Whoopee Pies Part 2

The ultimate whoopee pie taste testing could take just about forever. Considering that the most likely place to find The Real Whoopee Pie is beside the cash register in a convenience store or gas station, the search as well as the eating could take a bit of time.

With that in mind, I stopped at the Eggemoggin Country Store . Eggemoggin has its own bakery and turns out the sweeties every day. I love their molasses ginger cookies and the date squares. It took me three separate stops to find the whoopees actually in the bake display case. Probably I was too early in the morning -- donuts are on the menu then, selling out by 10:30am or so. We bought three donuts a couple of weeks ago to sample -- they were very pretty and BIG, but so heavy we couldn't finish them and fed them to the birds. Though we wondered if the birds could fly after eating...

Here's the Eggemoggin version of the whoopee:

If you think this whoopee looks a little strange, sort of like a drunken toadstool, you are right. Believe it or not, you can now buy a PAN specifically dedicated to whoopee cake baking. It's like a big flat cupcake pan, and called a 12-Cavity Whoopee Pie Pan. I do not think that the manufacturer sees the irony in having "cavity" in the pan name.

Now, this starts right off with a cheat. The whoopee pie bun batter should be rather dense and able to hold its rounded shape without a pan with sides. To use a molded pan implies a looser batter that needs to be contained like a cake, and that is what this whoopee seems to have had. It results in a bun that has a spongier bite, rather than the drier, breadier version that is traditional. Maybe it was from a cake mix? Possible, with the pan. Plus, the resultant shape (drunken toadstool) is just not esthetically pleasing, and the touch is stickier, somewhat gluey. See the crumb stuck to the plate below?

One really should never complain about a whoopee pie. Even the bad one are lick-your-fingers good. And so is this one. But I'd like less of the frosting filling and a traditional drier bun. Interestingly, I had on the counter the remains of the Frank's Bakery whoopee that I wrote about earlier, and I found myself eating away at it rather than the Eggemoggin one, even though it was a day older, had ridden all over the state of Maine, and was somewhat squashed. Frank rules.

 

Okay, just one more, this one from The Galley (same owner as Burnt Cove, same, though less, inventory). This one, the Classic Wicked Whoopie, was made by Amy at Isamax Snacks in Gardiner, Maine, who also made the maple whoopie my niece gave out at her wedding. (Nice touch, Julia!)

Now, this time I remembered to take a picture of the ingredients label, though it is so small that it was essentially unreadable, maybe on purpose:

Sorry, folks, but that is a lot more than flour, sugar, crisco and cocoa.  Remember that these whoopie's need to sit on the shelf for who knows how long.

Okay, my first thought is "That is a LOT of filling." I was right.  However, no drunken toadstool look, and clearly no use of the dreaded 12-Cavity Whoopee Pie Pan. Those cookies hold their shape.

Taste test: Fudgy, chocolate-y, drier than the Eggemoggin, but not the nice bready tooth that the Frank's Bakery had. Way too much filling. And a vaguely chemically taste, I swear I was not influenced by trying to read all that fine print on the label.

Interesting that the Frank's whoopee was the least fudgy, the driest, but tasted the most authentic. Since Franks probably makes theirs every day, even with riding it around Maine all day in the car, it was still the best of the lot, even the next day. No ingredients label, but I suspect just the honest flour, sugar, Crisco and cocoa.

The lesson (so far): The best is probably the freshest and without all the chemical preservatives and long shelf life. If you are going to be bad and chow down on a whoopee, try getting the freshest one you can, from a baker you can trust.

But they are all good.

Do you know what a MOOC is?

I lived on Deer Isle full time for ten years. I am a Maine native, from Aroostook County, and I know cold and isolation well. Much about living on Deer Isle in the off season is wonderful. In fact, I still say that July and August are my least favorite months, and the day after Labor Day my favorite, when the traffic suddenly thins and I see people who have been busy making a living and entertaining summer visitors for the past couple of months.

