Cree LeFavour

It's easy to eat well in Maine. After a salty day at the beach and a swim in the icy ocean water, fresh fish and crisp white wine tastes like the only thing to eat.

Last night, I had some steamers and a lobster at Nunan's. The steamers were sweet and buttery while my lobster was as obscenely rich as a lobster should be. For lunch, I had a cold summer ale and a plate of fried clams in Cape Porpoise. And a Creemee, of course.

Tonight we cooked at home. Or my father, Bruce LeFavour, did. He's a pro. Scallop ceviche made with ginger, jalapeno, lime juice, olive oil and whatever else he had around. With scallops like those, it's hard to go astray. Wow! (Shop at Harbor Fish in Portland, if you can.)

Now all I can wish for is a giant sweet. Whoopie Pie anyone? A venerable Maine tradition no longer done correctly by almost anyone (too much shortening! fake vanilla!). Maybe I'll venture into the rental house kitchen and see what I can do. But only if it rains.

*Image from the Eastern Consortium of Coastal Ocean Observatories.

The Grand Tasting tents at Aspen's Food & Wine Classic is an experiment in palate confusion. How could it not be? After hours of walking around with a half-full wine glass in one hand and a series of little plastic plates with bite-size samples in the other, the endless variety is bound to muddle the brain, nose, and tongue. I did my best to pair the food and wine in a way that works (more food and wine pairing would be a good idea), but more often than not I'd end up holding a glass of Reisling in one hand and lamb slider in the other (I know, I know, it's a tough life). After a while all the food and wine starts to taste the same. Some items DO stand out -- for better or worse. Here's my non-comprehensive line-up of this year's stars and flops.

American Lamb Board
Cold, overcooked lamb -- meat's not easy to do for sampling, but this was not the way to go. The Lamb Board redeems a few points with the "I Love Lamb" tattoos they passed out.

Fungi with Three Fun Guys
Despite the goofy name, their milky truffle soup was most memorable. Tom Michaels farms truffles in Tennessee. The ones at the tasting were farmed in Australia.

Bocuse d'Or/All-Clad
The Spring Vegetable Gnocchi with fava beans, corn and herbs was one of the best things under the big white tent. Cooked by Mark Fischer, it's a reminder that freshness and proper seasoning go a long way toward making food on a paper plate truly delicious.

XIV Festival Gourmet International, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
These guys, promoting the upcoming festival, really nailed it. In a sea of rich foods (cheese, caviar, truffles, butter) they served a scallop ceviche on a half shell that was bright, gorgeous and woke up the palate like nothing else in the tent. Bravo!

Spy Valley Wines
I love Spy Valley wines. Distributed by the venerable Broadbent Selections, (also the importer of the coveted Chateau Musar wines from Lebanon) the Pinot Noir is also eminently drinkable. Their Sauvignon Blanc is my standard summer wine; amazing chilled and paired up with spicy food on a hot day.

Browne Trading Company Caviar
The Caviar Astara Imperial was the best in the tent. Based in Portland, ME this is a great source to know about.

Brand Steakhouse, Las Vegas
This table may win the prizes for most delicious, biggest crowds, and smartest selections. The lamb sliders were hard to come by but well worth the wait -- hot, rare, and juicy. The lobster roll was the crowd's coveted item on day three. These folks know how to do a tasting.

Kerrygold Butter
I love this butter. Between the rich yellow color and the perfect saltiness, it's the butter of choice in my house on Sunday morning bialys. The cheddar cheese is also worth a taste. Smeared on a piece of simple baguette (not a great baguette, but it was really all about the butter), this was a great palate cleanser between the endless glasses of wine.

US Wellness Meat
Advertised as premium grass-fed beef, lamb, and bison. Aside from the name, which is just plain off-putting, these folks are in desperate need of cooking instruction. Tough. Unseasoned. Unattractive.

Cayman Cookout, Food & Wine's January event in Grand Cayman, January 16-19, 2009
Handing out rum cake in a tent full of savory food is inspired -- particularly when it's as good as this one. The rum drinks weren't half bad either. All I wished for is that turquoise water and some sand between my toes.

Mountain Valley Produce
Purple mashed potatoes. Cold and under-salted. Not pretty. Not tasty. Call in a chef.

