Founded in 1975, St. Francis, Blue Hill is one of the newer congregations in the Diocese of Maine. “In its very early days it moved around from the wine shop, to the bank, to a pottery studio,” says Prudy Heilner, who joined St. Francis with her husband, Fred—who had spent his childhood summers in Blue Hill—after they were married in 1992. In 1989, the parish purchased the former North Penobscot Methodist Church, and moved the building to its current location, a gently sloping hill just a short distance from Blue Hill’s picturesque harbor and downtown. St. Francis will celebrate its 50th anniversary this summer; on Saturday, June 14, 4 pm. choral evensong will be followed by dinner and festivities, and on Sunday, June 15, Bishop Brown will officiate at a confirmation Eucharist, with a special coffee hour afterwards.
Given the culinary interests of its members, the anniversary dinner should be memorable. In 1991, the church published its first cookbook, “Cooking with St. Francis by the Sea,” and just five years later, released “Cooking with St. Francis by the Sea II,” which Prudy, the junior warden, graciously sent us for our archives and “Dio Maine Cooks.” St. Francis no longer has a copy of the first one, but I found two copies online, both of which offered this description: “Cookbook from Blue Hill, Maine offering everything from Clamdigger Dip to Seafood Pie; lots of delicious-sounding desserts as well. Each contributor’s name accompanies the recipe.”
Volume II contains an impressive variety of recipes—Maine standards as well as more unexpected additions such as Parsnip Sour Cream Muffins (if you haven’t baked with parsnips, give it a try), Tomato Cocktail with Frozen Horseradish Cream, Chicken Breasts with Pistachio Stuffing, Danish Beef Ragout, and White Chocolate Chambord Cheesecake, Asked what she would choose to feature here, Prudy suggested a Heilner family favorite, Fred’s Crab Cakes with Tarragon Sauce.
A lover of crustaceans in all forms, I will admit to being a purist when it comes to crab cakes. My introduction to them was on the Eastern shore of Maryland, where the classic recipe calls for eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, Old Bay seasoning, and just enough fresh or dry breadcrumbs (lately I prefer panko) to hold them together. The restaurant I once owned in Ridgewood, New Jersey was known for its crab cakes; my recipe deviated from the Maryland standard only in that I used half Maine and half Chesapeake Bay lump crab.
On the Blue Hill peninsula, Fred’s (St. Francis’ treasurer) crab cakes are equally famous, served “when we’ve been doing something special with family and friends,” says Prudy. Instead of mayo, his recipe, which came from a now out-of-print magazine many years ago, includes melted butter and sour cream, and are seasoned with Worcestershire, paprika, and cayenne. With them, he serves a delightful version of tartar sauce made with fresh tarragon, cornichons, and green olives, spiced with hot sauce, or not. It’s a zesty foil for the delicately flavored cakes, which have a nice crunch from the cornmeal coating. This recipe may not replace the old-school way for me, but it will be added to my “make again” notebook.
Crab Cakes with Tarragon Tartar Sauce
By Fred Heilner
Adapted slightly from “Cooking with St. Francis by the Sea II”
Makes 12 crab cakes and two cups of sauce
The recipe is easily halved, and after they’ve been cooked, these cakes freeze well.
Note: I found that after sautéeing, I needed to transfer the cakes to a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes to heat them thoroughly in the middle.
For the crab cakes:
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
6 tablespoons sour cream
¼ cup minced fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds lump crabmeat (I used Maine Jonah crab)
2 cups finely ground fresh breadcrumbs
1/3 cup cornmeal
½ cup vegetable oil
For the tartar sauce:
1 ½ cups mayonnaise
3 shallots, minced (note that today’s shallots tend to be much larger than those in year’s past; I used two tablespoons to avoid overwhelming the flavor of the other ingredients.)
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
4 cornichons, chopped
18 pitted green olives, chopped (I used mild and meaty Castelvetrano)
Tabasco or other hot sauce to taste
In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs, sour cream, parsley, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Gently fold in the crabmeat and breadcrumbs.
Dust a baking sheet with half of the cornmeal. Using a ½ cup measure, lightly scoop out the mixture to make 12, ¾-inch thick cakes. Place on the baking sheet and sprinkle the rest of the cornmeal over top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour or overnight.
In a heavy skillet (cast iron is ideal), heat the oil and sauté the crab cakes for 3-4 minutes on each side. Let drain on paper towels and keep warm until all the cakes are cooked.
To make the sauce: whisk together all ingredients until well blended. The sauce can be made a day in advance and refrigerated, covered.
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