Delightful Dinner

A dinner spread Photo by Susan Portnoy

Poached salmon; tri-color quinoa with seared clementines and fennel; red and yellow bell pepper and mango salsa; seared Swiss chard, roasted cauliflower, and roasted golden beets

Sail, Cook, and Eat – a Winning Combination

“The food!” It’s one of the most common reasons we hear folks sail the Riggin. They aren’t wrong. The food that Chef Annie is able to turn out on her Cottage Crawford wood burning stove is pretty incredible. 

This summer you can join one of several Maine Food Cruise – Cooking with Annie trips and learn how to up your cooking game and turn out your own delicious meals at home. Immerse yourself in the natural bounty of land and sea with spectacular scenery and savory substance gathered from Chef Annie’s own garden, local farms and farmers markets. It’s the perfect blend of relaxation, cooking, laughing, entertainment, and of course eating.

 

Come savor the taste of Maine and cook alongside Annie. Prepare creative comfort food cooked with fire and passion. Learn from Chef Annie’s 30 years of experience and take-in practical culinary ideas, tips and Annie’s secrets to building flavor, improvising with ingredients you have available, and utilizing different herbs and flowers you can grow yourself to make creative dishes at home. All menus will showcase Annie’s love for seasonal and quality ingredients. 

Topics covered this sailing season will include:

  • Breads – to knead or not to knead, sourdough or quick breads, baguette or stirata, the world of bread is big and the options are many.
  • Soups, Stews, and Sauces – from stock to pistou, we’ll talk about how to make super tasty and healthy soups, stews, and sauces and then sample them for lunch or for dinner.
  • Eat Your Greens – how to combine veggies, what to do to make them interesting, and how to preserve them if you just have too darn much to use in a week’s time.
  • Pasta – from Lobster and Parmesan Ravioli to traditional German spaetzle, fresh pasta is a special way to make a meal shine and Annie makes them all.
  • Leftovers and Other Unmentionables – for some, leftovers have a bad reputation, but in Annie’s galley, they just spell flavor. Learn how to cook creatively with what you had rather than always using a recipe. Leftovers will become the workhorse of your kitchen.
  • Cooking with Wood and Flame – backyard wood-fired clay ovens are joining backyard barbecue as a delicious way to add flavor to our meals.  Whether it’s a wood stove like our grandmothers used or a grill that we cook over today, learning to use flame and wood heat well is another tool to add to your cooking arsenal.
  • Open Mic –  Let’s talk food and play together over our meals.  Join Annie in the morning as she creates the meal plan for the day. Ask questions and find answers to what you want to know?

Maine Food Cruise by Ben Krebs

 

Cooking with the Annies Cruise

As an added bonus, for one exclusive trip this year, we will be cooking the books. The cookbooks, that is. Joining our own Annie M., will be Annie C., Annie Copps, that is. Annie C is the former food editor of Yankee Magazine, PBS Food, and who named the Riggin one of the top 10 places to have “Dinner with a View”. She just so happens to be a cookbook author as well and is celebrating the release of her newest book,  The Little Local Maine Cookbook 

Annie will be on board August 18 to 20th and the Annies will be cooking up a storm, sharing stories, cooking demos, kitchen tips, and lots of delicious food.  They will be cooking out of each other’s books – recipes such as Annie C’s delicious Tourtiere, Lobster Rolls (the correct and traditional way, thank you very much), and Blueberry Boy Bait and Annie M’s Roast Pork Loin with Brandy Cream Sauce, Oysters Mignonette, and Lemon Berry Tartlet.

Your three days on board will be packed with lectures, pristine scenery, exciting sailing, and all the time you could want down in the galley with both of the Annies.  Our meals will be centered around what’s locally available for ingredients and all of the wonderful recipes these two fabulous chefs have created for their many fans. Book your space on the Cooking with the Annies here.