It's hard to believe, but when I moved away in the early 1990's (I got a taste of how nice Florida was in the winter after my parents retired there), I had never sent an email and the Internet was just a rumor. Even though I had bought one of the first Macintosh's in 1982 and thus became computer literate, it took moving to Tallahassee and Freenet there to first get online (SLOOOOW dial-up, all text driven, hard to imagine now).

Even more than the connectivity to others and the world that email and the Net affords, beyond Amazon and online shopping (the UPS truck knows my driveway by heart), not to mention online dating (I met my husband Drew on Match.com in 1998), the most recent innovation is nothing short of miraculous. Yet few still seem to know about MOOC's. Do you?

MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Courses. Coursera.org is the major player in the field, with Edx.org (with the really big name universities like Harvard and MIT) is a strong second place. See one of Coursera's founders Daphne Koller talk about MOOC's in this TED talk.

Essentially, MOOC's offer real college and university courses, in somewhat real time (the lectures are recorded, but there is a real beginning and end to the course) with assignments, chat forums, etc. And get this: They are completely FREE. That's right, free. The courses are open to anyone in the world with computer and Internet access. The first course I took had 180,000 students world-wide sign up. Now, the drop out rate is high, for various reasons, but imagine the results if only 10% finish! The MOOC's are trying to figure out how to give people real credit for the courses, that will come fast. But for the time being, access to top level courses and material, for FREE, is unbelievable.

I have taken so far: A History of the World since 1300,  A Beginner's Guide to Irrational Behavior, The Modern and the Postmodern, Design: Creation of Artifacts in Society, Introduction to Art: Concepts & Techniques.  Right now, Drew and I are both taking The Science of Gastronomy.  The instructor is from University of Hong Kong.

Now, when I say "took," what I mean is that I watched all the lectures and did the readings. I did not do all the assignments or take all the quizzes or tests. But that is okay, it was all I wanted. Like auditing a course without having to drive to campus, find a place to park, and sit in a crowded class with a bunch of undergraduates who were struggling to stay awake.

What a difference living in island isolation would have been with MOOC's.

The Maine State Dessert -- Whoopie Pies

It used to be that if you knew what a whoopie pie (or whoopee pies -- both spellings work) was, you came from Maine, Massachusetts or Pennsylvania. Ever since Oprah declared whoopie pies one of her favorite things, you see whoopie pies everywhere. The traditional pie is chocolate with a white sugary filling, but nowadays, you see every possible combination. Red velvet (a Southern bastardization), pumpkin, orange, strawberry. But for the true whoopie pie lover, chocolate and white is the only way to go.

When I was growing up, you could find whoopie pies in any corner grocery or gas station. You were really lucky (and popular) if your mother made them. It's not hard to find recipes, but why go to all the trouble when it is so easy now to find them? Plus, they are so rich and fattening and delicious that it is not a good idea to have more than one around at a time.

Last week we went to my niece Julia's wedding in New Hampshire. Julia filled the reception with many creative touches, but the best was the pile of wrapped whoopie pies to pick up when leaving. We got two:

Yum. We were hungry that night, so opened one up to snack -- and it was MAPLE, not chocolate! Well, we were in New Hampshire, after all, so maple fit, but for a true whoopie lover, nothing will do but chocolate.

So I decided to do a whoopie taste test. You get the benefit.

Here's the first in what will probably be a long line, right off the shelf of the Burnt Cove Market here on Deer Isle:

Now, this photo is upside down and I apologize, but if you stand on your head you will see it is from Steve's Snack Bakery .  The bakery seems to be in Skowhegan, and no place is more Maine than that (Margaret Chase Smith was from Skowhegan -- google her).  Steve makes TWELVE different flavors of whoopie pies -- one of them maple. I had to paw through the pile to find the classic chocolate and white.  Here it is sliced:

All too often there is too much of the white sugary filling, but Steve has it just right. And the cake is plump, dark chocolate-y. The whole is very tasty, fudge-y, moist (even after sitting around on a grocery shelf for who knows how long?), and altogether yummy. But there is something just intrinsically wrong with a manufactured whoopie pie, and the label speaks to the problem, a long list of additives beyond the flour, sugar and Crisco (the basic three food groups in Maine). Sheesh.

