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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 ‘Holidays’ Category
Monday, April 12th, 2010
Join us on Sunday, May 9th as we celebrate Mother’s day.
Menu:
Spring Pea Ravioli with Duck Leg Confit
Baby Spinach with Cumin-Roasted Pears and Maytag Blue Cheese
Maine Blueberry Sorbet
Pan Roasted Maine Lobster with a Rosemary Cream and Herbed Zucchini Ribbons
White Chocolate Soufflé with a Pistachio-Crème Anglaise
Posted in Dining at the Inn, Holidays | No Comments »
Friday, March 12th, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Easter Brunch
11:30 a.m. & 12:45 p.m. seatings
Fresh Berry Crepe with a Raspberry Crème Anglaise
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Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict on a Croissant with Hollandaise Sauce
or
Maine Lobster and Asparagus Quiche
with Swiss Cheese
or
Cranberry and Apple French Toast with Cumin Spice Bacon
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Assorted Desserts
$23.95 per person
Easter Dinner
5:00 p.m. seating
Maine Seafood Tartlet with a Chive Custard
Sweet Potato, Rutabaga and Green Apple Soup with a Maple Cream
Maine Blueberry Sorbet
Braised Lamb Shanks “En Croute” with a Celeriac Puree
and Grilled Vegetables
White Chocolate Soufflé with a Pistachio-Crème Anglaise
Easter Candies and Chocolates
$45.00 per person
Posted in Dining at the Inn, Holidays | No Comments »
Monday, February 15th, 2010
 We hope you had as much fun on Valentine’s Day as we did here at the Inn. The weekend was bustling with activity from private “Chef for a Day” cooking classes on Friday and Sunday to a chocolate cooking class for 14 people on Saturday with Kate Shaffer from Black Dinah Chocolates. We made chocolate truffles: white chocolate filled with a Key lime ganache and dark chocolate filled with a raspberry ganache. There were heart shaped sugar cookies with tea in the afternoon and a full dining room for dinner each evening. It was great welcoming back returning guests and meeting new guests.
Last night we served our Roasted Sweet Potato, Rutabaga and Green Apple Soup and one of the guests requested the recipe (which is in my second cookbook), so here it is. s recipe serves six.
 Roasted Sweet Potato, Rutabaga and Green Apple Soup with a Maple Cream
1 large sweet potato
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1 cup peeled, diced rutabaga
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 quart chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 Tablespoons Maine maple syrup
Kosher salt and white pepper to taste
Maple Cream (recipe below)
1/4 cup croutons
1 Tablespoon sliced scallions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Peel the sweet potato, slice into 1/2-inch-thick slices and lay on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with kosher salt and white pepper. Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Place the butter in a large saucepan and place over medium heat. When the butter melts, add the onions and sweat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the rutabaga and Granny Smith apple and continue to cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and the roasted sweet potatoes and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and blend the soup with either a handheld immersion blender or in a regular household blender until smooth. Add the cream, maple syrup and season with salt and white pepper. Bring back to a simmer and serve with a dollop of whipped maple cream, croutons and finely sliced scallions.
Maple Cream
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 Tablespoon pure Maine maple syrup
Small pinch of white pepper
Large pinch of kosher salt
1. Place the heavy cream in a cold mixing bowl and whisk on high speed until stiff. Add the maple syrup, salt and white pepper and whisk to combine.
Posted in Chocolate, Cooking School, Fun for Foodies, Holidays, Recipe | No Comments »
Monday, December 21st, 2009
 Filling Spice Kits Today we are busy making spice kits for our last minute holiday shoppers. Gift certificates have been flying out the door and many items from our gift shop have been popular this year including Chef Michael’s cookbooks and his spice kits. The spice samplers include 15 small containers of Michael’s favorite spices, spice blends and salts that he uses at the Inn on a regular basis, including: cumin spice mix, fennel spice mix, herbes de Provence, Caribbean dry spice mix, Cajun spice mix, annatto seed, star anise, Chinese five spice powder, rosemary steak rub, apple pie spice mix, curry powder, crystallized ginger, Maine sea salt, Alaea Hawaiian sea salt, and Hiwa Kai black Hawaiian sea salt.
