A Beautiful New England Inn and The One Minute Chef

Can you imagine having to wait until May for Spring to appear? Well, that is something you can expect when living in New England. There will be tiny signs of spring visible in April, but the month of May will evolve into breathtaking beauty. It normally rains frequently during this month which probably explains why you are surrounded in vibrant greens. The Black Point Inn in Prouts Neck is one of the most beautiful inns close to The Maine House.

It's quite beautiful isn't it? I always wanted to stay a few days here. I imagined one of the boys holding their wedding ceremony on the huge veranda over looking the bay. Perhaps just a glass of wine in the gloaming as we relaxed in one of the Adirondacks. But......we only admired it from afar! That's OK. It was certainly worth the drive. Oh yes, one tidbit of information.....Glenn Close was married here. She lives right around the corner!

The day we toured Prout's Neck, Estelle's welcomed us back to The Maine House with this fabulous and quick to prepare, Spaghetti Carbonara!
Perfect for a busy weeknight!

Estelle's Spaghetti Carbonara

1 pound dry spaghetti

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 ounces pancetta or slab bacon, cubed or sliced into small strips

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 large eggs

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving

Freshly ground black pepper

1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; it is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce.


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender yet firm (as they say in Italian "al dente.") Drain the pasta well, reserving 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce if you wish.


Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium flame. Add the pancetta and saute for about 3 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered. Toss the garlic into the fat and saute for less than 1 minute to soften.


Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat. Beat the eggs and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen.) Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency. Season the carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt. Mound the spaghetti carbonara into warm serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Pass more cheese around the table.






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