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Archive for the ‘Baking’ Category

Pies on Parade in Rockland Maine for National Pie Day

Saturday, January 1st, 2011

The Hill Team has experienced these pies at all four of the Historic Inns of Rockland. If you want to experience more pies than you can imagine, and bear the cold, Rockland is the place to go. So many flock there to share this event, it one not to miss–especially if you are a New Englander.

Each of the moms of The Berry Manor Inn have their own way of making their pies. Once likes the crust turned over, another crimped in, you get the picture.

However each Inn has delicious pies, both sweet and savory.

The 14th annual Pies on Parade tour is coming up and this year it will be celebrated on National Pie Day (January 23, 2011).  This tour has expanded to include more than 20 venues and over 40 pie varieties.  Look forward to everything from berry and sweet pies to pizza pie, seafood pie and some healthy pies (served at the local spas).  Read on for more information; we hope you will share this with your readers.

www.HistoricInnsofRockland.com

1-877-ROC-INNS (877-762-4667)

For Immediate Release:  November 22, 2010

Contact for questions and high-res photos:  Marti Mayne, 207-846-6331,info@maynelymarketing.com

THE WHOLE TOWN OF ROCKLAND GOES “PIE-WILD”

TO CELEBRATE 2011 NATIONAL PIE DAY

7th Annual Pies on Parade Pie Tour features savory, sweet and healthy pies to help feed Midcoast Maine’s hungry families.

Rockland, ME – Rockland, dubbed “Pie Town USA” by the Food Network when Bobby Flay visited for a pie throwdown, is living up to its name as planning is underway for the 7th annual pie-a-thon to celebrate National Pie Day, celebrated each year on January 23rd.   The whole town of Rockland, ME will go pie-crazy on Sunday, January 23, from 1:00 – 5:00pm when theHistoric Inns of Rockland are joined by Rockland, ME businesses and restaurants to welcome hungry pie eaters to the town for the 7th Annual Pies on Parade Pie Tour.  Along with a wonderful collection of recipes to take home and samples of more than 45 different pies at restaurants and inns throughout Rockland, the inns will offer tours of common areas and some guest rooms.  Tickets for the Pies on Parade Inn-to-Inn Tour are $25 for adults and $10 for children ten and under.  Tickets sell out quickly, are available from participating inns only (not additional participating Rockland businesses), and include a keepsake recipe collection and plenty of pie to sample.  To order tickets in advance, call 1-877-ROC-INNS (877-762-4667) or 596-6611.  This promises to be the biggest pie event in New England.

Never attended a pie tour?  This is not your average pie-in-the-sky event. Move aside Mom’s apple pie, Rockland’s inns and restaurants will serve up everything from Shepherds Pie and a number of gourmet Pizza Pies to sweet and savory Italian Galletes, seafood pies,  Whoopie Pies and the signature Key LimeRock Pie at the LimeRock Inn. Of course, for those who still love the age-old favorites; look for Raspberry and Blueberry pie at the Berry Manor Inn and a newly developed Cranberry Apple Pie at the Granite Inn. Captain Lindsey House will serve their signature Cornish Meat Pasties too. Best of all, fear not the packing on of pie pounds; Rockland businesses have  added healthy pies (yes, there can be such a thing!) to the list. Last year, Rheal Day Spa served a “Not Too Sweet Sweet” Potato Pie (chosen for the antioxidant qualities of sweet potatoes and gluten free) and a Refined Sugar-free, Lavender, Honey & Yogurt Pie, defying all preconceived notions about “pie-ling” on calories from pies! Each of the participating venues will serve both a savory and sweet pie, including a number of unusual gallettes, tarts and quiches too.

To date nearly 20 venues, have signed on and the list is growing.  To illustrate the variety of pies served, here’s a list of the kinds of pies served last year.  Pie makers from these and additional venues are still in the planning stages for the 2011 Pies on Parade Pie Tour:

Pastry Garden: serving Lemon Meringue Tartlets and Spinach Ricotta Pie

Amalfi on the Water: serving Seafood Pie and White Chocolate Mousse Pie

Café Miranda: serving Signature Mojo Pizza Pie

Lily’s Bistro:  serving Potato & Bacon and Peach Tart Tatan

Bricks:  serving Navarro Pizza with Spinach, Chorizo and Mozz and White Chocolate Chip Macaroon Pie

Rheal Day Spa: (Healthy pies) Not too Sweet Potato Pie (gluten free) and Lavender, Honey & Yogurt Pie (no refined sugar)

