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You’ll be able to make lobster rolls like those from the quintessential Maine seafood shack McLoons, master the best migas in Austin care of Veracruz All Natural, perfect your pizza-making skills with help from Jon & Vinny’s and Una Pizza Napoletana, sip a martini as good as the one from iconic New York piano bar Bemelmans, bake Birmingham pastry chef Dolester Miles’s legendary cobbler, and much more.

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“Half-and-Half” Lobster Rolls

MCLOONS LOBSTER SHACK South Thomaston, Maine

A quintessential Maine lobster shack, complete with red siding and its own dock on a working lobster wharf, McLoons sits on the coast of Spruce Head Island with picnic tables overlooking Seal Harbor. The setting is postcard-ready Maine, but for diners who can’t decide between a Maine-style or a Connecticut-style lobster roll, the Douty family splits the difference and finds perfection with their iconic “half-and-half.” Where a typical Maine lobster roll features meat that’s been tossed with mayo, McLoons opts for spreading mayo on the roll so that the sweet flavors of freshly steamed lobster meat shine through, which are then enhanced by the drizzle of butter that comes from the Connecticut tradition. It’s a lobster roll to convince you that a road trip is in order. At home, it’s your ticket to a New England summer escape: You’re steaming lobsters, you’re toasting split-top buns, you’re drizzling melted butter on hand-picked knuckle, tail, and claw pieces. Serve your rolls with a bag of Cape Cod potato chips and eat them outside to really get into the New England spirit.

Serves 4

4 large lobsters, about 1¼ pounds (570 g) each

½ cup (1 stick/113 g) salted butter, softened

4 New England–style split-top rolls  (see Note)

4 teaspoons mayonnaise, or to taste

Chopped fresh herbs, such as chives, tarragon, and/or parsley, for Connecticut style

Fresh lemon juice, for Connecticut style

NOTE: If your local grocery store doesn’t sell split-top buns, you can find them online or use regular hot dog buns.

To get your lobster meat, prepare both an ice bath and your large steaming setup. Quickly plunge a sharp knife into the head of the lobsters and add the lobsters to a large pot of boiling water fitted with a steamer rack. Steam for 10 to 15 minutes, until they’re bright red and cooked through. Immediately chill the cooked lobsters in your ice bath. Once cool, pick out the tail, claw, and knuckle meat. Start assembling sandwiches immediately, or store the lobster meat in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use.

To prepare the sandwiches, spread softened butter onto both sides of each split-top roll. Toast in a skillet over medium heat until golden. Spread 1 teaspoon mayonnaise on the inside of each roll and fill with ½ cup (about 4 ounces/113 g) lobster meat. Make sure to give each roll an equal share of tail, knuckle, and claw meat. Melt the remaining butter and drizzle it over the top of the rolls. Enjoy immediately.

Alternatively, if you’d rather have a warm, Connecticut-style roll, heat the lobster in a pan over low heat with melted butter until warmed through. Fill the toasted rolls with the warmed meat and sprinkle with fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon on top.

Recipe reprinted with permission from ABRAMS.