’t be happy?
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- Then, I topped it with with sliced short rib and tender watercress – open-faced and really, really good!
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- For lunch, we brought up a large boule from Balthazar. http://www.balthazarbakery.com/
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- There were tangy dill pickles and my own freshly pressed cider, along with kettle chips and peppadew peppers too!
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- After eating, Thomas got busy creating a very tall apple pie for dinner that night.
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- He also picked beautiful Swiss chard and buttercrunch lettuce in the garden.
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- I remembered I had these great antler-handled knives and brought them out.
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- A view through the leaded glass windows out onto the terrace – That bright yellow foliage is the changing leaves of the kiwi vines that cling to the terrace.
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- As stated, it was rainy and quite chilly. You can just see Seal Harbor in the distance.
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- And, of course, baked Maine potatoes with sour cream and butter.
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- In addition to the apple pie for dessert, Cheryl made her grandmother’s rich mincemeat pie, which Cheryl bakes in the very same pie plate that her grandmother did.
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- For dessert there was a really good brown butter concord grape cake, also made for TV. http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/brown-butter-cake-with-concord-grapes
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- Back in the kitchen, Thomas was busy preparing our dinner.
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- Cheryl, one of the property managers, chipped in to help.
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- The table was set in the dining room with a fire blazing.
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- Claire is a housekeeper at Skylands. It looks like cocktail time!
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- After spending the afternoon out and about browsing and shopping, we returned to Skylands to find an amazing sunset.
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- We couldn’t believe this incredible sight!
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- The sky kept changing from dark to light and many shades of pastels.
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- Get out the paint box!
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- Or perhaps this view is better.
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- And then the sky turned dark and wild again.
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- It was glowing!
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- So fiery!
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- Red sky at night, sailor’s delight!
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- For dinner we had beef, again. However, these are my good friend, Emeril’s, Red Marble Steaks – NY strip and bone-in ribeye. They’re fab! http://www.redmarblesteaks.com/
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- Thomas turned this colorful chard into a creamed Swiss chard. He also served roasted fennel and braised leeks.
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- In fact, it was! Here I am shaking martinis.
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- With this giant shaker, I can serve more than a dozen martinis!
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