EAT FEATURE-February Special Wedding Issue 2012
Photographs by Kristin Teig

Taste is a wonderful sense. 
Flavors trigger memories, put smiles on faces, inspire travel, and make falling in love or joining in marriage that much more delicious. But taste alone does not make an incredible meal. There are magical properties in the bouquet of a wine or a bouquet of flowers in a bride’s hand, in the feel of genuine silverware, buttery soft napkins, the bubbles in champagne. The following pages are filled with inspiration brought to you by three top Maine caterers. While poring through this special wedding edition of Eat, we encourage you to indulge all five senses. It’s clear that they did.

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Earthly Delights By Leslie Oster, Aurora Provisions        

This menu is about experiencing autumn on a farm. It is about picking garnishes from the herb garden, finding the perfect gold and Chioggia beets, and chasing chickens. We wanted to bring out the inherent beauty in the browning of the leaves, the dried sheaths of amaranth, and the last little green shoots popping up to meet the receding sunlight. Upon this earthy foundation we added rich, evocative layers—chandeliers, sheepskins, antique heirloom china. The menu mimics this multifaceted look with tastes that range from perfectly roasted chicken to the sensual pop of caviar atop a fragrant corn madeleine to chocolate-rum buttercream enhanced by some lovely Madeira.

 

Aurora Provisions

Hors d’Oeuvres
Fresh figs with Gorgonzola dolce and crispy prosciutto
Butternut squash tartlets
Sweet corn madeleines with Spoonbill caviar and crème fraiche
Wine: Montlouis Brut, Francoise Chidaine

Salad
Layered colored beet and herbed goat cheese terrine with microgreens and basil oil
Wine: Villager White, Oyster River Wine Growers

First Course
Saffron mussels with fennel and aioli croutons
Wine: Petit Chablis 2008, Gueguen

Entrée
Herb-marinated roasted poussin
Pommes Anna
Farm beans with tarragon and summer savory butter
Wine: Chambolle-Musigny 2009, Joseph Drouhin

Dessert
Artisanal local cheeses
Normandy heritage apple tart
Austrian hazelnut wedding torte with chocolate-rum buttercream
Wine: Madeira, Rare Historic Series, Boston Bual

 

Vendors:

Catering, Concept Design + Styling: Aurora Provisions

Additional Design Consulting: Brett Johnson at Maine Street Design Co.

Bread: Standard Baking

Chandeliers: Ambience Lighting

Cheese: Echo Ridge Creamery

Original Artwork: Lisa Pixley

Owner/Designer of Aurora Provisions: Marika Kuzma

Produce: Broadturn Farm, Dandelion Spring Farm, Laughing Stock Farm 

Rentals: Leavitt + Parris, New England Country Rentals

Venue, Floral Design, Protein + Vegetables: Broadturn Farm

Wine: Dreyfus, Ashby + Company, Easterly Wine Company, South Portland Wine Company

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Mediterranean Maine

By Anastasia Glassman, Swan’s Way

In late summer or early fall, local Maine foods lend themselves beautifully to a rustic Mediterranean meal. Frutti di mare combines the fresh, briny tastes of local lobster, scallops, mussels, and squid with olive oil, lemon, and herbs. Tenderloin and white bean salad with local greens add warm, Italian components, while the radishes garnished with buttery triple-crème croutons inject a bit of French flavor. Dolcelinos (little sweets) and grappa mixed with cream and vanilla provide the sweet ending to the meal. A burlap tablecloth, moss green runners, and birch bark centerpiece underline the earthy look and downhome foods that make up a Mediterranean wedding meal in Maine.

 

Swan’s Way  

Hors d’Oeuvres
Polenta corn fritters
Chicken saltimbocca 

Appetizer
Local organic watermelon radishes on a bed of greens with triple- créme croutons and a champagne mustard oil vinaigrette

Entrée
Beef tenderloin with an Italian salsa verde

Frutti di mare
Wilted local organic greens with white beans drizzled with olive oil, garlic, and herbs
Local organic baby Tondo di Parigi carrots

Dessert
A chocolate Dolcelino with truffle chocolate sauce and fresh berries
Grappa sabayon

  Vendors:

Catering, Concept Design + Styling: Swan’s Way

Cheeses: Appleton Creamery, Hahn’s End

Dahlias: Endless Summer Flower Farm

Event Planner: Krista Hastings at Friend of the Bride

Floral Design: Seasons Downeast Designs

Invitations: Jessica Graham at Gigi Guinott 

Produce: Beth’s Farm Market, Chase’s Daily, Dilly Dally Farm, Village Farm

Rentals: One Stop Party Shoppe

Seafood: Jess’s Market

 

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Seaside Splendor

By Peggy Liversidge

     

We wanted to capture the look and taste of a classic Maine summer wedding on the ocean in Kennebunkport. The food is primarily local, fresh, Maine-harvested seafood—crab, local oyster, lobster salad, and native halibut. The backdrop of Kennebunkport’s rocky shoreline inspired a design that is elegant but not formal, and the palette consists of lots of blues and greens in a mixture of colorful prints, complemented by clean whites in the bouquets and modern vases. Driftwood, slate, beach rocks, and other seaside treasures are beautifully incorporated into the food presentation, cake design, and overall tablescape. 

 

Kitchen Chicks Catering

Hors d’Oeuvres
Mini Maine crab cake with lemon dill aioli

Amuse-Bouche
Glidden Point Oyster with caviar mignonette on a bed of seaweed salad and sea salt 

Appetizer
Maine lobster and avocado timbale with brioche crostini 

Entrée
Pan-seared native halibut with fresh herb pesto
Spring pea and radicchio risotto
Roasted asparagus and grape tomatoes with a basil-infused olive oil drizzle

Dessert
La Marca Prosecco wedding cake

 

 

Vendors:

Catering, Concept Design + Styling: Kitchen Chicks Catering

Bread: Standard Baking 

Cakes/Sweets: Gayle Forte at Let Them Eat Cake

Event Planner: Kelly Gendron at Kitchen Chicks Catering

Floral Design: Flora Fauna

Invitations: Village Paperie

Produce: Sid Wainer + Son 

Rentals: Marshall Tent + Event Rental

Seafood: Maine Shellfish Company

Site Design + Styling: Nicki Bongiorno at Spaces Kennebunkport