Bacon truffles?

I took my friend Kayt Sukel, a Germany-based freelance writer covering travel and food (She travels with her son Chet and contributes to TravelSavvyMom, check it out, among other places) on a foodie tour of Portland’s East End, yesterday, stopping in at my favorite haunts.

We began with lunch at Duckfat: fries (of course!). Now Kayt’s a worldly traveler, and she thought these among the best she’s ever tasted. “It’s the seasoning,” she said. And I agree. It’s just perfect.In addition,  I had the tomato-fennel soup, Kayt the smoked squash soup special (which she proclaimed I must have the next time it’s on the menu–consider that an in-the- know recommendation).

Next stop, DeansSweets, across the street. We sampled an in-the-testing-stage bacon truffle. Dean thinks it needs more smokiness, perhaps more salt. We agreed on the smokiness, not sure about the salt. Most of Dean’s truffles are not only nut free (actually all are nut free), but also gluten free, which allowed Kayt to buy some for a gluten-sensitive relative who always seems to miss out on the goodies.

Then we perused Rabelais‘ books, where I requested For all the Tea in China, by friend Sarah Rose and due out in March. It’s an industrial espionage story about tea (I kid you not). Should be a good read; watch for it.

Off to Two Cats: Me, a chocolate-chip cookie (of course); Kayt, a whoppie pie.

From there, we waddled off to Micucci‘s, where the line for Stephen’s pizza rivaled that for Duckfat’s fries. I stocked up on some necessities (prosciutto—is this the only place in the state that knows how to slice it?) and purchased some right-of-the-oven luna bread for each of us to take home (love that stuff).

Final tour stop: Homegrown Herb and Tea. I love this li’l place that’s so clearly without either a caffeine or sugar buzz. It exudes good karma. R.E.L.A.X., sip, enjoy, chill. And do order the kava kava January special made with lavendar and coconut milk and cocoa and too many other good tastes. Mmmmm. And home we went, me armed with Bresca blend tea and lavender shortbread and Kayt with a sniffle remedy for a Saturday bride with a red nose. Sarah can whip up a tea for any malady; I swear by her migraine tea.

Chocolates fresh from the farm. Kinda.

Farm fresh is all the rage, with more and more chefs jumping on the farm-to-table wagon. Well, that’s not just limited to restaurant fare. Black Dinah Chocolatiers‘ Farm Market Collection is built on the same premise. “We highlight farms on the Blue Hill Peninsula,” Steve says, describing the ingredients Kate uses in creating the collection’s handcrafted truffles, all made with fresh cream, but without preservatives. “The rhubarb is about to be in, so well have those soon.” That gem blends fresh rhubarb with a touch of cloves and milk chocolate.

Other truffles in the farm collection have included:

• Downeast Sea Breeze, made with fresh and dried cranberries, cranberry vodka, and milk chocolate;

• Chevre and Nib, made with fresh chevre, bittersweet chocolate, and cocoa nibs;

• Maine Mint, combining chocolate mint with bittersweet chocolate;

• Tree to Sea Caramel, with Black Dinah’s own maple sytrup, caramel, bittersweet chocolate, and apple-smoked Maine sea salt (oh, my!).

And there’s also a nice range of fruit-infused truffles, including Wild Raspberry, Strawberry Balsamic, Blueberry Black Pepper, Northern Apple, and—an autumn classic—New England Pie Pumpkin.

Among the farms highlighted in these treats are: Carding Brook Farm, Brooklin; Four SEason Farm, Brooksville; Lazy C Farm, Penobscot; Stoneset Farm, Brookin; Sunset Acres Farm, Brooksville; and Pat & Mike’s Garden, Ellsworth.

The collection began when Steve returned to Isle au Haut from the Stonington Farmers Market with a case of raspberries from Carding Brook Farm. Raspberry truffles were created, and a zest for combining fresh local farm produce with chocolate was ignited.

Other intriguing chocolates that Steve brought to the Rockland Farmers Market were lavendar and ancho chile barks.

Black Dinah Chocolates are available at various Maine farmers markets, including Rockland and Stonington, as well as online, and at the cafe Steve and Kate operate on Isle au Haut (it’s an easy walk from the intown ferry dock, and well worth the effort).

