speakeasy dining

Come on over to Feast

2007-11-29T12:12:00.000-08:00

We've moved so come on over to our new blog Feast

Feast is the new Speakeasy

2007-11-27T14:30:00.000-08:00

Rebranding. A few weeks ago Peter and I were talking about the blog and we came to the agreement that Speakeasy just wasn’t quite the right name for what we were doing. After six months of posting it became clear that we wanted to share with everyone the food we like to cook, the special meals we create for our friends and places we love to dine. So we started thinking about how we could focus the blogs identity to reflect that. After a bottle of wine and some very entertaining brain storming we settled in on a new name for our blog. Feast, a Portland Food Chronicle.

I don’t think its going to be practicle to manually transfer all of our old post over to Feast so we’re just going to leave them over at speakeasy. If there is a savvy blogger out there that knows how to transfer all of our old content please let me know.

So we’re making a clean break. From here on out we’ll see you at Feastpdx.blogspot.com

Happy Birthday to ME!

2007-11-12T10:28:00.000-08:00

Typically, when it's someone's birthday in our clan, we make an elaborate meal at home. Not only is it A LOT cheaper, we can fit a crowd and I have to say the food is better. Thinking about my big 3-0, I decided it was time to have a big meal out.

We went to Beast, the new restaurant by the venerable Naomi Pomeroy, whom I used to work for at Ripe. I just have to say the magic is back, because I had quite possibly one of the best meals of my life. Here is the menu highlighting the 7 scrumptious courses they turned out for us:

Suffice it to say, Beast moves to the top of the rotation!

Bacon Pasta

2007-11-11T17:52:00.000-08:00

This is a standard dish in my family. The smell of bacon, onions and garlic always takes me back to my mom making this sauce. It's so easy it's ridiculous. This sauce can easily be made with pantry items as a last-minute dinner. I never knew it, but this pasta dish is a traditional Italian preparation, called Al'Amatriciana. It goes on any pasta, but we realized up at the cabin the other weekend that rigatoni goes very well with the sauce, as it fills the shaped pasta.

1 lb. bacon, chopped

1 large red or yellow onion, small dice

4 cloves garlic, minced

pinch crushed red pepper

1 tsp. dried oregano

2 14.5 oz. cans stewed tomatoes

1 14.5 oz. can tomato sauce

1 tsp. sugar

salt and pepper

1 lb. dried pasta

parmesan

fresh basil

Bring a large pot of water to boil for pasta and add 1/4c. kosher salt.

Saute bacon in a large skillet on medium-low heat until it is almost browned. Add onions and saute until bacon finishes browning and onions are translucent. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more.

Add crushed red pepper and oregano and stir in. Add stewed tomatoes and sauce. Using a flat wooden spatula, break up stewed tomatoes into smaller pieces. Simmer sauce until thickened, 10-15 minutes. Add sugar, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add pasta to boiling water and cook until before al dente, 2 minutes before package directions. Remove to simmering sauce and finish cooking, tossing sauce well into pasta. Top with torn basil and parmesan, make some crusty garlic bread and enjoy!

Broder

2007-11-06T16:42:00.000-08:00

For the most part I love sharing all of my little food finds with everyone, but sometime I think twice about sharing when I find a great brunch place. Not waiting in line is key for me when it comes to brunch. I can become insanely grumpy while waiting for breakfast. A couple of weeks ago I heard about Broder. I went to check it out early on a Saturday morning. I was so impressed I went back the next day with Nick and Peter.

Broder is a Swedish restaurant. I have to admit given my personal experience of living in Sweden I didn’t have very high expectations for the food. I anticipated hearty and bland, but was wildly surprised. I was really excited to discover that Broders front staff was headed up by one of my favorite locals Mohawk Joe. He always brings a bright chipper attitude to a place and knew things were going to be just fine. Two highlights: house cured Grav Lax, and the best Swedish Meatballs I’ve ever had. Ever…

I was excited to find a great menu with several classic Scandinavian dishes and also some other breakfast dishes unique to Broder.

It’s definitely worth checking, but don’t go early cause that’s when I go and I don’t like crowds.
Broder
Phone: (503) 736-3333
Address: 2508 SE Clinton St., Portland, OR. 97255 Google Map
Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-2pm, Sat-Sun 9am-2pm

Here’s an actual review of Broder.

I hadn’t planned on getting into all of that. What I really wanted to talk about was Aebleskivor. After brunch the other day I was thinking about when my mom used to make Aebleskivor. It had probably been twenty years since I’d had them. I raided my parents house and came home with my mom’s old Aebleskivor pan. Since we were heading up to the mountain I thought it would be fun to give them a shot.

Spiced Pot de Crème

2007-10-31T16:19:00.000-07:00

This dessert was quite spectacular. It had to be to follow up a Thanksgiving dinner. There is nothing I hate more than making a dessert that just gets picked at because everyone if full. So I’ve come up with a way counter acting this phenomenon. I try to only make desserts that drive people insane with the desire to consume more dessert. Desserts that generate a deep guttural moan followed up by soul satisfying bliss. Things like banana cream pie that forces you to sit on the couch with it on your lap shoveling directly into your mouth. Or cookies so good guest slip handfuls of them into their coat pockets on the way out door. I’m not sure what gives a dessert this magical power, but over the years I’ve found a few that can really get the job done.

I love Pot de Crème. I like the small individual portions, but more importantly I love the creamy silky texture. I usually make vanilla pot de crème and top it with what ever fruit is in season, but this time I decided to experiment with some spices and see how it turned out. I lucked out this time. They were much better than last summers jasmine tea pot de crème.

