Victoria Winters' Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Coffee

In episode #92 Victoria Winters meets Frank Garner for dinner at the Bangor Pine Hotel dining room.  When I first watched it I thought she would order something like Marie Wallace's elegant Fillet of Sole or perhaps Chicken a la King on toast.  Surprisingly she chose a grilled cheese sandwich and a cup of coffee.  However, being Danish, this could easily have been a favorite of Alexandra Moltke's.  Who can say but the actress herself?  In any case, an old fashioned grilled cheese sandwich is a favorite of mine too.  My version here is on whole wheat bread with slices of Monterey jack cheese flecked with bits of hot pepper.  Grilled slowly in butter using an iron skillet this sandwich came to the table hot, crisp and meltingly delicious.  Try your favorite combination along with a steaming cup of black coffee and pretend you're at the Bangor Pine waiting for mysterious events to unfold.

Matthew Morgan's Blueberry Muffins

Episode #13 offered some of the pleasures of old New England hospitality with Matthew Morgan's home made blueberry muffins.  He served them to Victoria Winters on a dark fall evening with a pot of freshly brewed tea.  What could be better, I thought, and so I prepared my favorite recipe for blueberry muffins using wild Maine blueberries which is, of course, what Matthew would have done.  During the winter months in Collinsport we use the frozen berries that were picked in the late summer.  The muffins were tender, fluffy and delicious with a slightly crunchy sugary top.  The tea is Constant Comment tea and its orange and spice flavor was the perfect accompaniment for the muffins.  Try this some afternoon or early evening and see how much you enjoy it.  And don't be stingy with the butter!  The episode ended unhappily but I had hoped that Victoria and Matthew were going to form a friendship and would trust each other through some of the complicated events unfolding at Collinwood, but alas this was not to be.

Burke Devlin's Steak Dinner for Two

One of the highlights of episode #34 was when Burke Devlin invited Victoria Winters to his suite at the Collinsport Inn and ordered two steak dinners, two salads and two cups of coffee from room service.  When they arrived they looked great and whenever I watch this episode I feel hungry for the same thing so I decided to prepare it for myself.  These are two very nice grass fed flat iron steaks that were pan seared quickly in an iron skillet and then placed in a hot oven for just several minutes.  I finished the steaks with a couple of tablespoons of butter and balsamic vinegar for an out of this world sauce.  The potatoes were oven roasted in olive oil.  I had a glass of a good red wine with this instead of the coffee.  Flat iron steaks, by the way, are superb.  They are the second most tender and flavorful cut of beef and there's no waste.  Try this for a great little dinner for two and perhaps indulge in Marie Wallace's classic chocolate mousse for dessert.  Some of the latest health news suggests that red wine and dark chocolate are good for us so I think this is a meal worth enjoying.  In the story I always thought it was too bad that Victoria didn't stay for dinner.  It would have been nice.

"Apple pie on the house and I won't take no for an answer!"

Like most Dark Shadows fans, episode #1 is among my favorites, the first appearance of Victoria Winters and Burke Devlin, the Collinsport train station, Jane Rose, Conrad Bain, and seeing the Collinsport Inn diner for the first time.  Victoria was tired and hungry after her long trip from New York to Maine and who can forget her order of a rare roast beef sandwich and coffee?  Even more memorable was Maggie Evans' gesture of old New England hospitality when she said in her clear sparkling voice, "Apple pie on the house and I won't take no for an answer!"  This always sounds so so good that I decided to go to the diner myself and order the same thing.  It hasn't changed much over the years (except for the prices) and Maggie no longer works there of course, but the menu still offers a good rare roast beef sandwich on white bread and the home made apple pie is a local favorite.  Delicious and satisfying, here it is for you to enjoy.

A short walk around the Collinsport Mystery Chef's cookbook library