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- Chef Michael’s Favorite Spices
The kit includes a description of each of the items, recipe suggestions and references to recipes in Chef Michael’s cookbooks in which he utilizes the spices.
The Fennel spice mix is one of the most popular spices at the Inn (we also sell them individually in 1 cup jars) and is used in everything from breakfast sausage to our Maine Lobster and Scallop Terrine.
Fennel Spice Mix Recipe – Place 2 Tablespoons of whole fennel seeds in a small saute pan and toast over medium-high heat until fragrant and lightly toasted. Finely grind in a spice grinder and mix with 1 Tablespoon ground black pepper, 1 Tablespoon granulated garlic and 2 1/2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt.
Posted in Chef Michael Salmon, Holidays, Recipe | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
 This winter we are offering a number of specialty dining experiences to excite your palate.
Lighter Fare – Monday & Tuesday Evenings - “Bistro” nights are back! We are going to change things up a little this year by alternating our weekly menus between French Bistro and Italian Trattoria fare. Available every Monday and Tuesday evening all winter long.
Save the Airfare! – Travel to foreign lands this winter without ever leaving Camden. Join us for our series of specialty “ethnic” five-course dinners featuring some of our favorite foods from a variety of exciting destinations.
In the Kitchen Dinner Series – Join Chef Michael Salmon and his team in the kitchen at the Inn for an evening of mingling, beverage pairings or tastings and plenty of great food. Click here to read more.
Upcoming Holiday Menus – Review upcoming Holiday menus here.
Posted in Dining at the Inn, Fun for Foodies, Holidays, Things to do in Camden | 2 Comments »
Sunday, June 21st, 2009
The first annual Festival of Independence is happening in the greater Camden area over the July 4th weekend: Music- Fireworks- Family Fun-Cool Cars- and a Traditional Parade!
From July 2nd to the 5th, the midcoast Maine region has geared up to help you celebrate the Fourth of July weekend in fine style. Join us for concerts covering everything from classical to Johnny Cash; spend a weekend with cars from the golden age of Detroit; watch a traditional small town parade; ride the ski lifts to the top of the Snow Bowl and enjoy family fun and games; and watch two nights of fireworks: Friday in Camden and Saturday in Thomaston!
For more details email our local chamber of commerce at: chamber@camdenme.org
* Information courtesy of the Camden, Rockport, Lincolnville Chamber of Commerce.
Posted in Holidays, Things to do in Camden | No Comments »
Sunday, March 22nd, 2009
 Today is Maine Maple Sunday and Maine sugar shacks are bustling with activity, many open for visitsors, some offering food and others featuring entertainment. To celebrate that all so spectacular tree (and it’s bounty) we are featuring a Maple menu at the Inn.
Maine Maple Sunday Dinner Menu
Maple Seared Duck Breast with Peppered Tropical Fruits and Walnut Oil
Sweet Potato, Rutabaga and Green Apple Soup with a Maple Cream
Maine Blueberry Sorbet
Maple Glazed Salmon Fillet with Wilted Spinach and Jasmine Fried Rice
Maple-Walnut Soufflé with a Maple Crème Anglaise
Home Made Maple Candies and Chocolates
Posted in Dining at the Inn, Holidays | No Comments »
Saturday, March 21st, 2009
Join us on Easter, Sunday, April 12th for our Easter Brunch at 11:00 am or for our Easter Dinner at 5:00 pm. Chef Michael has created some holiday menus and will be displaying some of his antique Easter chocolate molds, complete with chocolate eggs and bunnies.
