Labor Day, Lobster Day, Lazy Day Lunch

If I could blink my eyes and be transported to anywhere in the world, today, I'd pick Maine. I've never been, but my whole month has been leading up to my all-consuming desire to go. First, my friends, who go every August, left for their trip and I longed to tag along. To calm my jealousy, I read J. Courtney Sullivan's latest novel, Maine, about three generation of Irish Catholic women who summer at their family's cottage on the shore. Each time the ladies drove to a different town to lunch on lobster rolls and sample saltwater taffy, I'd resist an impulse purchase on kayak! Finally, taking action, I decided to make a Maine-inspired meal for a labor day weekend pool party. In researching Maine desserts, I stumbled upon a Travel and Leisure article ranking the top ten lobster shacks along Maine's coast. Pure torture! Each one looked more enticing than the last. (As it turns out, ice cream, pies and whoopie pies are all popular selections.) Until next year, I am using my imagination and taste buds for a weekend getaway. For the main event--the lobster roll--I went fairly purist, adding only diced celery, tarragon and mayonnaise to big hunks of steamed lobster. I baked the rolls using a recipe from Smitten Kitchen, shaping the dough into the shapes of hot dog buns. Before filling, I lightly buttered the inside of the buns and gave them a quick grill. It's pretty incredible that a meal, or even just a bite, can take us to another place; thankfully, my lobster roll did just that.

The Menu

drinks & snacks

dark 'n' stormy: rum + ginger beer + lime

blt filled cherry tomatoes

tuna tartare with avocado on cucumber rounds

lunch

lobster rolls with tarragon, celery & bibb lettuce on brioche buns

buttered corn on the cob

sliced early girl tomatoes with sea salt & basil

buttermilk coleslaw

homemade potato chips

dessert

blueberry crisp with vanilla ice cream