That’s right, we’re coming out with a cookbook — our third in fact!
The first edition was written by Captain Noah’s mom, Ellen Barnes, in the era when she and husband Ken captained the Taber.
As a woman of many talents, she also worked edible wonders down in the ship’s galley, bringing up stews, chowders, appetizers, quiches, pies, and cakes. Sailing guests came back just for her dishes, so a book of recipes was inevitable. Thus was born “A Taste of the Taber: Classical Maine Coastal Cooking.” (Let’s not leave Ken out; he illustrated the book!)
The cookbook that started it all, “A Taste of the Taber”. Photo: Laura Narhi
The second collection of recipes came with wine pairings and a cheese guide. Photo: Laura Narhi
Later came “Taste of the Taber, Wine Trip Edition,” written by our dear galley chef at the time Aimee LePage. By now, Captains Ken and Ellen had retired and son Noah had taken over the helm.
Luckily for our guests, his wife Jane had brought to the table an extensive career in hospitality and fine wines, hence our specialty wine trips and, to the cookbook, the addition of wine pairings. The cheese guide we can thank Captain Noah for.
The Anna Edition
Our newest collection of recipes will feature our much-loved chef Anna Miller. We first lured her onto the Taber, and during her four years as galley chef, her efforts helped to develop the Taber into the well-known culinary travel destination that it is today.
This woman can do it all. Photo: Nadra Edgerley.
Anna making fresh pasta. On a sailboat!
By the time we decided to increase our schooner ownership by 100%, with the purchase of Ladona, we knew we wanted Chef Anna to take the culinary reigns. A reprint of the wine trip edition, this time featuring Anna’s recipe’s, is a moment that we know many of our guests have been waiting for!
While we wait for the pages to go to press, here’s a recipe for you to try out in your own kitchen.
This blueberry buckle will easily earn you a Neighbor of the Year award.
Recipe for Blueberry Buckle
by Anna Miller
Serves 12
This is a bit time consuming but well worth it! The textures are great- pie crust on bottom, cake in middle and blueberry crumble on top. It’s a great breakfast treat when I am able to use the delightfully tart Maine Wild Blueberries that are in season in July.
A glass baking dish will take 15 minutes less to bake than metal.
Ingredients
For crust
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
1 stick cold salted butter, cut into bits
2 large egg yolks
2 T heavy cream
For streusel topping
2 cups sugar
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 t cinnamon
2 sticks (1 cup) cold salted butter, cut into bits
For filling
2 cups all-purpose flour
6 T sugar
1 T baking powder
1/8 t salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter softened
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
2 t vanilla
5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
Make crust
Whisk together flour and sugar in a large bowl. Blend in salted butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Beat together yolks and stir into flour mixture until combined well.
Gently knead mixture in a bowl with floured hands just until a dough forms.
Unwrap dough and roll out between 2 sheets of wax paper into a 16 X 12 inch rectangle. Remove top sheet of wax paper and invert dough onto bottom and 1 ½ inches up side of a 13 X 9X 3 inch baking pan.
Make streusel topping
Whisk together sugar, flour and cinnamon in a large bowl. Blend in salted butter with your fingertips or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps, then chill until ready to use.
Make filling
Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Blend in salted butter with your fingertips or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal with some rough pea-size butter lumps. Beat together yolks, buttermilk and vanilla with a fork and stir into flour mixture until combined well. Batter will be very thick.
Peel off and discard wax paper from dough in baking pan and arrange half of blueberries over dough in 1 layer. Spread batter as evenly as possible on top of blueberries, then top with remaining blueberries.
Sprinkle with streusel topping and bake 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake until top is golden, 45 minutes to 1 hour more. Cool in pan on a rack 15 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.
Deckhand Pepper and Oscar reaping the rewards. Yum!