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An enchanting bed and breakfast in the heart of Camden village that Fodor’s considers “An elegant and sophisticated retreat and culinary destination,” this Mansard style Victorian built in 1835 offers a unique experience in pampered luxury.
Archive for the ‘Fun for Foodies’ Category
Saturday, August 15th, 2009
 As a foodie, I have an avid fascination for mushrooms. Local foragers ring my doorbell several times a week to tempt me with the forests latest offerings which often make their way onto the nightly menu and generate conversation and rave reviews from our guests.
I have been foraging mushrooms in the Maine woods for many years for what a mycologist (a biologist that studies fungi) would consider “choice edible” mushrooms. Choice edible mushrooms are those that are most sought after by chefs and are somewhat easily identifiable such as: morels, chanterelles, hen of the woods, black trumpets, puff balls, chicken of the woods and oyster mushrooms. Beyond this list of edible mushrooms, I have difficulty identifying anything else I find in the woods, which is a shame since there is a whole world of edible mushrooms out there that I should be part of. Thus, I have signed up for a mushroom identification class “Mushrooming for the Serious Enthusiast” with local mushroom expert Greg Marley. Now, into my third class, I am feeling more comfortable with my fungi friends and learning the proper techniques to positively identify mushrooms. This is the cardinal rule of edible mushrooms – “Never eat a mushroom unless it is positively identified as edible” (source: Edible Wild Mushrooms of North America) or you could get very sick and even die. So stick to the mushrooms you know, or educate yourself if you would like to dive into the unknown.
In the next few months I will be blogging about my mushroom experiences, sharing information about different species and sharing recipes, techniques and tips on preparing mushrooms. So stay tuned and happy (and safe) foraging. Also, Greg Marley publishes a great mushroom email newsletter so Email him and request to be put on his list.
Posted in Dining at the Inn, Fun for Foodies, Mushrooms, Things to do in Camden | 1 Comment »
Saturday, June 20th, 2009
 We are very proud to have been awarded an Achievement of Excellence Award by the American Culinary Federation. The fine dining category includes nine prestigious restaurants from across the country including: Charlie Trotter’s (Chicago), The French Laundry (Yountville, Calif.) and The Inn at Little Washington (Washington, Va.). Following is a portion of the press release:
ACF Announces 2009 Achievement of Excellence Award Winners
St. Augustine, Fla., June 18, 2009—The American Culinary Federation (ACF) will honor 16 establishments nationwide with Achievement of Excellence Awards at the 2009 ACF National Convention held at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Orlando, Fla., July 11–14.
Achievement of Excellence Awards recognize foodservice establishments that exemplify a commitment to excellence in their area. Criteria for the award include being in operation for at least five consecutive years, nomination by an ACF chapter, member or individual in the foodservice profession, and being a recognized industry leader.
To read more, click on this link: 2009 ACF Achievement of Excellence Award
Posted in Chef Michael Salmon, Dining at the Inn, Fun for Foodies, Press | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
Learn how to make Fresh Mozzarella cheese on your next trip to Camden. The State of Maine Cheese Factory (in Rockport, 5 minutes from the Hartstone and Hideaway Inns) offers tours and ”hands on” classes with owner Cathi Morrill. Cathi is, as a previous guest/student put it, ”enthusiastic about cheese making, warm and welcoming.” This is a great introduction to the process of making cheese, then you can return for a more advanced class in one of our “Fun for Foodies” packages.
Posted in Cooking School, Fun for Foodies, Things to do in Camden | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
We are very excited about our new upcoming gardening series here at the Hartstone Inn and Hideaway featuring our vegetable garden guru, Shelley Johnson. Shelley tends all of the culinary gardens at the Inn and also grows produce on her farm for the Hartstone kitchen. She has a great wealth of knowledge when it comes to vegetable gardening and loves to teach, so this series is perfect for her. Each class includes 1 1/2 hours in the gardens with Shelley and 30 minutes in the kitchen with Chef Michael to cook and taste some of the bounty from the gardens.
Hartstone’s Vegetable Garden Guru – Shelley Johnson
Some of my earliest memories are of the rich smell of soil in my Grandfather’s greenhouse and of helping my Dad transplant the hundreds of azaleas that dotted the landscape around our house. While I always dabbled in vegetable and container gardening, it was the move to Maine in 1985 that allowed me to begin pursuing my gardening interests in a more expansive way. After completing the Master Gardener course of study and becoming active in Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), my interest in intensive and organic vegetable gardening blossomed. I now tend my own vegetable gardens here at Breatheasy Farm as well as those of others. I am also a commercial grower for Fedco Trees, a growers’ co-op based in Waterville, Maine.