Easter Brunch Menu
Mango and Passion Fruit Smoothie
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Baked Bosc Pear with a Raspberry-Star Anise Sauce and Lemon-Almond Biscuit
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Hartstone Benedict with either House Smoked Salmon or Prosciutto
or
Shrimp and Mushroom Quiche with Gruyere Cheese and tossed Greens
or
Grilled Atlantic Salmon with wilted Spinach Walnut Dressing
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Assorted Tarts and Petite Fours
$23.95 per person
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Easter Dinner Menu
Maine Seafood Tartlet with a Chive Custard
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Sweet Potato, Rutabaga and Green Apple Soup with a Maple Cream
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Maine Blueberry Sorbet
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Braised Lamb Shanks “En Croute” with a Celeriac Puree and Grilled Vegetables
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White Chocolate Soufflé with a Pistachio-Crème Anglaise
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Easter Candies and Chocolates
$45.00 per person plus taxes and gratuity
Posted in Chef Michael Salmon, Chocolate, Dining at the Inn, Holidays | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
 This past weekend the Hartstone Inn featured a chocolate cooking class with Kate Shaffer of Black Dinah  Chocolatiers. Both Saturday’s and Sunday’s classes were sold out and the response was very positive. Kate started the class with an introduction of herself and her business. She then discussed the basics of chocolate from the difference between types of chocolates (bittersweet, semisweet, milk and white  chocolate) to the proper way to melt chocolate.
Next, we made two ganache fillings, perfectly selected for the upcoming holidays. First came a Gingerbread-Dark Chocolate Ganache, followed by a White C  hocolate-Eggnog Ganache, my personal favorite. We then formed and cut the ganache and coated them with everything from walnuts and cocoa powder to dark chocolate and decorative transfer paper. Kate then showed the class how to dress strawberries with chocolate tuxedos and we made bark with various types of chocolates, nuts and dried fruits.
Finally, Kate discussed packaging options, we tasted the results and packaged up some samples for the students to take home with them. Thank you Kate! We look forward to your follow up class (title and class description to follow) on April 25th and 26th, 2009.
Posted in Chocolate, Cooking School, Fun for Foodies, Holidays, Things to do in Camden | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008
 Mary Jo and I are excited to announce a new series of cooking classes at the Hartstone Inn with Artisan Chocolatier Kate Shaffer of Black Dinah Chocolatiers. If you are not familiar with her chocolates, you are in for a real treat. Kate’s beautiful hand-crafted chocolates are made here in Maine (on the small island of Isle au Haut) and are inspired by fresh, local ingredients and her love of flavors from the tiny corners of the world.
The first class in the series, “Artisan Chocolate Making for the Holidays,” will be held on Saturday, December 6th, from 2:30-4:30 p.m. or Sunday, December 7th, from 1-3 p.m. in the kitchen at the Hartstone Inn.
Following is a brief outline of the course:
What chocolate should I use? A real quick primer on how to choose chocolate that you like and how to figure out what you like.
¨ tasting chocolate
¨ what’s with those percentages? 
¨ bittersweet, semisweet, milk and white—what’s the dif?
¨ what makes chocolate “real?”
¨ reading and understanding labels
Working with chocolate in the home kitchen
¨ like water for chocolate: how to avoid ruining chocolate and what to do when you do.
¨ using the refrigerator
¨ storing chocolate
What the heck is ganache?
¨ What does it take to be a truffle?
¨ Making ganache and understanding emulsions 
Making holiday chocolate confections
¨ truffles
¨ nut clusters
¨ bark
¨ strawberry tuxedos
¨ cups and bowls
Finishing
¨ packaging and storing
Visit the Black Dinah Chocolatiers online shop on her website for details on her chocolates and to order gifts for the holidays. I guarantee you will be very impressed with her product and presentation. Other classes in the Chocolate Series with Kate will be scheduled soon on our cooking class page on the Hartstone Inn website. Space is limited in each class so sign up soon by calling 1-800-788-4823 or email us at info@hartstoneinn.com.
Posted in Chocolate, Cooking School, Fun for Foodies, Holidays, Things to do in Camden | No Comments »
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