Surfing for seafood

Looking to flex your mussels in the kitchen? Visit Great Eastern Mussel Farms’ new Web site, www.eatmussels.com, for cooking tips, nutritional information and recipes, including 28 by celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse. You also can sign up for the recipe of the month, which comes via e-mail. This month’s selection is Paella, which Emeril kicked up a notch, of course.

Coffee with a kick

Warm up St. Patrick’s Day with Bushmills’ new twist on classic Irish coffee, called Whiskey-a-Cocoa. To make it, combine 2 ounces Bushmills Irish whiskey and 4 to 5 ounces of hot chocolate. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with flakes of chocolate. For the traditionalists, Bushmills offers an alternative: Pour 2 ounces of whiskey into a cup, spoon in 2 teaspoons sugar, preferably brown, and then add freshly brewed, strong black coffee to within an inch of the brim. Stir thoroughly to dissolve sugar. Gently add heavy cream to taste, pouring over the back of a spoon so it floats on top. Dave Quinn, master distiller at Bushmills in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, says the real key to an authentic Irish coffee is in the drinking – don’t stir the cream into the coffee, rather, sip the hot coffee through the hot cream for maximum enjoyment.

Sugar shack

Mad about maple? Head to the University of Maine at Fort Kent’s “Sucrerie” from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, March 14, at Nowland Hall. The maple sugar cam re-creation will feature a maple sugar making demonstration, an Acadian buffet, a traditional maple taffy pull and live entertainment. The event is free and open to the public. The meal costs $3.75 and will include such traditional dishes as pot-en-pot, soupe-aux-pois, ployes, beans, molasses cookies and pudding chaumeur. For information, call 834-7557.

Tidbits is hungry for news about local food products and events. Send your Tidbits to: Bangor Daily News, attn: Kristen Andresen, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor ME 04402-1329, or kandresen@bangordailynews.net.