OK. So yesterday I was in Bangor and stopped at Frank's Bakery on State Street. Frank's has been around forever, and I will write about his donuts later, but suffice it to say that if Mainer's love it and it is sweet, Frank makes it. Here is Frank's whoopie, after riding around in the car all day:

Not so dark chocolatey as the Steve's version, thinner cakes (but they HAD been in the car all day). Taste test: the cake is drier, not so intensely chocolate, a bit more filling vs: cake. Taste good. But the best part, is that because it was fresh from a bakery, we can assume (hopefully) that the ingredients are fresh and wholesome, at least as wholesome as flour, sugar, cocoa and Crisco can be. No label, no additives, right?

The verdict: The Frank's is first choice, because of the freshness and lack of additives (hopefully if it had had a label, none would be listed). But the Steve's is a worthy contender, despite the label. PS Another "fact" from the label: Calories 390.

Martha's Diner and a Half Benedict

My chum Bill told me about Martha's Diner in Ellsworth, and when I asked people about it, they said "Oh yeah." Since Martha's is in a little old strip mall right next door to Reny's (one of my favorite Ellsworth stops, that and Marden's), it was an easy choice for a late breakfast. Martha's a modest looking establishment and looks like it has been around awhile.

There's a dining room and a counter section. Both definitely court a diner-like atmosphere.

I was by myself this trip -- my usual photographer husband was away -- so I took a bit of a risk and sat at the counter which I practically never do.

And I struck it lucky. I sat down next to a regular named Tim.

Tim said right off that I had sat in the right place, in front of the action. I asked him if he came here often, and he said "Not much. Only twenty or thirty times." Love that Maine understatement. Things were busy in the open kitchen behind the counter, but Tim said it was quieter than usual because Martha and her husband were taking an infrequent vacation. Martha is known for loudly greeting customers when they walk in the door. The staff all knew their roles (regulars get their favorites without having to ask) and were cooking like crazy. Usual waitress Marinka was behind the cash register:

The menu was huge, two full pages of breakfast selections, and then one more for lunch. Almost all items were under $10. Charlie had french toast with strawberries and whipped cream, with a side of corned beef hash:

I struggled to find something that wouldn't put me into sugar or fat shock and settled on the Half Benedict -- eggs Benedict, with a single egg rather than two. The English muffin was toasted on the grill -- why do they taste so wonderfully different when they are cooked that way? That pink stuff at the upper left was an inch think hunk of ham -- I had to slide it out from under the egg to get into small enough pieces to tackle.

Marinka told me that Martha was the only one around still boiling fresh potatoes for hash browns, that most used frozen ones. I am pretty sure though that Jill at Millbrook does fresh, click here to see her frying up a mess.

Don't go to Martha's if you want fruit and yogurt or granola, and don't look for vegan style smoothies. But if you want diner food in a folksy place that has a loyal following, give Martha's a try.

And the best for last -- here's my check, for a Half Benedict and big cup of coffee:

A deal.

We go to the Deer Isle Farmers' Market

Just last year, or maybe two years ago, the Deer Isle Farmers' Market was a pretty pitiful operation with just two or three lonely vendors. My, how things have changed!

Wednesday mornings 9:30 - 11:30am, in the old elementary school parking lot next to the Town Offices, there are now close to 20 booths. The Stonington Farmers' Market, one of the largest in the state, probably has at least twice, maybe three times the booths, but it feels ten times as crowded and crazy. Give me the Deer Isle Market any day of the week. Well, Wednesday morning anyway.