1 C heavy cream
11/3C whole milk
6 egg yokes
2/3C sugar
1T vanilla extract or two vanilla beans
1T cinnamon
1tsp ground ginger
1/4tsp ground clove
pinch of salt

Set oven to 325. In a sauce pan heat the cream and milk with the spices. Bring it up to almost a boil then turn it off and let it steep. In a stand mixer whisk the eggs yokes and sugar together on high speed for about 3 minutes until it falls in thick ribbons. Then on low speed slowly add the hot milk and cream. Add the vanilla and salt. Pour the entire mixture through a strainer into a large measuring cup or pitcher. The measuring cup makes it a lot easier to pour the cream into the ramekins. In a roasting pan arrange 8 ovenproof cups or ramekins. Evenly fill each of the cups with the strained cream mixture. Add hot water to the roasting pan coming up about halfway up the cups. Cover the whole pan with aluminum foil and bake it in the oven for 25 minutes. Once the custard is set take them out and cool them in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours.

Sometimes you end up with little bubbles on the surface of the custard so I always like to top them off with a dollop of whip cream before I serve them. This time I happened to find a batch of incredibly dark caramel that Peter had made earlier in the week, so I topped each pot de crème with a thin layer of caramel. I also whipped up a batch of pecan short bread to put on the side.

Thanksgiving warm up

2007-10-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

It’s getting to be the time of year when all of our food magazines have turkeys on the cover. I always get so excited with all of the different Thanksgiving vignettes they offer up. Southern, South of the boarder, Armenian, Modernist Loft Thanksgiving… You get the point, but every year when it comes down to the big day everyone wants traditional. So we decided that for this weeks Sunday dinner we would try out some of those alternative Thanksgiving dishes that we’ve been eyeing. The more we talked about the wilder our ideas got. We were headed towards lacquering a turkey with a balsamic glaze, but then we fell under the charms of that dreamy Todd English. We came upon a classic episode of Martha Stewart where she and Todd deboned, stuffed and rolled a turkey. By the time we settled in on a final menu we weren’t able to get to far from traditional, but it will still be great. Here’s what’s on the menu for tonight. Deboned, Stuffed Turkey, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Turkey gravy, Oyster stuffing, Roasted Brussel Sprouts and for dessert Spiced Pot de Crème with Pecan Shortbread. Deboning a Turkey is kind of gory, a little bit scary and entirely satisfying. I stood back and took pictures as Peter methodically cut the carcass away from the flesh of the turkey. Half way through it looked like it might be a mess, but then it laid out in one large piece.
After we deboned the turkey and pounded it out a bit we filled it with a stuffing made with ground turky and pork. Right before it was done we brushed the skin with reduced balsamic vinigar. It gave the turkey a rich glossy skin.

Appetizers, Cocktails and Roller Derby

2007-10-23T15:40:00.001-07:00

We had the opportunity to see the final championship of the Rose City Rollers. We were there support one of Nick’s coworkers. I have to say that I was rather skeptical about this roller derby. In my mind I conjured up something between the state fair and American Gladiator. It turned out to be one of the best evenings out we’ve had in a long time. Good clean fun.
Before we headed off to the roller derby everyone stopped by our house for cocktails and appetizers. We made a couple of “easy but goodies” that we think all of you will like. The spread included Roasted Vegetables with White Bean Humus, Prosciutto Wrapped Gorgonzola with Figs and Roasted Tomato Goat Cheese Crustini.

My Roots

2007-10-19T16:41:00.000-07:00

When I was five we moved onto Wind hover Farm. It was a beautiful farm where we raised Black Angus. At the height of our production we had about one hundred head of a cattle roaming around our place. It was idyllic, and it was a lot of hard work. As an eight year old spending my Saturdays knee high in cow muck was never very pleasing idea. But growing up with these animals gave me a deep appreciation of what it takes to bring an incredible piece of meat to the table.

This weekend we were all down at the Metolious River and my dad brought down twelve beautiful choice rib eye steaks. He grilled them on the Webber and I prepared the other dishes. At dinner he gave a little tutorial about how to grill a great Rib eye steak. I love those little moments.

The picture above is my dad on the left with my uncle Jim and steaks in the foreground.

Mt. Hood's fall bounty

2007-10-09T19:33:00.000-07:00

You know what they say…Crudités, gone tomorrow.

2007-10-07T17:08:00.001-07:00

Ok, I know it’s corny. So this Sunday we got invited to our good friends Tucker and Gerald’s house for dinner. We were supposed to bring some nibbly things for before dinner. We were trying to think up what to make. I thought it would be fun to make a little challenge. I’ve noticed that every time I go to the store I end up spending sixty bucks even when I’m just making a simple meal for myself. So the challenge was to create a snack platter for less than $20. I realize that this sounds stupid because you should be able to cook a whole meal for $20, but here’s what we came up with.
We made Hummus, Baba ghanouj, oven toasted pita bread and crudités, which included Snow Peas, Fennel and Belgiun Endive.

Farmers Market Update Oct. 6th

2007-10-06T11:29:00.000-07:00

This week you could really feel fall kick in. This morning was damp and light was cool grey. The feeling at the market today was distinctly different. A couple booths were gone and the crowd was a little thinner. But something there was something new….Squash.

Bar Crudo

2007-09-29T12:22:00.000-07:00

I get really excited when I discover a new restaurant that is creating food that’s truly unique. It’s even better when it’s in a charming space with, with great service. Last night we went out to Bar Crudo. The menu features a large variety of seafood prepared in some classic methods and then some incorporating a fusion of styles and flavors.

We started of with a plate of Kushi and Ninigret oysters with a classic mignonette . That was followed with the crudo sampler platter. Crudo is an Italian style sashimi, or as I like to describe it Italian sushi. My favorite was the Artic Char set on a creamy horseradish sauce and topped with wasabi tobiko. The other stand out was sea scallop on corn puree topped with lobster mushroom. With each of the crudo you got to experience a different flavor and texture of seafood. After the crudo we got two amazing dishes. The San Sebastian was my favorite of the night. This dish was sort of like a Spanish reinvention of a nicoise salad. Arranged beautifully on the plate were roasted red peppers, asparagus tossed in a orange vinaigrette or agramato oil, olives, capers, manchego, a slice of grilled bread and soft boiled egg. All of this was the base for an incredibly succulent piece of tuna confit. This dish incited a fork fight for every last morsel. This dish was the perfect example of being sophisticated without being fussy. We finished off the meal with a bowl of seafood chowder. I can only describe the chowder as pure perfection.

