New Food Shots and A Winning Winter Recipe from One of New England's Best Inns

We had the pleasure of shooting for Hartstone Inn this fall. Innkeepers Mary Jo and Michael are friends, but this was the first time we'd worked for them. It's a world-class country inn just steps away from Camden's picturesque harbor. Owner-Chef Michael Salmon's food at the inn has received lots of regional and national press--and with good reason. We were pretty excited to sample the 5 course dinner after a long day of shooting (I know, tough job, huh?) We experienced memorable food and warm, elegant service. While there, we shot some images for his next cookbook.  Here are a few dishes we captured for Chef Michael's upcoming book:



Michael has already published two cookbooks. One recipe I HAD to try is his Sticky Toffee Pudding--an English classic and not really pudding as Americans know it, but more like a super-moist cake. I made this for my family for Christmas dinner and it was a huge hit. This recipe is from Hartstone Inn Cookbook- you can buy it on their website.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

serves 9
2 cups dates, pitted and chopped (11 ounces)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 cups boiling water
2 Tablespoons rum
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, soft
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 batch Caramel-rum sauce (recipe below)
vanilla ice cream
whipped cream
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8-inch by 8-inch baking pan.
2. Combine the chopped dates and baking soda together in a small mixing bowl. Cover with boiling water, rum and vanilla and let set for 5 minutes.
3. In another bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Add the eggs and mix well. Add flour and date mixture and stir until well incorporated.
4. Pour into the prepared baking pan and place in the center of the preheated oven. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes.
5. To serve, cut the pudding into 9 pieces (3 inches by 3 inches) and serve drenched in Caramel-rum sauce with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream on top.

Caramel-Rum Sauce

2 cups brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark rum
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Bring all the ingredients, except the vanilla, to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes over low heat. Stir in vanilla and keep warm until serving.