We went last week, and there was such a nice feel, easy and pleasant to browse and shop. The only real line -- and probably the biggest reason for the sudden growth and success -- was for Elliott Coleman's Four Season Farm booth (that's me on the left talking to my friend Christine who really knows quality and value):

Anyone who has been around the area for very long knows about the Four Seasons Farm. I will probably write about them soon, but suffice it to say, Elliott has a very long and interesting history in the area and grows the best produce imaginable -- year around. A story in itself. The Four Seasons farm wagon  goes only to two other Farmers' Markets, so Deer Isle is fortunate indeed to be one of them.

Using the task of buying a meal to organize our trip to this market, here is what we bought:

 From the center, the half slab of BBQ ribs from Nostrano:

Owner Frank Pendola comes over from Town Hill on Mount Desert, pulling that very impressive smoker. I love it that the smoke is puffing out the chimney and there is something intgeresting to see as well as buy, a stylish operation. The ribs were absolutely delicious, very juicy (too dry can be a problem with ribs) and the sauce, well, I had never tasted anything like it. I asked Frank what made the mysterious vanilla or sweet grass under taste. Other than suggestion I read the ingredients on the label, he would not say. A full slab of ribs is $20. We buy a lot of ribs when we are in the south, so I know the price is reasonable, and the taste, well, perfect.

Cucumbers were from Four Seasons, $2.50. Anything from the Four Season cart would be the best, and these were. A little high, but always worth it.

The bag of Sesame Wheat Crackers and the loaf of focaccia were from the Bread Box Bakery:

This lady comes down from Orland with a slew of delicious baked stuff:

Her prices seemed very reasonable, particularly the crackers. In an earlier post, I wrote about some WAY overpriced crackers that would have been $30 for a pound. These crackers at $5 for 8 ounces were one third the price.

The curly green things at the top of "what we bought" photo are garlic scapes, a bag of them  for $3 from the lovely couple at Living Roots Farm (also at the Brooksville market):

I had a nice discussion with co-owner Travis about prices. He and his partner Arika try to keep prices reasonable, and they seemed to be. Seems like I remember last year seeing scapes selling for $1 EACH. At that price, I got about $15 worth of scapes for $3.

For dessert, I bought a quart of strawberries for $5 from the Long Cove Farm stand. They were delish and I have not seen any cheaper than $5. $5.50 - $5.99 is more usual.

Total spent: $33.50. We had the results for dinner, and since there were leftovers of everything, let's say the real price of the meal was half the total: $16.75. All local, all fabulous. And the experience of the whole market, very nice. Can't beat the commute: it is the closest one to where we live in Sunset.

Lobster Trap Furniture -- Funky!

Our snail mail address is Sunset. The post office used to be one of the smallest imaginable. In "you can find anything on the Internet" spirit, here's a very old postcard:

The placement of the P. O. here, on the right, is not as I remember, so it must have been moved at some point, across the road. A few years ago, it moved again, to the Historical Society:

Even in this incarnation, it is double the size that I remember from the 1970's.

Anyway, this is not about the Sunset Post Office, but about what I noticed this summer on my trips to get the mail. Right in the hall outside the Post Office lobby were these oddly appealing chairs:

Then I saw one in front of the Grasshopper Shop in Ellsworth, and then again on the deck at Pilgrim's Inn on Deer Isle. They are so CUTE! Obviously made of the same coated wire mesh as lobster traps, they have woven pot heads underneath and bait bags on the arms to put your beer or cocktails in! My father loved anything to do with the Maine coast, and proudly acquired a coffee table made of an old fashioned lobster trap. This is the new-fangled version.

The only identifier was a tag for Island Approaches in Stonington, so I made a trip down and talked to two very nice, very Maine ladies who worked in the store. They couldn't tell me much, but the chairs are made by "some fisherman in Scarborough." He's out fishing now, so they won't get any more this summer, and they are selling fast.

These are so original, I just love them! They even come in a delicious array of colors (black, green, yellow, blue, lime, grey, and white, with twine for the bait bags in yellow, orange and blue). The one problem is that they are not so comfortable to sit in. But I am eying one of the little tables (sorry, there weren't any for me to get a photo of), maybe in lime with blue twine? What do you think?