Berry Manor Inn:  serving Raspberry pie, Blueberry Pie and Savory pies

Captain Lindsey House: Cornish Pasties, Chocolate Silk Pie, Fruit Tarts

LimeRock Inn:  Key LimeRock Pie and Pizza Rustica (Italian Meat) Pie

Granite Inn:  serving Cheesy Breakfast Pie and Cranberry Apple Pie

Waterworks Restaurant:  serving Shepherds Pie and Chocolate Mousse Cake Pie

Rustica:  Sweet and Savory Italian Gallettes

Rockland Café: Mini Whoopie Pies

Brown Bag: serving Mini Quiche and Fruit Tartlets

Thorndike Creamery: Ice cream surprise

Park Street Grille:  Avocado, Chili & Roasted Tortilla Pie and Key Lime Tartlets

Project Puffin Visitor Center: Cream Puffin Pies

Sweets and Meats: serving Apple Walnut Currant and Blue Cheese Pie and Pecan Honey Pie.

Not to be outdone by inns and restaurants, a number of additional Rockland, ME businesses have signed on for the “Pie-rade” including SkinKlinic Day Spa and the Maine Lighthouse Museum.

Proceeds from this event benefit the Area Interfaith Outreach Food Pantry.  With need at an all-time high, your participation becomes all the more important.  Over the past six years, nearly $30,000 has been donated from this event to help provide food for Midcoast families. With this year’s donation, Historic Inns of Rockland expect to make it to the $35,000 total donation mark.

While walking between venues helps to burn calories, All Aboard Trolley will provide trolley service at designated stops, making it more efficient to hit as many pie stops as possible.  Tour goers are encouraged to park at the Lincoln Street Center  for the Arts, chosen for its central location, then walk or catch the trolley to restaurants or inns from there.

Why go home pie-eyed at the end of the event?  The Historic Inns of Rockland suggest a number of different Pie Tour survival tips, including a warning to not drive home under the influence of pie!  The Historic Inns of Rockland have created a Pie Tour package which requires no designated pie tour driver.  Join us in “Pie Town” to celebrate National Pie Day for a two night package (Friday/Saturday or Saturday/Sunday) that includes two nights accommodations at any of the four Historic Inns of Rockland, daily breakfast and

  • Two guaranteed tickets to the biggest pie event in New England
  • Two Personal Pies baked personally for you and presented at the inn
  • A collection of Pie Recipes from participating businesses
  • A 2011 commemorative Pies on Parade Poster
  • A $50 Midcoast Money voucher for dinner on Saturday
  • Top Tips for Surviving the Pie-Fest from Veteran Pie Paraders
  • New for 2011: Two tickets and exclusive tour of Owl’s Head Transportation Museum on Saturday, 1/22 from 1-2:30 where pies will be paired with foreign autos by country of origin
  • Exclusive tour of Audubon’s Project Puffin Center on Saturday, 1/22 from 2:30 – 3:00 pm featuring “Puff (in) Pastry Pies”
  • Invitation to a “Wine and Pie” tasting at the Wine Seller Saturday, from 3:30-5:30 pm with exclusive tasting from 3-3:30 pm for our guests
  • New for 2011: Complimentary access to Maine Lighthouse Museum opening on Sunday, 1/23 at 10am and featuring “Light Pies”

Two-Night Packages range from $345 to $495 single or double occupancy.  Book a 3rd night and get 25% discount.  One night packages are also available for Sunday, Jan 23 only including accommodations, a post-pie tour breakfast, two tickets to the Pie Tour, 2011 commemorative poster, two personally baked pies and the Top Tips for Surviving the Pie-Fest from Veteran Pie Paraders list all for $185-$260 single or double occupancy.

Recognized among the top ten eco-friendly inns in the U.S. by BedandBreakfast.com, and continuing their commitment as Certified Maine Hospitality Environmental Leaders, Historic Inns of Rockland will take the green theme beyond the Key Limerock Pie.  Tourgoers will enjoy pie served with totally natural and biodegradable, fully compostable plates made of all-natural sugar cane stalks and disposable silverware created from bio-based resins and potatoes.  Waste from the event will be composted locally at participating inns.  Wherever possible, pies will be made from locally purchased products.  All proceeds will remain in Rockland to provide food and heating assistance for Midcoast Maine families through the Area Interfaith Outreach Food Pantry.