Bar Crudo is everything I love in a great restaurant, inventive, sophisticated, unpretentious and charming.

Bar Crudo

603 Bush st.

San Francisco, CA 94018

415 956 0396

That Cowgirl Cheamery is a very fine cheese

2007-09-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

This morning I met up with my foodie friend Kent from Portland. He just happened to be in San Francisco on the same weekend. We thought it would be fun to go check out the Ferry building farmers market. It was a great combination of produce stands that set up each morning and permanent food stalls selling cheeses, bread, olive oils and such. One of my favorite cheese producers had a large stall. I love the smell of a cheese shop. They smell kind of gross and seductive all at the same time.

You can order their cheeses online. So next time you're having a party order some up.

Tartine Bakery and Cafe

2007-09-28T15:42:00.001-07:00

I'm in San Francisco this weekend for a much needed vacation. My friend Jeff has been gracious enough to let me crash at his apartment on Balboa overlooking the bay. I’m only here for a couple of days so I really want to take advantage of my time and hit as many restaurants and bakeries as I can. I have a feeling this weekend is going to be like my last trip to New York; 5 restaurants in 15 hours. Don’t worry I’m a pro…

Going in I had really high expectations. We’re lucky enough in Portland to have some incredible bakeries so I was ready to compare Tartine with Kens and The Pearl. I’m here to say that Tartine is magic. Getting there was a little tricky. It’s located near 16^th and Mission, which is where I got off the BART. That is a stop I would recommend avoiding. I’m down with methadone clinics, but even I was scared for a minute. Anywho… One block over and the neighborhood is charming. If you’re from Portland, just think Hawthorn Blvd.

Lets get down to business. Tartine is amazing! I got there around 11am and the line stretched out the door. That is a good sign. Inside it felt very comfortable and the place was running like a well oiled machine. The display case was beautiful and I had a hard time narrowing it down. I decided on two very different items. The first was the Croque Monsieur, which I thought would be a great way to compare it with other bakeries or bistros. The second item I got was the Coconut Cream Tart. This item was suggested to me by a member of Portlandfood.org. Oh, and not to be ignored was a perfectly prepared latte, which was served in what I might describe as a cereal bowl. It worked…

The Croque Monsieur was great. They use a tender country bread layered with béchamel, gruyere, thyme, Niman ranch ham and seasonal vegetables. This dish is so popular at Tartine that they make entire sheet pans filled with them and they are devoured within minutes.

Now for the Coconut Cream Tart. All I can say is that it was one of the loveliest things I have every eaten. .!. This crust was impossibly crispy and flakey. The crust was then coated with a thin layer of chocolate which gave it a crunch like a dipped cone from dairy queen. It also served as a protective barrier to keep the coconut cream from turning the pasty soft. I think there was some caramel in there as well, but it’s not part of the official description of the tart. It was topped with whipped cream and large shavings of toasted coconut. This tart is what it’s all about. They took something great and made it lovely and ephemeral.

If I’m lucky I will make it back a couple more times this weekend. If not I’ll be taking a hard look at the cookbook and replicating some the dishes myself.

Gifts from Friends

2007-09-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

Our good friends John and Dennis gave us a beautiful King Bolete mushroom that they foraged up at Mt. Hood. The King Bolete is like a giant porcini mushroom. Giant! Peter and I were so excited we couldn’t wait to make something with the giant mushroom. We were up at our friend Terri’s cabin this weekend, and being up in the forest inspired us to make Papardelle pasta with mush King Bolete mushrooms sauce. Thanks to the great gifts from our friends, we and a really incredible dinner up at the mountain. We were really fortunate to have the King Bolete mushroom, but you could make this same dish with store bought porcini mushrooms.

We didn’t have our food processor with us so we rolled up our sleeves and made the pasta by hand. Fresh handmade pasta is so incredible that I really want to encourage you to try it for yourself. It’s just as fast as using hard pasta and its so much better. My first time wasn’t perfect, but after making it a couple of times with Peter I really got the hang for it and now I’m never going back. I know that everyone isn’t as fortunate as I am to have Peter as an in house kitchen coach, but I’m telling you pasta is pretty easy and learning how is well worth it.

Basic Pasta Recipe

3 ½ C flour
4 eggs
1 ½ T olive oil

Mushroom Sauce
2oz dried wild mushrooms
1 C hot water
¼ lb cut into lardoons
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 shallot, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
½ C red wine
1 C reserved mushroom water
1 ½ C chicken or beef broth
1 C heavy cream

½ C parmesan cheese, grated

Make a well with the flour, crack the four eggs into the center and add the olive oil.

Using a fork slowly pull the flour in from the sides of the bowl and mix it with the eggs. Once it starts to come together start kneading it. Here is were you want to inlist a dinner guest. You need to knead the the dry dough for about ten minutes untill it becomes a seemless single ball that is soft and pliable.
After kneading it wrap it in some plastic wrap and let it rest while you get everything else ready.

We ran the pasta through the pasta machine to the thinnest setting. I cut the sheets into 12" sections, rolled them up and then cut the rolls into 1/2" noodles. Use a little corn meal or flour to keep the noodles from sticking. At this point we started the water and salted it well.

In a large saute pan you are going to start the mushroom sauce.

Peter will fill this section tomorrow.

mmmmm.

Sunday Dinner Spectacular

2007-09-16T17:06:00.000-07:00

Well I’m off for a soul crushing week in Las Vegas. I have a trade show to go to. The trade show doesn’t really bother me, it’s the week of club sandwiches and buffalo wings that I hate. So Peter and I decided we needed a extra special Sunday night dinner. Tonight we’re having grilled leg of lamb, roast beets with orange and fennel, grill radicchio treviso with apple cider vinaigrette, fingerling potatoes roasted in duck fat and pear hazelnut upside down cake. I think this meal just might just hold me over till next weekend.

