Check back monthly for a recipe from Chef Jean and the team!
Keep scrolling down to see a collection of recipes.
Lobster Newburg
September 2026
“Lobster Newburg was a dinner party favorite of the 80’s. It’s a classic American recipe and of course delicious with Maine seafood of any kind. You may even substitute sautéed mushrooms for a vegetarian version. To put a more modern spin on it, consider adding sautéed leeks and fresh tarragon with a hint of lemon to the sauce. This would pair nicely with an oaked Chardonnay or a dry sparkling wine. We also do a version here at OceanView with mixed seafood. It’s always a favorite!” – Chef Jean
Ingredients (Serves 6):
- 3 egg yolks, beaten, set aside
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 cups cooked lobster meat, cut into chunks
- 3 tablespoons dry sherry
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- Puff pastry shells or toast, for serving
- Fresh parsley, finely chopped, for serving
Instructions:
- Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Melt butter and add in lobster meat. Cook for two minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the sherry and cook for an additional minute.
- Remove lobster meat from pan, leaving behind all accumulated juices. Gradually add in the cream, and reduce until the sauce thickens a bit. Do not let the sauce come to a boil.
- Remove a tablespoon of sauce from the pan and add it to the beaten egg yolks, stirring it in quickly. This helps temper the eggs to ensure they don’t curdle or scramble once added to the hot pan.
- Reduce heat to low and add the egg yolks back to the pan with the sauce. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes. Add seasonings and lobster meat to the pan
- Warm over low heat for 1-2 minutes more, until the lobster is heated through.
- Serve right away inside baked puff pastry shells or on top of toasted brioche. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.
Portokalopita – Greek Orange Cake
August 2026
“I absolutely fell in love with this cake on a recent trip to Greece. Although it may seem a bit intimidating, it is really quite simple and originally was a way to use up scraps of dough, similar to a bread pudding. If anyone desires to bake me a cake for any reason, this is the one. Just saying! ” – Chef Jean
Ingredients (Serves 4):
For the Syrup:
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/4 teaspoon orange blossom water (optional)
For the Cake:
- 1 # Phyllo sheets
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- zest from two oranges
- 1 cup plain Greek yoghurt 2%
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup orange juice
Instructions:
- For the syrup, combine the water, sugar, orange juice, the cinnamon stick and the orange blossom water. Bring the ingredients to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
- While the syrup is being prepared, dry out the phyllo. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Open the phyllo sheets, and one by one, scrunch them up, starting from the short side. After scrunching each sheet, place it on a baking pan and continue until you have scrunched the entire pack of phyllo. Be careful not to scrunch them too tightly. You will need 2 baking sheets to accommodate all of the phyllo.
- Bake at 200 degrees. After 10 minutes, flip each phyllo sheet over and bake for an additional 8 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the phyllo in the oven with the door open. Once completely dry, use your hands to crumble the phyllo into small pieces, and set them aside.
- Next: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In the large mixing bowl of a stand mixer, combine the eggs and the sugar and beat for 3-4 minutes, until it is a pale yellow color.
- Add the orange zest, Greek yoghurt, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix until just combined.
- Next, add the oil and the orange juice to the bowl. Mix well with the rest of the ingredients.
- Using a rubber spatula, begin to incorporate your dried out and torn phyllo into the cake batter, a little bit at a time. If you put all the pieces in at once, they will clump together.
- After incorporating all the phyllo into the batter, pour the mixture into a greased 9”x13” baking pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes in the middle rack of the oven until the cake is a nice golden color.
- Remove from the oven and immediately pierce it in several places with a long clean skewer.
- Pour the cooled syrup onto the hot cake, one ladle at a time. Allow each ladle to be absorbed into the cake before adding the next one. Repeat until all the syrup has been used.
- Let cool before cutting to allow the syrup to be fully absorbed. Enjoy!
Seafood Pasta Salad
July 2026
“Great for lunch or dinner. We often feature a similar version in The Gazebo Grille during the summer months.” – Chef Jean
Ingredients (Serves 4):
- ½ pound raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- ½ pound fresh Maine crabmeat, or lobster meat
- 6 ounces dried shell, farfalle, or rotini pasta
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup celery, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons minced shallot
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
- Add shrimp to the boiling water and boil until the shrimp are pink and just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes for fresh and 2 ½ to 3 minutes if frozen. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a colander and rinse with cold water until fully cooled. Transfer the shrimp to a paper-towel-lined plate and refrigerate.
- Bring the water back to a boil over medium-high heat. Add 12 ounces dried pasta and cook according to package directions until just tender, 10 to 13 minutes. Meanwhile, make the dressing.
- Whisk mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, fresh dill, Old Bay seasoning, and lemon juice together in a large bowl.
- Drain crabmeat and pick through for any shell pieces. Add the crab, celery stalks, and shallot to the dressing.
- When the pasta is ready, drain and rinse with cold water to cool. Drain well again. Add the pasta and reserved shrimp to the dressing and toss to coat. Taste and season with kosher salt and black pepper as needed.
