Toast of midcoast

Looking for a gourmet getaway? Look no farther than the Camden Food and Wine Festival, which will take place May 20-22. The event kicks off at the Camden Yacht Club with a reception featuring hors d’oeuvres and Maine wines. Saturday will feature cooking classes, demonstrations and seminars with food professionals such as Jacques Richard, a retired chef and instructor at the French Culinary Institute, and local pastry chef and author Elinor Klivans. A gourmet sail on the schooner Heron, food and wine pairings at some of the area’s finest restaurants, and tours and tastings at Cellardoor Winery are among the weekend’s highlights. Grand Cru tickets, which cover the cost of all three days’ activities, cost $295 per person (not including lodging), and a portion of the proceeds will benefit United Mid-Coast Charities. For information or tickets, visit www.CamdenFoodAndWineFestival.com or call 236-4404.

No small potatoes

Spuds are a many-splendored thing in Stephanie Ashcraft’s new book “101 Things To Do with a Potato.” This small, spiral-bound cookbook features such recipes as Hot Bacon Potato Salad, Lavon’s Curry Potatoes, and Chipotle and Pepper Jack Mashed Potatoes. It costs $9.95 and is available online at www.gibbs-smith.com.

Curry favor

Add a zing to spring with curry, one of the top flavors to watch for 2005. The pictured Curried Shrimp with Sugar Snap Peas from McCormick features a light, slightly sweet sauce coupled with fresh snap peas, shrimp and green onions. To prepare, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp and 1/2 pound fresh sugar snap peas or snow peas. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons curry powder and 1 teaspoon garlic salt. Cook and stir for 5 minutes, until shrimp begin to turn pink. In a bowl, stir together a 14-ounce can coconut milk, 2 tablespoons white wine, 1 tablespoon wine juice and 1 tablespoon cornstarch until smooth. Add to shrimp mixture. Stirring constantly, bring to boil over medium heat and simmer 2 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped green onions, to taste. Serve over rice, if desired. Makes 4 servings.

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