Duck Fried Potatoes

Duck fried potatoes are just mind blowing. If you go to a good butcher or deli they should have duck fat available. They might not advertise it so just ask. You just need a little bit so it’s really quite cheap and it can take a dish to a whole new level.

¼C duck fat
4 cloves garlic
1 medium yellow onion sliced
2 lbs fingerling potatoes

heat the duck fat on high heat until shimmering. Add the onions, garlic and potatoes; spread into one layer. Sauté 5- 10 minutes until they start to caramelize. You’ll be tempted to stir them, but don’t. Don’t fuss with them, just let them be. Walk away. After 5-10 minutes they’ll begin to caramelize. Add 2 cups beef stock. Cover the skillet and leave the lid askew so the liquid can evaporate. Leave on medium high heat until the liquid evaporates. You will start to hear the potatoes start to fry again. Continue fry until a deep dark caramelized crust forms. Finish with sea salt , pepper, parmesano reggiano, and minced Italian parsley. Quack..That’s Duck for mmmmm.
When it came time for dessert someone asked for more potatoes instead of ice cream …

Roasted beats with orange and fennel

5 large beets
2 oranges
1 small fennel bulb
1T kosher salt

dressing
1 shallot diced
1 T Dijon mustard
4 T red wine vinegar
3 T orange agrimato you can substitute olive oil
salt
pepper

shaved parmesan for garnish.
Preheat oven to 400. In a baking dish dowse the beets with olive oil and salt and pepper. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and roast for 1 and ½ hours until tender. Once they have cooled, rub the skins off and cut them into bite size pieces. Segment the oranges. Thinly slice the fennel. Season with salt. Dress with the vinaigrette and garnish with parmesan.

While I’m in Las Vegas I’m going to go searching for some amazing pastries. Las Vegas has become a Pastry Mecca in the US. The combination of lots of hotels and low humidity makes it a great place for pastry chefs. I’ll let you know what I find.

Farms Market Update Sept. 15th

2007-09-15T11:14:00.000-07:00

This week there was a chill in the air as I headed to the market. It’s the first hint of fall. I’ve been thinking about making a pear upside down cake all week. Well I lucked out this week because I found the first Bartlett pears of the season. So I’m off to the kitchen to whip up some magic.

Pear Hazelnut upside down cake

This cake has a great savory taste and a delicate crumb. This cake combines all of my favorite flavors into a truly satisfying dessert. The nice thing about this cake is that is perfect for after dinner, the next morning for breakfast or an afternoon snack, but I wouldn’t count on it lasting that long.

¾ C unsalted butter
2 bartlett pear, cored and cut into ¼” slices
1 ¼ C sugar
1 C hazelnuts, toasted and chopped.
1T thyme
1/3 C bourbon
½ C brown sugar
3 eggs
1T vanilla
11/2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
2 C flour
3/4C plain yogurt

Preheat oven to 350.
In a buttered 9” cake pan arrange the pear slices in a pattern and set aside.

In a 10” pan (no non stick) bring the1 cup sugar and ½ cup water to a boil. Lower the temperature to simmer and let it boil away until it turns to a nice caramel golden color. Stir in half of the nuts, thyme and salt. With the pan off the heat stir in the bourbon. Pour over the pears.
Cream the butter, brown sugar and the remaining ¼ cup of granulated sugar. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat in the vanilla, baking powder and baking soda. Add the flour and the yogurt. Stir in the remaining hazelnuts. Spoon the thick batter over the pears and bake for 45 minutes. When it’s done let it rest for a couple of minutes and flip it onto a cake platter.

Tell us what you think

2007-09-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

We don't even know who is reading this blog. We're just getting started, so feel free to let us know what you think in the comments. Have you tried a recipe and found something better? Are we full of crap? Was it good? A comment from a reader helped us settle the crisp, betty, buckle conundrum, who knows what else can be done...let us know!

Chiles Rellenos are a Gift from the Goddess

2007-09-10T21:58:00.000-07:00

Sunday dinner this week featured some of our precious tomatoes. I took some of the fresh tomato sauce and dressed it up with sauteed onions, garlic, and serrano chilies given to Keith from his brother-in-law Bruce. I added some Mexican dried oregano, cumin and cayenne, and voila! Mexican tomato sauce. It was great with chiles rellenos.

8 pasilla (or anaheim) chiles
2 lbs. shredded cheese, your choice
10 eggs
lots of canola oil for frying

First, you need to roast and peel the chiles. Scorch them on a gas flame, or broil 2" from element, turning until all sides are blackened.

Remove pan from oven, cover with a towel, parchment, or foil and allow to steam for at least 10 minutes.

Once the chilies have cooled, peel them very carefully, making sure to leave the stem intact. I found that not picking them up helps to achieve this. After peeling, carefully cut a small slit in one side and scrape out the seeds. If there's a couple seeds left in there, no worries. Don't dig to get them all out. You want the chile to keep its integrity, since you will be stuffing it and frying it.

Stuff each chili with the cheese, as full as you can make it with out it losing its shape. If the chile has broken, grasp the whole thing and squeeze together to make a seal. Set aside.

To prepare the batter, separate eggs and whip the whites to soft peaks. Whisk the yolks in a separate bowl until they begin to thicken. Fold the whites in until incorporated. Keep in refrigerator until it's time to fry.

Heat oil in a large pan to 350-375 degrees. I used a large electric skillet to help regulate the temperature. In batches, dip stuffed chiles in batter until coated. The coating should be about 1/4" thick. Fry until golden brown, turning as necessary. Remove to a pan lined in paper bags or paper towels, and keep in low oven (180 degrees) until all are done. Ladle tomato sauce onto a plate or platter, and lay chile rellenos on top, garnishing with more cheese, minced red onion, scallions, cilantro, or whatever suits your fancy. Make a lot, because they go fast!