French Style Potato Salad
June 2026
“Any chilled vegetables or canned tuna can easily be added to this easy and versatile potato salad. Great for picnics or a summer meal side.” – Chef Jean
Ingredients:
- 10-12 medium Yukon gold potatoes
- ½ cup Italian parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh tarragon, chopped
- 3 TBL chives, chopped
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions:
- Wash the potatoes and put them in a medium-sized pot. Cover the potatoes with water and boil them for 20 to 30 minutes, or until they’re fork-tender.
- While the potatoes are cooking, chop the herbs.
- In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, vinegar, crushed garlic, mustard, salt, and pepper.
- Let the potatoes cool for about 10 minutes then cut to bite size pieces. Add them to a large bowl along with the parsley, dill, and scallions, and toss with the dressing.
- Chill the potato salad before serving.
Smokey Pickled Asparagus
May 2026
“Cheeseburger Bacon Soup is always a big hit with a crowd. It’s the ultimate, creamy comfort food, tasting like a loaded cheeseburger in a bowl.” – Chef Maryann, winner of the 2026 OceanView Soup Challenge.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups white wine vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 bunch thin asparagus spears (about 1 1/4 pounds)
- 1 medium shallot, peeled, thinly sliced and separated into rings
Instructions:
- In small saucepot, whisk together vinegar, garlic, salt, sugar and smoked paprika until sugar and salt have dissolved. Over high heat, bring mixture to a boil; let boil 1 minute.
- Meanwhile, trim bottom inch from asparagus spears. Place spears in a resealable container or baking dish. Top with sliced shallots.
- Pour hot vinegar mixture over asparagus, carefully adjusting asparagus to make sure they’re completely covered.
- Let sit uncovered at room temperature 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Store, covered, in pickling liquid in the refrigerator.
Cheeseburger Bacon Soup
Winner of the 2026 Soup Challenge
April 2026
“Cheeseburger Bacon Soup is always a big hit with a crowd. It’s the ultimate, creamy comfort food, tasting like a loaded cheeseburger in a bowl.” – Chef Maryann, winner of the 2026 OceanView Soup Challenge.
Ingredients (serves 8):
- 12 slices bacon chopped
- 1 pound ground beef
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium sweet onion chopped
- 1 cup shredded carrot
- 1 cup diced celery
- 4 cups potatoes, cubed and peeled
- 3-4 cups beef or chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon Italian spices
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup sour cream
- 4 cups cheddar cheese
- chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions:
- In a large soup pot, over medium-high heat, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside, leaving ¼ of the drippings in the pot.
- Add the ground beef to the pot, cook until browned and no longer pink. Remove beef from pot, drain and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium low, add the butter and diced onion. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the rest of the veggies: carrots, celery, and potatoes. Cook for 7-10 minutes until tender, then add the broth and seasonings. Bring to a simmer.
- Add the beef back to the pot, stir, and if the soup is too thick, add one more cup of broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, 10-12 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low. Stir in sour cream and heavy cream. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese until it melts.
- Stir in ¾ of the bacon.
- Serve garnished with the remaining bacon and fresh parsley.
Mushroom Marsala Pasta
March 2026
“I enjoyed something similar recently in a local Sicilian restaurant with Porcini mushrooms and Marsala wine. I’m obsessed and wanted to try to recreate it here. I hope you like it!” – Chef Jean
Ingredients (serves 4-6):
- 8 ounces penne pasta (or similar shape)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3/4 pounds fresh Cremini mushroom, sliced
- 1 small yellow onion, halved and sliced thin
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup marsala wine
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- 2 ounces toasted salted pistachio nuts
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions:
- Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 1 to 2 minutes before perfect doneness. Drain and set aside.
- In a large nonstick skillet, over high heat, sauté mushrooms in olive oil and cook until they’ve begun to brown and glisten, but have not yet released their liquid.
- Reduce heat to medium, add onions, salt, and pepper and sauté together until the liquid the mushrooms give off is evaporated.
- Add Marsala and cook mixture, stirring, until it has almost fully evaporated.
- Add butter, stir until melted.
- Add flour, and stir until all has been absorbed.
- Add stock, a very small splash at a time, stirring the whole time with a spoon. Make sure each splash has been fully mixed into the butter/flour/mushroom mixture, scraping from the bottom of the pan and all around, before adding the next splash. Repeat until all stock has been added.
- Let mixture simmer together for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently; the sauce will thicken slightly. Add in the cooked pasta and half of the Parmesan cheese. Toss well together.
- Spoon portions into pasta bowls and garnish with fresh parsley, chopped pistachios and remaining shredded Parmesan. Serve immediately.
Greek Honey Cake
February 2026
“Nothing better on a cold Maine winter day. You may substitute salmon, shrimp, or other seafood as available. Serve with a crusty bread or salad for a complete feast!” – Chef Jean
Ingredients:
- 1 cup honey
- 1 ¾ cups white sugar, divided
- ¾ cup water
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 eggs
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions:
- Combine honey, 1 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan; bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice; bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool while you prepare the cake.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-inch square baking pan.
- Combine flour, baking powder, orange zest, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
- Beat remaining 3/4 cup sugar and softened butter together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in flour mixture, alternating with milk, beating just until incorporated; stir in walnuts. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
- Remove cake from oven and poke holes over the surface with a toothpick. Slowly ladle the cooled honey syrup over cake. For best results, set cake aside for 4 to 6 hours to cool and absorb the syrup before slicing and serving.