Planting a Spring Garden
May 23-24, 2009 1-3 pm – cost: $50/person
We’ll discuss how to ready your garden for spring planting and make the best use of whatever space you have available. Since it all starts with the soil you’ll learn how to create and keep soil fertile (hint: it doesn’t come from a bag) in the vegetable and herb garden and techniques for creating raised beds that are simple and low maintenance. We’ll discuss how to choose the proper plants, plan the garden layout, and get a jump on the season with row covers and mulches. We’ll harvest a variety of greens, lettuces, and herbs from the Hartstone Inn gardens before heading into the kitchen to cook and taste with Chef Michael for 30 minutes. Recipes will highlight the early Spring harvest and include Michael’s fruit salad dressings and various tossed salads.
Intensive Plantings in the Vegetable and Herb Garden
June 13-14, 2009 1-3 pm – cost: $50/person
The highly productive garden beds at the Hartstone Inn will serve as a hands-on classroom for tips and advice on how to intensively plant and maintain a vegetable and herb garden. We’ll discuss succession sowing, companion planting and choosing the right plants for a given site. Low maintenance raised beds are capable of producing copious amounts of vegetables and herbs if you know how to make the best use of your location and how to give your plants what they need for robust growth. We’ll be able to view the results of our spring sowings and the new growth on our early summer seedlings like tomato, basil, and pumpkin. We’ll harvest a variety of herbs, greens and young root vegetables and join Chef Michael in the kitchen for a 30 minute cooking class and tasting.
The Late Summer Harvest
September 19-20, 2009 1-3 pm – cost: $50/person
After a full season of growing, the gardens at the Hartstone Inn will offer up a great variety of herbs and vegetables and lessons learned from another season of growing. This is the perfect time to review what went right and what went wrong and begin planning for the next year. We’ll learn proper harvesting techniques to maximize the garden’s yield, look at the many heirloom vegetable varieties available for the best in taste and beauty, and discuss how to extend the season through the first frosts of autumn. After harvesting and gleaning the garden’s bounty, we’ll head to the kitchen at the Hartstone Inn to spend 30 minutes with Chef Michael as he uses the summer harvest in some of his favorite recipes.
Posted in Chef Michael Salmon, Cooking School, Fun for Foodies, Garden, Things to do in Camden | No Comments »
Thursday, April 2nd, 2009
Mary Jo and I just returned from a three week trip to Thailand and we thought we would share some of the photographs, recipes and cuisine we experienced. Above are some photos I took on the trip. We will be featuring a menu from Thailand (see below) on Monday and Tuesday, April 20 and 21, 2009. On May 9th, I will be adding a Thai Cooking class to the regularly scheduled cooking classes at the Inn, featuring recipes from the below menu. It is sure to be a very good time and I look forward to sharing some of my experiences with our guests.
- Grilled Thai Beef Salad with Spicy Cucumbers
- Coconut Shrimp Soup with Curry
- Maine Blueberry Sorbet
- Red Curry of Roasted Duck with Pineapple and Mushrooms
- Coconut-Fried Bananas with Lychees and Papaya
Posted in Chef Michael Salmon, Cooking School, Dining at the Inn, Fun for Foodies | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 24th, 2009
 Join us on Friday, April 10, 2009 for our Spring Food and Beer Pairing Event. We have crafted a dinner menu and matched it with some fascinating beers to create a feast for your senses. The dinner menu consists of five courses with separate beer pairings for three of the dishes. Dinner is $55 per person.