Fresh Tomato Sauce

2007-09-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

I always plant Roma tomatoes in the garden, because they are so versatile. They also have a high yield, so they lend themselves to making sauce. I picked about ten pounds of tomatoes out of the garden yesterday, and it's impossible even for piggies like us to eat all of them before they go bad. Last year, I peeled them and froze them, and I just threw them out because I never used them. This year, it's all about fresh tomato sauce.

To make the sauce, you need to peel the tomatoes. In French technical terms this is called concasse (kon ka say). To start, remove the stems, wash, and cut an X on the bottom of the tomatoes.

Put tomatoes in rapidly boiling water in batches for 1 minute.

Remove to an ice bath to cool and shrink the skins.

Then, the skins come right off.

Once you have done this, you can simply can them, or chop them and put in pasta or in a salad. In this case, I pureed them in a food processor, pressed them through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds, and simmered the sauce in a heavy bottomed dutch oven for 3 hours until it had reduced by 2/3. The resulting tomato sauce bursts with fresh tomato taste. Tonight we'll be using this sauce as a base for chile rellenos. Stay tuned!

Cherry Tomato Confit

2007-09-09T10:35:00.001-07:00

So now that we have tomatoes coming out of our ears, it's time to start doing something with them. This year, we have three heirloom tomatoes for slicing and eating: green zebra, West Virginia hillbilly, and German yellow. Two roma plants are going to provide great tomatoes for sauce and a gargantuan Sweet 100 cherry tomato plant has yielded about three gallons of cherry tomatoes so far. Once we have eaten all the cherry tomatoes we can handle, the next step is to preserve the cherry tomatoes, since they go rotten pretty fast.

I prefer to roast them in the oven in about 1/4" of olive oil to "confit" them. Arrange washed cherry tomatoes on a sheet pan, generously season with salt and pepper, sprinkle over some fresh herbs (I used thyme and oregano from the garden), and pour over olive oil until you have about 1/4" in the pan. The tomatoes and herbs will also flavor the oil, which you can use for cooking. Roast in a 300 degree oven until they are starting to carmelize, 2-3 hours.

These will keep in the refrigerator for about a week. Use them on everything: toast, in pasta, a spoonful on your mouth, anything! When we were sailing, we grilled some shrimp in the shell until they were rare, peeled them, then finished sauteeing them in a pan with these tomatoes and oil, and they were to die for!

Easy Shredded Pork for Tacos

2007-09-08T11:43:00.000-07:00

So, we've talked up achiote as a magic spice mixture (see pulled pork from last May). When we bought the achiote for cinco de mayo, Keith also picked up some green achiote, which is made from pumpkin seeds instead of the bright red annato seeds in the red achiote. I used it to make some slow-cooked shredded pork in the crock pot. The result was magical. Achiote can be picked up at your local Mexican market, and comes in a small brick.

5 lbs. pork shoulder, cut into 2" pieces
canola oil
1 package green achiote
1 c. water

Heat oil on hight heat in a large non-stick skillet. Add pork in batches, taking care not to crowd pan, and saute until well-browned. Remove pork to crock pot. Add water and achiote to pan, deglaze, and stir until achiote is dissolved. Pour liquid over pork, stir, and cook on low heat 6-8 hours. Stir pork to shred, allowing the shredded pork to absorb excess liquid. Serve on tacos with your favorite garnish.

Bountiful Harvest!

2007-09-08T11:38:00.000-07:00

This is the third round of tomatoes from the garden, and they are just getting started. This is my favorite food item of the summer!

Potato Salad

2007-09-08T09:12:00.000-07:00

Forget mayonnaise-laden, boiled egg, celery and crappy paprika-dusted potato salad. Sure it has its place, but this version is bright, simple, and tangy. Tarragon takes center stage to give this potato salad a perfumy fragrance. The liberal use of vinegar makes it tangy. I used to make this potato salad at the Gotham Building Coffee Shop, so props to them for such a versatile salad that goes with anything!

2 lbs. new potatoes
1 cup pickled red onions (see below)
1/2 to 3/4 c. sherry vinaigrette (see earlier post)
red wine vinegar
several sprigs picked tarragon leaves

Halve or quarter potatoes to make 3/4" bite-size pieces. Cover with cold water by one inch, add a generous 1/4 cup of kosher salt. Bring to a boil, turn off heat, and let sit until potatoes are tender, 20-30 minutes. Arrange on a sheet pan, and while potatoes are still hot, sprinkle over red wine vinegar until they have absorbed plenty of vinegar. Pour vinaigrette, onions, and tarragon over potatoes and mix together.

For pickled red onions:
1 large or 2 small red onions
1/4 c. sugar
2 T kosher salt
1 cup water
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. pickling spice

Cut onions in half and slice thin, less than 1/8". Reserve in a large bowl. In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, salt, water and vinegar. Bring to a boil and pour over onions. Put pickling spices, in a tea strainer, in mixture and let sit at least 30 minutes. Use to top sandwiches, salads, or anything else that needs it!

Chilaquiles (chee la kee lays)

2007-09-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

If you have some leftover salsa and tortilla chips, this is the best breakfast. The chips soften slightly in the eggs and topped with some sour cream and scallions, it comes close to perfection. They are very filling, so a little goes a long way.

leftover salsa
leftover tortilla chips
shredded cheddar cheese
4 eggs, beaten
olive oil

for garnish:
sliced scallions
diced red onion
sour cream
cilantro
hot sauce

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet until quite hot and smoking. Add several large handfuls of chips and toss to coat. Push the chips to the edge to reveal a small hole in the middle of the pan. Add the eggs, and stir to scramble until about halfway done. Begin mixing and tossing into the chips, coating and softening some of them. When the eggs are just cooked, toss in some cheese and pile onto plates. Garnish with more cheese, scallions, red onion, sour cream, cilantro and hot sauce. Serves two.

The Portland Public Market

2007-09-07T10:53:00.000-07:00

There is a great need in Portland for a year round indoor public market. We are so blessed to have beautiful fresh produce, artisan bakeries and incredible restaurants in Portland, but one thing that is missing is a permanent public market to showcase our wonderful bounty. Right now there is a movement to bring a market to the Union Station downtown. This is the time that it really needs support in order to get off the ground. I would encourage all of you to check out their website and go to their upcoming events.