Alaska Seafood
Crab claws. Big. Delicious. A welcome fresh-tasting treat under the tent. The sauces could have used a goose or two, but now I'm just being difficult.

*Image from FreeFoto.com

It's unfortunately easy to believe you're cool when you find yourself 11212 feet above the ocean, on the top of Aspen Mountain, competing for food, drinks and attention with Tom Coliccio, David Chang, Padma Lakshmi, Bobby Flay, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Ming Tsai -- among others. Then again, the gondola ride to the top of the mountain can make you giddy -- that and the fabulous Moroccan themed spread put out by Food & Wine and the Food & Wine Classic's mother-ship, American Express Publishing.

It's the morning after and I'm sitting here, nursing a hangover in what I think must be Aspen's coolest and best coffee shop, Ink. It's another gorgeous day. Incredibly, because there's enough snow at the top of the mountain, the locals have come out to ski, emerging from the side streets looking scruffy and earthy -- reminding me of the Aspen I remember.

I was born in Aspen and I spent my first decade here but I haven't been back since my family moved to Idaho in 1974. Returning has been an unexpected pleasure. Everyone warned me Aspen was ruined; I've been pleasantly surprised. Sure, there are too many giant houses built for people who like to shop and don't find it unreasonable to throw down $3,000 for a scarf. But in the end, Aspen is still gorgeous -- the mountains and air haven't changed a bit.

Food and wine. Classic indeed. I plan to work up another classic hangover tonight. I never argue with grilled cheese, champagne, and free range caviar at 2 AM.

*Image from Bill McMillan's Biology page.

I have a new name for Benjamin Moore. It's called Fava and its color is as vivid green as food gets.

I like to mix fava beans together with fiddleheads and asparagus. Taste the similarities and the differences. Cook all three simply and briefly, then drag out that high-end olive oil to drizzle over it all, toss, salt and dig in. Of course you could plop a fried egg on top if you want to experience real bliss.

Don't be daunted by preparing Fava beans. Like so many good things to eat, they're worth the extra work it requires to get at them. Just shell the beans, discarding the big leathery pods, briefly blanche them in their casing, then pop the tender, super-green beans out their shell.

I have coated my walls in Palest Pistachio, Thyme Green, and Jack & the Beanstalk. Is my choice of these colors the latest more indication that I'm obsessed with food -- or that Benjamin Moore is?

Were paint colors and their names always so edible? Are Benjamin Moore names more food oriented than Behr's or Glidden's? I'm not sure. I do know that food is evocative and familiar, offering an endless language to communicate not only a place on the color spectrum but an idea, a style, even an image.

Benjamin Moore takes color names much further than just the obvious cherry, orange, peach (chicken or egg?).

Here's some paint names that makes me positively hungry...

Melted Ice Cream
Wild Rice
Cupcake
Minced Onion
Dash of Curry
Vanilla Milkshake
Sugar Cookie
Butter
Deep Caviar
Lemon Meringue
Warm Brownie
Apricot Ice
Smoked Oyster

Thirsty? Choose from, among others...

Tequila Lime
Sangria
Old Claret
Claret Rose
Merlot Red
Cherry Wine
Blackberry Wine

Here's some names that make me wonder if Benjamin Moore couldn't use a cook on staff...

Burnt Cinnamon
Burnt Peanut Red
Toffee Orange
Cherry Malt

And if Creme Brulee and Creme Fraiche and Celery Ice are aimed at the high-end foodie crowd, is that in conflict with the following or are these someone's guilty pleasures?

Nacho Cheese
Grape Gum
Lucky Charm Green
American Cheese
Starburst Orange
Snowcone Green

Given the choice, I might just settle into the Raspberries...

Raspberry Glaze
Raspberry Ice
Raspberry Blush
Raspberry Pudding
Raspberry Parfait

It's hard to go wrong with such a pretty berry.

Full Disclosure: My Thyme is a Behr color. (You should've heard the razzing I got at my local paint store, Wallauer's, when I trotted in with a Behr chip. They did match it, despite the teasing, to perfection.) Benjamin Moore does have Thyme as well but it is much darker than Behr's version.

*Image from Boostejuicebars.com