La. Bakes: Travel to Maine from your house with blueberry pie and lobster rolls

Erica Jong's quote, "Live your life by a compass, not a clock," captures a bit of my philosophy when exploring places both new and old.

Traveling is a favorite way to spend my time and money. When I travel, I tend to shy away from over-scheduling, often leaving much to chance, and lean into living more like a local. My compass is often my stomach, and my experiences are often shaped by my curiosity about a locale's food scene and culinary history.

Grocery stores and farmers markets are two of my favorite ways to explore the similarities and differences between where I live and where I am visiting — and allow the opportunity to learn more about an area's local food and culinary culture.

The local cuisine is truly where I begin to understand, connect and gain a sense of place.

I was fortunate to spend the long Labor Day weekend in coastal Maine. My timing was perfect as the weather was ideal, and Maine's wild blueberry and lobster seasons were at their peak. Menus at restaurants, roadside cafes and beachside huts featured the local fare in an array of dishes, and I embraced every opportunity to taste it all.

Upon returning home, I craved the fresh local food I enjoyed on my trip and sought out ways to share my experiences with my children. A local grocery store made the first step easy: live Maine lobster steamed on-site, upon request. We honed our lobster-peeling skills one evening for dinner (it is surprisingly similar to peeling a crawfish) and used the leftovers to make lobster rolls.

With my seafood craving satiated, my next quest became recreating a blueberry pie a la mode like one I enjoyed at a small coastal cafe. Fortunately, many grocery stores carry the flavorful, wild blueberries in the frozen food section, making this local, seasonal fruit accessible in the south and out of season.

As we enjoyed our Maine-inspired feasts, stories of my adventures quickly shifted to planning a family trip to coastal Maine next summer — a travel do-over I can wholeheartedly embrace.

Wild Maine Blueberry Pie

Recipe by Olivia Regard 

2 9-inch pie crusts (Use your favorite recipe or store-bought crusts; Dufour is great if you can find it.)

5 cups frozen wild blueberries (do not defrost)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 medium lemon, zested (approximately 1 teaspoon)

2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

1 large egg

1 tablespoons heavy cream

Turbinado or raw sugar (optional)

ice cream (vanilla or your favorite pie pairing)

1. Roll out one disk of dough to fit a 9×2 pie dish and place in pie dish. Refrigerate while you prepare the pie filling.

2. Combine frozen blueberries, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, the zest and juice of 1 lemon, ground cinnamon and kosher salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine, then pour the mixture into the prepared pie crust. Refrigerate while you prepare the pie dough for the top.

3. Roll out the second disk of dough on a lightly floured surface. If using a solid crust top, place crust on filling, crimp, and flute edges to seal crust at the edges. Cut an X in the center to vent the pie while baking. If making lattice top: cut pie dough into strips approximately 1-inch thick.

4. Place six of the dough strips on top of the pie filling, leaving an equal amount of space between each strip. Carefully fold back every other strip and then place one of the remaining strips of pie crust perpendicular on top of the first six strips.

5. Fold down the strips of dough, then repeat alternating each set of parallel strips until the strips are intertwined and the entire pie is covered.

6. Trim any excess dough from the strips and tuck the dough into the sides of the pie or underneath the bottom pie crust to seal the top to the bottom shell. Crimp the dough with your fingers or flute to make decorative edges.

7. Refrigerate the pie for 30 minutes. While the pie chills, preheat an oven to 375F.

8. Prior to baking, combine egg and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream in a small bowl. Whisk well. Brush the egg wash on the top of the pie crust and sprinkle the top with the turbinado sugar, if using.

9. Place the pie on a parchment- or foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the blueberry filling is bubbling.

10. Blueberry pie can be served warm or at room temperature. Allow the pie to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing, or 3 hours if serving at room temperature. Serve with ice cream.

Lobster Rolls

Recipe by Olivia Regard 

Makes 4 rolls 

4 brioche or hot dog buns (top slit, if available)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/2 pound cooked, shelled lobster meat, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons diced celery

1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

1 tablespoons fresh chives

Romaine lettuce leaves

1. Heat a frying pan. While the pan warms, butter both sides of the buns, and place the buns in the preheated pan, grilling each side until toasted.

2. Mix lobster, celery, mayonnaise, salt, 1/2 tablespoon chives, and pepper in a bowl.

3. Place 1-2 lettuce leaves in each bun and divide the lobster mixture between the buns. Garnish with remaining chives.