Admiral Tucker's San Juan Blue Margarita

2007-08-31T13:17:00.000-07:00

We're all headed up to the San Juans for what might just be the best vacation ever. Our friend Tucker is taking us out on the 46' Esprit de Mer. We'll be sailing around the San Juans taking in the sights and living the good life. Not bad.

For this weekend we came up with a signiture cocktail in honor of our Captian. I love margaritas, but they can be kind of messy to make. The last thing I wanted was a sticky cabin full of lime juice and simple syrup. The nice thing about this recipe is that it uses Blue Curacao which replaces the need for simple syrup. So one less chance to make a big sticky mess.

Combine all of these ingredients in a pitcher and serve in a salted tumbler with ice.

2 parts tequila
1 part triple sec
1 part blue curacao
1 part fresh squeezed lime juice. (absolutely no lime syrup)
lime wedges for garnish

ps. Drink responsibly and don't drink and sail.

Harvest Dinner

2007-08-26T22:27:00.000-07:00

My favorite meal of the whole week is hands down Sunday Dinner. I grew up in a family that ate dinner every night at the table, but Sunday was always the best. Sunday usually meant pot roast with mashed potatoes and gravy. Peter and I will start mulling over our options before we head to the market Saturday morning. Usually by that afternoon our plan has changed a couple of times, but eventually we settle in on a meal. We call our friends over and enjoy our family supper.

This week was about celebrating the summer harvest. We had corn stewed in tomato sauce, potatoes in romesco, green beans with cherry tomatoes dressed in aioli and pork tenderloin with bell peppers and vinegar.

This week my aunt Julene hosted an equally delicious Harvest Dinner out at her home in the country. It was great sitting out under the trees eating a table my grandfather built back in the 1950s. Hopefully everyone will have a chance this weekend to really enjoy the bounty of the summer.

Barbecue Beef Ribs

2007-08-25T11:51:00.000-07:00

I love barbecued beef ribs. I'm making these for my cousins birthday. I decided to make them with two different sauces. The first one is a coke cola barbecue sauce and the second is Dijon mustard glaze. But first the ribs are going to be roasted with a garlic soy marinade. The ribs are roasted for two hours until they are tender and almost fall off the bone. After they are cooled I slice between the bones and brush them with the barbecue sauces before putting them on the grill to finish. mmmmmmmmm

Huckleberry Scones

2007-08-25T11:40:00.000-07:00

This morning at the market I found tart shiny huckleberries. I got several pints knowing that I’ll make a couple of different things. When I got back to the house I decided to make Huckleberry Scones. These scones aren’t like the hard dense scones you get at a coffee shop. They are light crumbly and melt in your mouth. You can use this recipe as a base and add different ingredients to make other scones. This recipe comes from my aunt Nancy. To keep the huckleberries from turning the scones purple I freeze them and dust them in flour before I fold them into the dough.

Scones
2 C flour
1/3 C sugar
2 t baking powder
1/8 t salt
1/3 C butter
1 egg
1 t vanilla
½ C cream
½ C huckleberries

1 egg for wash

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Dust the huckleberries and put them in the freezer. Combine the dry ingredients and cut the butter into them as you would if you were making a pie. Mix together vanilla, cream, and egg, then combine with the dry ingredients using a fork. Don’t over mix the dough. Add in the frozen huckleberries. Knead the soft dough briefly on a well-floured surface. Then pat into a 7” disk with edges tapering down so that the highest point is in the center.Place the disc on a cookie sheet and cut it into eight wedges. Separate them from each other by ½” . Brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown.

So what’s the difference?

2007-08-22T16:02:00.000-07:00

Last week I made a peach cobbler and it sparked a question from one of our readers. “I'm curious as to what is the difference between a cobbler, grunt or a buckle? I have heard all of these terms describing what appears to be the same thing.”

I passed the question on to the reference librarian at Multnomah County Library. Let me just say, they Rock! You can call up and ask just about anything and in a couple of days, boom, you’ve got answers and source material. So I want to give a special shout out to Pauline for the help finding this info. Here is the basic breakdown, but there is more info at these links. It’s definitely worth checking out.
http://www.grit.com/comfort-food/2006-09-01/
http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/CobblerHistory.htm

Betty – A baked pudding or casserole made of alternate layers of fruit, tossed with sugar and spices, and breadcrumbs. Apple Brown Betty made with brown sugar is the best-known betty.
Buckle – A buckle is like a single layer cake; Blueberry Buckle is the best known of the old recipes, but any berry can be used. Buckles most often have crumb toppings.
Crumble – This British sweet is made by covering raw fruit with a crumbly pastry mixture before baking. The crumble often contains oats and nuts, in addition to flour, butter and sugar.
Cobbler – A deep-dish fruit dessert covered with a rich biscuit dough. The fruit is generally thickened with a little cornstarch or flour. Dough is cut into biscuits and the rounds are laid on top.
Crisp – Prepared in a shallow dish with fruit on the bottom and the crisp on top, a crisp can be made with any fruit and usually has a bit of flour or cornstarch added for thickening.
Flummery – A pudding made from stewed fruit, generally thickened with cornstarch, most often berries, sometimes with milk or cream. Grunt – An old-fashioned dessert from New England, usually made with berries or apples. The fruit is stewed with sugar and a soft biscuit dough is dropped.
Slump — See Grunt.

So I'm currious to know what everyones favorite is. I think mine is a crisp.

Carrot Cake

2007-08-16T16:16:00.000-07:00

The quintessential carrot cake. When ever I make this cake it gets rave reviews. The pineapple makes it moist and tart. I’m making it for a birthday party this weekend. I like to make it for when I know there is going to be a large crowd. This recipe comes from Nick Malgieri’s Perftect Cakes. This is a cookbook that everyone should add to their collection. In fact I would go so far as to say get any of his cookbooks. Nick is a professional instructor so the recipes are very clear. Every year on the food network they replay an episode of Sarah’s Secrets where he makes a Bouche de Noel. It’s a great episode and I watch it every year.