All together now: MMMMMMMMM!

Free chocolate? Say yes to Dean’s Sweets

Here’s a sweet offer: A free hand-dipped, dark chocolate truffle from Dean’sSweets.

Dean’s is attempting to brighten up the tax season. Here’s the deal: Visit Dean’sSweets Middle Street store between now and April 15, mention the Tax Day truffle offer, and one is yours. Free. No purchase necessary (but of course, one is appreciated). No strings attached.

Offer is good for one of any of 18 Dean’sSweets flavors, which include traditional rum, spicy cayenne, Maine maple, blueberry, single-malt Scotch, Tequila lime (oh yeah!), and hot coffee. All Dean’sSweets truffles are made in small batches in Portland. They have neither  preservatives nor nut products.

Go, and do provide a little economic stimulus while there by purchasing at least one other truffle (yeah, like you could avoid doing so, right?).

Sweet news for Dean’s Chocolates fans

I heard the buzz on Portland Psst, then on Portland Food Map: Truffle-maker extraordinaire Dean Bingham, the master behind Dean’s Sweets, is taking his biz out of his home and into a shop in Portland’s emerging foodie neighborhood. Now Dean’s was one of the chocolatiers I raved about when I defined the Maine Coast Chocolate Trail. I am beyond thrilled that his decadent, adult-oriented, dark chocolate creations will be available regularly in a retail shop.

I fired off a quick note to Dean, who I met at a food festival in Rockport, and requested the details. Plans are to open this Saturday, Nov. 22. The shop is located at 82 Middle St., between Rabelais (the foodie book emporium) and Pepperclub (which doubles as The Good Egg in the morning; perhaps go for brunch before the opening?).

To celebrate the opening, Rabelais is offering 15% off its entire stock (Hello, Santa!). Says Dean: “We’re hoping for a few friends to show up for a ‘soft opening’. They’re hoping for a mob. Maybe something in between…” He cautions that the shop isn’t anywhere near completed, but will be operational.

So now, Market Street, between Franklin and India, is home to: Hugo’s, Pepperclub, Duckfat, Rabelais, Ribolitta, Norm’s East End BBQ, and Dean’s. Add in India Street, and the choices expand: Miccuci’s, Two Fat Cats Bakery, Coffee By Design,  Amato’s, and, well you get the idea.

Chocolates! A Maine island! Maine island made chocolates!

While I’m on the topic of great finds in remote places (see Grand Lake Stream, below), let me introduce you to Kate and Steve Shaffer’s Black Dinah Chocolatiers. You can find these luscious truffles at the Stonington Farmers Market, held at the Community Center on Friday mornings (hint: this is a fabulous farmers market and one of the busiest in the state, so it’s wise to be there when it opens at 10 a.m.).

Better yet, go to Isle au Haut to visit the Black Dinah Cafe in person. Take the mailboat from Stonington, get off “downtown” (as opposed to the park, if you’re on that boat), then walk just shy of a mile to the shop/cafe. Besides the chocolates, there are muffins and other pastries for breakfast and two lunch choices:  biscuits with cheddar cheese, tomatoes, red onions and herbs or a schmmolie, a soft sandwich style bread stuffed with feta, artichokes, roasted red peppers and kalamata olives. Kate makes everything from scratch, using local and mostly organic ingredients. If by some weird chance you’ve schlepped your laptop over to the island, there’s even free Wifi here.

But about those hand-crafted truffles. They come in a lucky 13 varities, in milk chocolate, dark chocolate and caramels. Kate’s degree in English lit shows in the dark chocolate truffle “Gonne, Maude,” named for Yeats’ unrequited love.

Given that you’re on Isle au Haut, home to a remote section of Acadia National Park, go ahead, chow down. Then hike. If you time your boat trips, you can arrive intown, then walk or hike your way down to Duck Harbor boat ramp for the late afternoon boat. But don’t miss it. Besides the park’s five lean-to campsites, which require advance reservations, there only one inn on the island, the Inn at Isle au Haut, and that too requires advance notice (It’s pricey, but includes all meals and pick-up at the dock).