Menu:
Maple-Roasted Quail with a Spring Herb Quinoa (Andrew’s Northern Brown Ale)
Cream of Asparagus Soup with Crisp Pancetta and a Boursin Custard (Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale from Stone)
Maine Blueberry Sorbet
Seared Halibut with Creamed Spring Peas and Spaetzle (German Hefe-Weizen – Kulmbacher from Kapuziner)
Chocolate-Almond Torte with Almond Macaroons
Posted in Dining at the Inn, Fun for Foodies | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009
 - Boynton-McKay Restaurant, Camden
 Owner -Phil Mary Jo and I make a weekly lunch journey down to our favorite lunch spot in Camden. Boynton-McKay is located in what was, for many decades, the town’s primary drug store, apothecary and soda fountain right on Main Street in downtown Camden. Phil, the owner/operator, also makes a great breakfast, but if you’re our guest at the Inn, you will probably be too full from our 2-course breakfast to partake. Mary Jo often has their breakfast skillet (lo-carb eater) and I play the “menu field” with favorites ranging from a Chicken Fajita Wrap, Spicy Shrimp Wrap or Gyros Wrap, to Grilled Chicken, Artichoke and Pesto Quesadillas, Thai Stir-fry with Chicken and a wide array of homemade pastries and desserts to round out the meal. On your next visit to Camden, plan a lunch trip to Boynton-McKay Restaurant, I may run into you there. P.S. - check out his professionally installed fire alarm system below!
 Redneck Fire Alarm Sign
Posted in Fun for Foodies, Things to do in Camden | No Comments »
Sunday, February 1st, 2009
This past weekend I held a cooking class on “Haute” Chinese Cuisine. First, a quick definition of the French word Haute: adjective 1. high-class or high-toned; fancy. I use this term to describe the type of Chinese cooking I demonstrated in this cooking class, taking a standard “Chinese” dish and elevating it to a “higher” level by using premium ingredients in place of the regular “economical” ingredients. The four dishes on the menu were: Kung Pao Shrimp (using jumbo tiger shrimp), Cashew Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork (using pork tenderloin, strawberries, red grapes and fresh pineapple) and Crispy Whole Black Sea Bass with Spicy Vegetables and Salted Black Beans. The recipes are available in my second cookbook “In the Kitchen with Michael Salmon.”
Sharon, one of the class participants, forwarded me the following pictures that she took during Sunday’s class…thank you Sharon!
Tags: Events, Food, Hobbies, People
Posted in Chef Michael Salmon, Cooking School, Fun for Foodies | No Comments »
Thursday, December 11th, 2008
 After weeks of cold weather, snow and ice, the ground has thawed enough for me to get my final harvest of carrots out of my raised bed garden. If you recall from my May 12, 2008 blog article titled “New Herb & Vegetable Garden Beds” I planted the carrot seeds on April 15th, harvesting most of the vegetables throughout the summer, and left a few patches of carrots to mature in the ground until yesterday (December 10, 2008.) With numb fingers, I returned to the kitchen and washed the dirt from the carrots. They were sweet and delicious. I have a carrot soup on the menu this Sunday, December 14, 2008 and they will be the star attraction. Watch for the carrot soup recipe in an upcoming blog.
Posted in Chef Michael Salmon, Dining at the Inn, Fun for Foodies, Garden | No Comments »
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Chef (Marla) for a Day in Camden!
Thursday, April 30th, 2009Our “Chef for a Day” program continues to be a very popular way for guests to experience the Hartstone Inn kitchen firsthand. Recently, a couple from Pennsylvania came to visit us and they joined me for two days in the kitchen, assisting in the preparation of dinner. It was a true pleasure working with Marla and Doug and their passion for cooking was very apparent. Following is a brief story that Marla wrote on her experience:
“From the time I was young, I wanted to be a chef. My career path ultimately led me in a totally different direction, but I never lost the desire to work in a professional kitchen. A last minute opportunity for some vacation time arose, and I found the Hartstone Inn’s website. Not only did they offer group cooking classes at the Inn, but private “chef for a day” programs with award winning chef Michael Salmon. I immediately signed up for 2 days.
From the moment I called, the staff at the Inn couldn’t have been more accommodating. Lots of things to do and see in the area, friendly advice, lovely rooms, and the FOOD!!!! Chef Michael’s gourmet breakfasts were a delight each morning, but don’t even think about eating anywhere else for dinner. A delectable five course meal each night that shouldn’t be missed. And working side-by-side with Chef Michael to prepare the meals! For the home cook who still wants to be a chef when (if) she grows up, it was a dream come true. Fun for foodies doesn’t begin to describe it. I’m still hoping Michael will call me if he needs a sous chef (sorry, Zeph!)
Can’t wait to go back. In the meantime, I’ll keep working on my knife skills, and preparing the recipes from Chef Michael’s cookbooks. And dreaming of the Hartstone Inn.”
Tags: Chef for a Day
Posted in Chef Michael Salmon, Cooking School, Fun for Foodies, Guest News & Comments | No Comments »