Cake batter
2 C all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
4 large eggs
2 C sugar
1 ½ C vegetable oil
2 C finely grated carrots
8oz crushed pineapple in juice
¾ C pecans, coarsely chopped

Cream Cheese Icing
12oz cream cheese, softened
12 T unsalted butter, softened
1T vanilla extract
6 C powdered sugar sifted after measuring
1C pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

You will need three 9” cake rounds

1. Set the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees.
2. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in a bowl.
Whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the sugar and continue whisking briefly until light , about one minute. Whisk the oil in a slow stream.
3. Stir in the carrots, the pineapple with its juice, and the pecans then fold in the dry ingredients. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the tops.
4. Bake for about 45 minutes, switching the position of the pans top and bottom and back and to front, once during baking, until the cake layers are firm and golden and a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean.
5. Cool the cake in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto racks to finish cooling
6. To make the icing, in the bowl of a heavy mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla on medium speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar. Once all the sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes longer.
7. To assemble the cake, place one layer on a platter or a cardboard round and spread with one third of the icing. Top with another layer and spread with another third of the icing. Place the last layer on top, bottom side up. Frost the top and sides with the remaining icing. Sprinkle the toasted pecan pieces on top of the cake and press into the sides.

I'll ad pictures on Saturday.

Peach Berry Cobbler

2007-08-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

I’ve finally decided what to make with the gorgeous peaches I got last week at the farmers market. Peach Cobbler. I went back to the market and picked up some strawberries and blackberries to add to the fruit. The cobbler topping is a thin dumpling batter that bakes up into a moist soft top.

This recipe came about from making a topping that was just thin enough to slip between the pieces of fruit and cook in the juices, steaming to a perfect soft dumpling finish. Some of the batter stays on top of the fruit, where it is dusted with sugar and bakes up into a wonderful crunchy foil to the tender filling.

Filling
6 peaches sliced
1 pint strawberries halved
1 pint black berries
juice and zest of one lemon
½ C sugar
¼ tsp almond extract

Dumpling Topping

3 large eggs
½ C whole milk
3T butter melted
5T sour cream
1tsp vanilla extract
1 ¾ C all purpose flour
6T sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt

3T cinnamon sugar for topping

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 9 x 13” baking dish.

To make the filling slice the peaches into a large bowl, combine with the berries, lemon zest and juice, sugar and almond extract and mix well using your hands. Transfer the fruit to the prepared baking dish.

To make the dumpling topping combine the eggs milk, butter, sour cream and vanilla and whisk together in a large bowl. In a second bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and whisk just until combined.

Spoon the batter over the fruit in an even layer. Some will sink in between the fruit and some will remain on top. Sprinkle the top with the cinnamon sugar. Bake the cobbler on the middle rack of the oven. Place a lined sheet pan on the rack bellow to catch the drippings. Bake for one hour. To test for doneness use a knife to peek into the topping to check the crumb structure to see if it has baked through. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature with ice cream, whipped cream or cream anglaise.

This recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, Tartine by Elisabeth m Prueitt and Chad Robertson. They have a famous bakery down in San Francisco. I’m taking a eating trip down to the bay area next month and Tartine is one of the places I’m planning on visiting. I’ll give a full report after my trip.

Farmers Market Update, August 11th

2007-08-11T10:25:00.000-07:00

This week there were beautiful artichokes at the market. I didn't get any, but I'm going to figure out what to make with them. I'll get some next week.

Farmers Market Update, August 4th

2007-08-05T21:08:00.000-07:00

This week peaches really hit their stride. There is a booth at the NE Sandy Blvd farmers market with two beautiful women who sell great peaches with a line that stretches twenty people deep. There is something kind of magical about the peach sisters with their pink cheeks and blonde hair. They could be an ad campaign for the healthy farmers life.

Now I just need to dream up the perfect peach dessert.

Make it Work

2007-07-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

This is why I love cooking. With two cooks in the kitchen some things can go wrong. The fun part is dealing with problems and making it work.

Farmers Market Update, July 21st

2007-07-21T14:27:00.000-07:00

So this week the market was just crazy. Peter and I hit both the down town market and the one on Sandy Blvd. We're having a dinner party tonight so we did a little west side shopping which included City Market, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Sur la Table and both markets. We found some great stuff this week. There were some beautiful tomatoes. Then at the Persephone Farm booth I found some gorgeous radicchio. It would be great cut into wedges and grilled. mmmm. We also found some great squash blossoms. I filled them with goat cheese and fried them in tempura batter. LOVE.

Boccone Estivo

2007-07-20T14:36:00.000-07:00

I’m working on a dessert for a big dinner that Peter and I are catering next week. I wanted to make something that would be light, full of fresh summer berries and easy to transport. I’ve decided to take my inspiration from one of my all time favorite cakes. The Boccone Dolce made at Papa Hayden. The cake consist of three layers of swiss meringue drizzled with semi-sweet chocolate, layered with fresh fruit and chantilly cream. The problem with this cake is that it’s very tall and pretty much impossible to cut and serve. Every time I attempt it I end up piling heaps of crushed meringue with fruit and whipped cream on to dessert plates. It’s always delicious, but not very pretty. So my challenge is to reinvent this cake into a gorgeous single serving desert that will profoundly satisfying and have a certain WOW factor.

I think one of the aspects of this desert that is very satisfying is the contrast in textures and flavors that it offers. There is the crisp meringue, then the velvety soft whipped cream and finally tart fresh fruit. I’m going to kick up this contrast between the whipped cream and the fruit. I’m going to add dollops of tart lemon cream along with Marion berry coulis. I think I’ll call it Boccone Estivo, translation: A mouthful of summer. If that’s wrong you can blame my terrible Italian professor in college.

For the lemon cream I’ll use this recipe which I call Ultra Lux Lemon Curd.
This recipe comes from Baking: From My Home to Yours By Dorie Greenspan.

