If you’re tired of the same old highfalutin line-up of coffee-table cookbooks, Food Network bravura and the ad nauseam of small-plate cuisine, a regional community cookbook is often the antidote — giving home-cooking its due.
Usually these books are the musings of church groups, social organizations, clubs and the like. They can be charming collections filled with heirloom family recipes.
Of local interest ( at least to some) is the newly published book, “Summer Food,” a compilation of recipes by the members of the Tarratine Club of Dark Harbor, the social beehive of the centuries-old summer colony on Islesboro Island, 3 miles off the coast of Lincolnville.
Dark Harbor, which is on the southern half of the island, is worlds apart from the north end. That’s where the “up-islanders” liv3 — the service population of caretakers, plumbers, electricians, landscapers and fishermen — who cater to such esteemed summer locals as John Travolta who demands round-the-clock tending (apparently he likes hamburgers at midnight) to Kristie Alley, whose house is a kaleidoscope of pastels, cellular titan John MacCaw whose yacht in the harbor gets bigger each year and the flurry of old-guard names with their old-money nest eggs and social register calling cards.
Waiting for Islesboro ferry at Lincolnville; arriving at Gilkey Harbor
Summer cottages along the Gold Coast, Dark Harbor
Many moons ago I used to spend summers on the island and knew many of the local gentry. But I haven’t been there in a few years until a good friend, a long-time summer resident, invited me for Labor Day Weekend.
I had read about the cookbook in an amusing article written by food historian Sandy Oliver, who lives on the island. Sadly she didn’t contribute any recipes because she’s not a club member.
Some island cottages include the “Williamson Cottage,” a fine example of the Shingle Style by noted architect Fred Savage; cover of Summer Food; “Drexel Cottage,” John Travolta’s cottage on Islesboro
After getting off the ferry, I stopped at Artisan Books and Bindery to get my copy of the book. The shop, owned by noted book dealer Craig Olsen, is an anomaly right in the tiny enclave of Dark Harbor Village. The rest of the village retail includes the popular Dark Harbor Shop, now closed for the season, a real estate brokerage office and a fancy-wares gift shop.
As a food haven, however, Islesboro is lacking — unlike North Haven, Chebeague or Islesford islands that have either notable restaurants or productive farming communities.
Other than club dining (which is very good) and active lobstering, there are no restaurants or much farming. One exception is the Island Market, the little grocery store owned by Shake and Loony, who keep islanders well fed. Loony is a wonderful baker whose pies, cakes and pastries are in high demand as are her legendary chicken and lobster pot pies. Some of her specialties, including her amazing chocolate sauce, are available mail order from her website, Loony’s Luscious Foods.
Still you won’t go totally hungry on Islesboro. Later that night at the Golf Club dining room I had a spectacular dinner, starting with a tomato crab bisque that was all luscious butter, cream, tomato and crab followed by rack of lamb and a chocolate bombe. It’s still a very old-fashioned establishment where jacket and tie for men is preferred and ladies generally have on at least one piece of important jewelry.
“Tiffany Cottage” one of the great Dark Harbor summer cottages
I spent Sunday afternoon reading “Summer Food.” What was most interesting were the head notes to each recipe, often lovely musings on the way life used to be. Many of the entries were from the children now grown. They remain keepers of the flame, with fond remembrances of family meals, picnics, sailing trips and other summertime recollections. Such recipes as Granny Aldrich’s Killer Daiquiris, industrialist Douglas Dillon’s salad dressing or socialite KK Auchincloss’s scrambled eggs (adding an ice cube is the secret ingredient) and peanut butter hors d’oeuvres (peanut butter on toast with crumbled bacon). One of the more amusing anecdotes was Virginia Guest Valentine’s recollection of mother Lily Guest’s Sunday Night Supper — Shredded Wheat with honey and heavy cream or a baked potato with an egg on top.
Reading Summer Food on the porch, the “Charles Pratt Cottage (East-West)”
Though there are some really great recipes, from Andrew Allen’s Roast Chicken with Sage to southerner Sandra Kramer’s Louisiana Gumbo, to Kim Hall’s easy Lemon Mussels, the best, most interesting to me were the very old-fashioned desserts (well I like sweets!). These were recipes from the islanders who worked as maids and family cooks in the summer. Phillip Ladd, for instance, recalls his grandparents Mercer and Dudley Howe whose cook of many years, Lily O’Reilly, made these wonderful codfish balls for Sunday breakfast with baked beans, peeled sliced tomatoes in French dressing, poached eggs and toast.
Of the dessert offerings one that caught my attention was the Blueberry Cobbler contributed by long-standing Dark Harbor resident, Liberty Redmond. It was a recipe from her cook, Anne Smith, whose husband “big Les” is an Islesboro lobsterman.
My adaptation of Liberty Redmond’s Blueberry Cobbler, created by her cook, Anne Smith
The berries are covered by a cake-like batter with the final addition of sugared boiled water poured over the top. I’ve come across this style of cobbler in southern cookbooks but never a New England version. The result is a luscious filling under a cake-like batter with a crunchy candylike topping made from the boiling water mixture. I love cobblers, and this is one of the best I’ve had.
Blueberry Cobbler
I’ve made a few minor changes, mostly in procedure and clarifying some of the steps. Serve it with ice cream or whipped cream and you’re in for a treat.
Serve vanilla ice cream or whipped cream with this delicious blueberry cobbler
Servings: 6 to 8
I pint (about 2 cups) Wild Maine blueberries
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
1 egg, beaten
1 cup flour
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup boiling water
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Butter an 8-inch square baking dish. Spread the blueberries in the dish.
In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the butter with 3/4 cup of the sugar. In a medium size bowl sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Add the egg to the creamed butter and beat until thoroughly combined.
With a wooden spoon stir and fold in the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Spread this over the blueberries.
Add the remaining sugar and cornstarch to a large glass measure or bowl and stir in the boiling water until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved. Pour this slowly over the blueberry mixture.
Put the dish on a baking sheet and bake for about 40 to 45 minutes until the top is set, lightly browned and the filling is bubbly underneath.
Allow the cobbler to rest for about 15 minutes before serving and spoon onto dessert dishes. Top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.