We had a great week at the end of May with some incredibly talented artisans building a new masonry brick oven for Hurricane. The oven is located in the old quarry-era foundation (which used to be the bank) across from the kitchen and mess hall on Hurricane Island. The instructor for this workshop, Pat Manley, has built all of the major bread ovens in Maine restaurants (you may have enjoyed had some delicious food cooked in one of his ovens at Cafe Miranda in Rockland) and Pat even goes abroad with Mason's on a Mission to build safe masonry cook stoves for families in Guatemala. The group benefited from his expertise, and we are benefiting from their hard work! Our next big project is to face the oven in granite blocks so that it can last for many seasons to come!
Pat Manley helps masonry workshop participants lay the last of the fire brick over the arched roof of the oven.
What's so great about a masonry oven? A masonry oven uses all of the cooking methods: convection, conduction, and radiant heat to cook your food, so pizzas end up with perfect crusts, bread-baking is a breeze, and we can roast a delicious chicken. Hungry yet? The best news is that we are looking forward to having Ladleah Dunn, of Sailor's Rest Farm in Lincolnville, ME teach a masonry oven baking course in the Fall. This course will be jam-packed with information and tips on the art and science of cooking using brick ovens, but more importantly participants will help make some amazing meals for everyone to enjoy. Stay tuned!
