50 Things to Eat series [16-20]

Different format for this installation (previous ones are from earlier this month and last). I got a book at the office today: Fresh From Maine: Recipes and Stories from the State's Best Chefs (Table Arts Media), by Michael S. Sanders with photography by Russell French.  The book highlights meals, recipes, and food philosophies from 20 restaurants (and chefs) up and down the coast. Bar Lola, Caiola's, Cinque Terre, five fifty five, Fore Street, Hugo's, and the Old Port Sea Grill are all featured in the section that covers Portland. 

I flipped through the book (warning: do not attempt before lunch) and chose five recipes that I want to try to make myself. There are several others that are intruiging but strike me as restaurant-only meals -- dishes that I know someone else would prepare better than I could. And there are still a few more that sound delicious, but are certainly better suited as fall or winter meals (Town Hill Bistro's Rustic gnocchi with winter sauce, or the cabernet-poached pears stuffed with cranberry blue cheese from Mache Bistro). 

When I make my attempts, I'll post pics/results.

• Roasted pepper shrimp saute, from Josh Mather at Joshua's Restuarant in Kittery. With grilled baguette to sop up the brothy sauce.  
• Brandade with oil-cured olives, orange, and crostini, from Abby Harmon at Caiola's. Okay, so this is technically a wintry ecipe -- brandade is a pureed combination of salt cod, mashed potatoes, olive oil, cream, and garlic that's often described as cold-weather comfort food. But it sounds SO GOOD.
• Scallops in Vermouth with mushroom couscous risotto, from Chris Bassett at Freeport's Azure Cafe. Another creamy recipe...Tied for Fresh From Maine's most mouth-watering seafood recipe with Fore Street's roasted Maine lobster with wild mushrooms, and the Old Port Sea Grill's spicy haddock and corn cakes.
  
• Corn Soup with cilantro-pumpkin seed pesto, from the chefs at El Camino in Brunswick. Light, spicy, and not creamy -- a good summer soup, it appears. 
• For dessert...Panna Cotta with raspberry sauce a la Caiola's?...Fore Street's Goat cheesecake (switch out the cranberry sauce for a more summery berry sauce)?...Town Hill Bistro's Tiramisu, with berries?