For pie lovers and those seeking a romantic luxury getaway, there is no better choice for lodging than the Historic Inns of Rockland, a collection of four gracious inns, offering everything from business traveler-friendly to elegant accommodations, including LimeRock Inn, Granite Inn, Berry Manor Inn and Captain Lindsey House. Each distinctly different in their features, the Historic Inns of Rockland will provide the ideal base from which to enjoy Midcoast Maine’s bounty.  For more information about Historic Inns of Rockland, please visit them on the web at www.HistoricInnsofRockland.com, consult each participating inn’s website for more specific pricing and details of this package or call 877-ROC-INNS (877-762-4667) for more information or reservations and to order tickets.

Maralyn D. Hill, President
International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association
Books By Hills Success With Writing Where & What in the World Blog

Interview with Baker and Pastry Maker Kristin F. Simmons

Friday, August 20th, 2010

Are you ready for a baker who will be featured at Harvest on the Harbor in Portland, Maine, Oct. 21-23, 2010. Her exhibits exceptional talent.

Kristin Simmons does custom cakes and pastries. She will be providing the featured dessert at the Perfect Pairing on Friday evening and will also be exhibiting at the Marketplace. I’m sure pleased that we will be attending all the different functions, as they all sound fantastic. Norm and I are looking forward to meeting all the great suppliers that will be participating.

Kristin is a wife, mother, and home chef. She is owner and head baker of Kristin F. Simmons, which was started as a way to bring together all of the passions in her life.

Kristin was trained as a chef first by her father, who had been trained as a cook for a Boy’s Summer Camp. She cooked at home with her sister from the age of five and began selling baked goods at the age of 15. She studied Italian in College and took time to travel abroad. It was in Florence that Kristin attended her first formal Chef training at the Cordon Bleu of Firenze. She learned about Regional Tuscan and Italian cuisine. She brought her expertise home to the Northeast and began supporting herself as a Graduate Student by catering, cake making and baking for a local farmer’s market and a German bakeshop.

Time passed and Kristin’s passion for cuisine and flavor grew. She started a monthly cooking club and recipe exchange during her first pregnancy, and began writing in the Fall of 2008 for the York County Coast Star about her favorite restaurants, home cooks, tools and techniques.

Today she shares her passion with her two daughters, her “little chefs” and her husband. They reside on the Coast of Maine.

On to the interview questions:

Maralyn: What is your favorite recipe and why?

Kristin: Most of the recipes I use are extensions of recipes that I inherited from places I have worked and bakers with whom I have studied. I have made my own additions and changed things to suit my own taste, oven and style here and there. The one recipe that stands out is the one that I feel a deep sense of ownership towards: My Citrus Rosemary Cake.

This is the one recipe that I have developed from scratch and one that I truly enjoy people tasting. I have been heavily influenced by Italian cuisines and olive oil and rosemary cakes are part of that landscape. After living in Italy, I came home and replicated many of the dishes I loved eating while I was there. This cake is a great link between the flavors I enjoy from Italy and the sweetness I adore as an American.

I love seeing people’s delight and surprise when the floral lemony flavors hit their tongue. They consistently say how they would have never thought to put rosemary in a sweet cake. I like that it is unexpected and makes my customers close their eyes for one moment and pause.

Maralyn: What is your favorite ingredient to work with when cooking and why?

Kristin: I love using my neighbor’s fresh eggs. They are large and beautiful to look at in and out of the shell. Their yolks are deep golden and even pink in color. This gives my cakes a beautiful hue and sponge-like, lofty and moist quality.

Maralyn: What is your favorite cooking utensil and why?

Kristin: My Microplane Rasp. It is extremely quick, efficient and makes great citrus zest and chocolate shavings. In the hand, it feels comfortable and it a pleasure to use.

Maralyn: Do you have any tips for those desiring to become a chef/baker/chocolatier?

Kristin: As with any profession or vocation, constant practice and study are crucial. This is true whether it be in school, on the job or in an apprenticeship. You need to be able to say to yourself, “I choose this and therefore, I will learn to work hard and efficiently, sharpen my strengths and learn to delegate when I need to.” I think reading and exposure to new ideas is very important, as well as travels. I love listening and talking with other people and food is the outlet for even the shyest of people to open up. You can connect and learn so much about the world and yourself. My advice is to be open and take risks by allowing yourself the possibility of mistakes from which you can grow.

To discover more about Kristing go to http://www.kristinfsimmons.com/ or Facebook Page.

If you want to check out more details for Harvest on the Harbor go to http://www.harvestontheharbor.com/.

Maralyn D. Hill, President
International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association
Books By Hills Success With Writing Where & What in the World Blog















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