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A Taste of Travel
Do you plan your vacations around great meals? Then whet your appetite on these mouthwatering recipes from our partners and let your taste buds lead the way.
VBT Bicycling Vacations: Jeff’s Maine Blueberry Pie
Check out VBT trip leader Jeff’s recipe for blueberry pie here, and join him on the Maine: Acadia National Park tour to sample other local favorites!
VBT Bicycling Vacations: Vermont Maple Cream Pie
You can enjoy a little slice of Vermont wherever you live with this delicious recipe for Vermont Maple Cream Pie from the baking connoisseurs at King Arthur Flour—whose King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion won the James Beard award for Best Cookbook of the Year in 2003. Travelers on our Bicycling Southern Vermont: A New England Idyll can visit King Arthur Flour’s famed visitor’s and education center during the pre-trip extension in the bucolic town of Norwich.
What you’ll need…
To make your own crust:– 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened– 3 ounces cream cheese, softened– 1 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour– 2 teaspoons granulated sugar– 1/8 teaspoon salt
To make the pie filling:– 3 cups half & half– 1/2 cup Vermont maple syrup– 4 large egg yolks– 1 cup brown sugar– 1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted– 1/4 teaspoon salt– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract– 1/4 teaspoon maple flavor, optional
Instructions
- To make the crust: Mix the butter and cream cheese until well blended. Add the flour, sugar, and salt; mix until just blended. Pat into a disk, wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.Roll the dough on a floured surface until it’s 12″ in diameter. Place it into a 9″ pie pan. Shape and crimp the crust.Line the crust with aluminum foil and pie weights or uncooked beans. Bake it until the bottom inside surface is light brown, approximately 20 minutes. remove the crust from the oven, carefully lift the foil and weights out, and allow it to cool while you make the filling.
- To make the filling: Mix the half & half, maple syrup, egg yolks, brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens, about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and add the maple flavor and vanilla.
- Pour the filling into the cooled pie shell. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Generously dollop whipped on to individual slices of pie for serving.
VBT Bicycling Vacations: Pernilla’s Swedish Meatballs
Check out VBT trip leader Pernilla’s recipe for Swedish meatballs here, and join her on the Scandinavia: Denmark & Sweden tour to sample other local favorites!
Windstar Cruises: Provençale Scallops
Coquilles St. Jacques is a classic French dish from the Provence region that can be a main dish for two or a savory side dish for multiple guests. Definitely a meal to enjoy while on the 7-day Yachtsman’s Harbors of the Rivieras voyage that takes you along the French coastline between Barcelona and Rome.
Country Walkers: Julia’s Pavlova from New Zealand
Country Walkers Guide Julia Thorne shares her family’s Pavlova recipe in this blog post. Try your hand at baking this New Zealand specialty, then check out the New Zealand: The South Island tour led by Julia!
Grand Canyon Lodges: Signature Dishes
For many guests, the signature dining experience is found in the park’s most celebrated restaurant located at the El Tovar. Menu selections such as beef and pork chili and French onion soup were already long-standing favorites of guests (with recipes that remain the same to this day) when Matthew McTigue, executive chef of Grand Canyon National Park Lodges, arrived at Grand Canyon in 1994.