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‘Twas a week before Christmas and all through the kitchen, not a crumb went uneaten – not even a smidgen.
Shortbread lobsters were set on the counter with care, in hopes that red icing soon would be there.
Away in the fridge, Maypole Mussels were cooling. Shell-shaped whoopie pies left everyone drooling.
A sparkle of sugar topped off Crazy Clams, small buttermilk cakes with their own loyal fans.
The phone, with its jingle, it rang off the hook, with orders from everywhere – California to Westbrook.
The callers sought gift tins and goodies galore – sweet holiday dreams that all would adore.
This “sugar rush” at Cranberry Island Kitchen was about as far from the company’s tranquil origins as one could imagine. But its founders, Carol Ford of Falmouth and Karen Haase of Scarborough, wouldn’t have it any other way. If they have to scramble to ensure a just-baked flavor, so be it.
“We use homemade butter, organic eggs, organic cream,” Haase said. “We want to bake them fresh and ship them fresh so our customers will have fresh products.”
Their core products – mussel-shaped whoopie pies with fillings in gourmet flavors, a buttery shortbread lobster with lemon icing, and blueberry and buttermilk cakes in the shape of clamshells – are inspired by the recipes and seafaring traditions of Little Cranberry Island. Though their business is located in Cumberland, the founders’ hearts are on Islesford.
“I love Islesford,” Ford said. “I really think there are more interesting people on Islesford per square inch than anywhere else.”
Ford has vacationed there for nearly 25 years, and the idea for the company came during a long walk on an island beach.
“What do you do there?” she asked. “You walk on the beach.”
“Because it’s Cranberry Island, there’s no commotion going on,” added Haase. “You can actually think. You’re there and you’re relaxed.”
“You can see things there you just don’t notice other places,” Ford said. “Sometimes, it’s big and spectacular, like a sunset. A lot of times, it’s little things that in your day-to-day life you just don’t notice.”
Such as baking. During one visit, about three years ago, the weather was rainy and Ford spent a lot of time in the kitchen, whipping up the famous “island gingerbread” and other treats.
At the time, she ran a housekeeping business, and Haase did hair and makeup for print, television and film. The friends had long talked about starting a business together, and when Ford returned from vacation, it all came together at once.
“After that three weeks of bad weather, that’s when you came home and said, ‘I know what we’re going to do: We’re making lobster cookies,'” Haase said. “Lobster cookies and island gingerbread.”
Island gingerbread is Islesford’s signature dessert – Anna Fernald introduced Ford to it, but it has been around for the better part of a century. What makes it unique is the fact that it has no ginger in it. Though it is usually baked in square pans, Haase and Ford opted for a clamshell shape.
Haase wanted to include her grandmother’s whoopie pie recipe, and they decided to make the cake in a mussel-shaped mold. At a sailor friend’s suggestion, they made a spiced rum filling. The Grand Marnier filling came later. They even tried to do one with Maine-made Cold River Vodka, but it didn’t work.
“We knew we wanted to make different flavors, but we didn’t want to do peanut butter and pumpkin,” Haase recalled.
“At first you didn’t want to do flavors,” Ford challenged.
“I was all for the liquor,” Haase replied with a smile.
Of course, a lobster rounded out the mix. They decided to riff on dipping lobster in lemon and butter by creating a decadent butter shortbread with a tangy lemon glaze.
“We said if we’re going to make a lobster cookie, it’s going to be the best lobster cookie you’ve ever had,” Ford said.
And it is. But it took awhile to get it right. They sampled dozens of shortbread recipes and went through 11 different molds to get the shape right. They conducted blind taste tests and determined that Maine’s own Kate’s butter was the best. They hired a pastry chef from The Balsams Resort to create a shiny yet flavorful glaze. And they have since hired a full-time baker, Meg Broderick, who was calmly painting bright red icing onto lobster cookies in the midst of the pre-Christmas rush.
Even with all the tweaking, people still mistake the lobster’s glaze for wax (like on cheese) or, even worse, they think the cookie is a baby lobster.
“I’d be rich if I had a dollar for every time someone said, ‘Oh, I can’t eat that. I’m allergic to seafood,'” Ford said, laughing.
During the “open kitchen” events they hold every Saturday, they insist that customers try the shortbread. And they’re never sad when a cookie breaks.
“We don’t have to test them anymore, but we still do,” Haase said. “I keep waiting to get sick of it.”
But she doesn’t. And neither do their regular customers. L.L. Bean now sells the lobsters, and they’ve been a popular pick for wedding favors among coastal Maine brides.
In the real Cranberry Island kitchens, the response has been positive, as well. Anna Fernald, whose island gingerbread inspired Ford and Haase to create their Crazy Clams, had nothing but praise for their ingenuity.
“I think what Carol and her friend are doing is a great idea,” Fernald said. “They’ve got some cute things.”
Fernald learned the recipe from her friend and mentor Lillian Alley, who is known for her baking.
“No matter who makes it, it tastes different and I don’t know why,” Fernald said. “It is good, though.”
Ford and Haase are using good taste for a good cause. They decided early on that they wanted to pledge 10 percent of their profits to the international relief organization Doctors Without Borders and Island Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to sustaining the ecology and preserving the maritime culture of Maine’s island communities.
It’s only fitting, given their affinity for Little Cranberry Island.
“You get on that boat, the ferry, and a lot of the stress does fade away,” Ford said. “It’s not utopia. It’s normal people living normal lives.”
For information on Cranberry Island Kitchen, visit www.cranberryislandkitchen.com or call 829-5200.
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