1 C sugar
grated zest of 3 lemons
4 large eggs
¾ C fresh lemon juice
2 sticks plus 5 T unsalted butter, room temperature

Getting Ready: Have an instant-read thermometer, a strainer and a blender (first choice) or food processor at hand. Bring a few inches of water to a simmer in a saucepan.
1. Put the sugar and zest in a large heatproof bowl that can be set over the pan of simmering water. Off the heat, rub the sugar and zest together between your fingers until the sugar is moist, grainy and very aromatic. Whisk in the eggs, followed by the lemon juice.
2. Set the bowl over the pan and start stirring with the whisk as soon as the mixture feels tepid to the touch. Cook the lemon cream until it reaches 180 degrees F. As you whisk—you must whisk constantly to keep the eggs from scrambling—you'll see that the cream will start out light and foamy, then the bubbles will get bigger, and then, as it gets closer to 180 degrees F, it will start to thicken and the whisk will leave tracks. Heads up at this point—the tracks mean the cream is almost ready. Don't stop whisking or checking the temperature, and have patience—depending on how much heat you're giving the cream, getting to temp can take as long as 10 minutes.
3. As soon as it reaches 180 degrees F. remove the cream from the heat and strain it into the container of the blender (or food processor); discard the zest. Let the cream stand, stirring occasionally, until it cools to 140 degrees F, about 10 minutes.
4. Turn the blender to high (or turn on the processor) and, with the machine going, add the butter about 5 pieces at a time. Scrape down the sides of the container as needed as you incorporate the butter. Once the butter is in, keep the machine going—to get the perfect light, airy texture of lemon-cream dreams, you must continue to blend the cream for another 3 minutes. If your machine protests and gets a bit too hot, work in 1-minute intervals, giving the machine a little rest between beats.
5. Pour the cream into a container, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface to create an airtight seal and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. (The cream will keep in the fridge for 4 days or, tightly sealed, in the freezer for up to 2 months; thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.)

Making Fresh Pasta

2007-07-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

One of life's great miracles is fresh pasta. The secret is that it's actually very easy to make. When I was working at a restaurant, I learned a little secret that not a lot of chefs who make pasta in a restaurant ever tell you: it's not necessary to knead the dough if you let your food processor do it for you. You'll need a good quality food processor, a pasta rolling machine, and a little trial and error.

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (substitute semolina if you have it)
3 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
1 T exra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
cold water

Add flour to food processor. Pulse 2-3 times to break up lumps. Add eggs, yolks, olive oil and salt and turn processor on. Let process for about 60-90 seconds until the mixture looks like corn meal.

Slowly drizzle in cold water until dough pulls away from side of processor. Knead 1-2 minutes on a floured surface until the dough comes together.

Form into a ball, wrap in parchment paper or plastic wrap and rest in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Note: this is the time to make your sauce. When the sauce is done, it's time to roll out the dough. Also make sure to have a large pasta pot coming to the boil by this point. The pasta only has to boil for about a minute, so it goes fast when the noodles are ready!

Set up your pasta machine. Cut pasta dough into fourths. Re-wrap three so they won't dry out.

Flatten piece to be rolled, and pass through pasta machine on widest setting.

Fold in thirds, pass through again. Fold in thirds again and pass through a third time. Next, run sheet through each successive thinner setting once until you reach the thinnest level.

Cut the pasta to desired shape, or use sheets for ravioli. If the pasta sheet is sticky, lay over the back of two chairs or a standing laundry rack for about 30 minutes to dry out. Dough can be frozen for up to a week or in the fridge for a couple of days. You can also cut your pasta, form into nests, and freeze on a sheet pan wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap for a couple of weeks.

Tip: roll the pasta in corn meal to discourage sticking while you are cutting and form into nests on a sheet pan. When you boil it, the corn meal just settles to the bottom of the pan.

To incorporate into sauce, put pasta into a salted, boiling pot of water. Cover to return to boil, remove after 1-2 minutes or until just under al dente. Drain, add to sauce and cook until done, adding ladles of pasta water if the sauce is too tight. Garnish with fresh herbs and grated cheese.

Creamy Dreamy Ravioli

2007-07-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

I was recently watching Lidia's Family Table, my current Italian obsession television show on OPB. She made this pasta, and I had to make it right away. Lidia Bastianich has made a name for herself in the New York food scene by preparing authentic Italian fare in a way that is accessible to home cooks. The following ravioli recipe exalts in its simplicity. Ricotta, pasta, butter, and sage is all you need.

When I worked at clarklewis, they called this simple butter sauce creamy dreamy, and it truly is. The trick is to use pasta water, with all its wonderful starchy liquid, to emulsify the butter just prior to serving. You need a really good quality, heavy-bottomed pan to achieve the right level of heat to pull it off.

There's really no substitute for home made pasta, because it really is just as easy as using dried pasta. And it's better. You'll never go back.

1 recipe home made pasta, rolled into large sheets

1 16 oz. container whole milk ricotta

1 sprig fresh sage

1 egg

1 stick butter

extra virgin olive oil

grated Parmesano reggiano

salt and pepper

Add about a teaspoon of kosher salt to the ricotta and stir with a fork until combined. You could add some fresh herbs, chunks of fresh mozzarella, or anything to supplement the stuffing. Lay out one sheet of pasta, add generous tablespoons of cheese, spacing a few inches apart.

Paint a little egg wash along the edge and between the cheese. Crack some black pepper on filling and drizzle with a little olive oil. Cover with another sheet, and cut with pastry cutter to seal the seams. According to Lidia, don't push the air out of the ravioli, it helps make it floppy when you make the sauce and gives the ravioli nice crevices for the sauce to adhere to the pasta.

Bring a large pot of water to boil, season with 1/4 c. kosher salt per gallon. When the water is boiling, heat another heavy bottomed skillet to medium high. Add butter, swirling to melt, but don't let it brown. While the butter is melting, add the ravioli to the pasta water and stir.

When the butter is melted and beginning to bubble, add a ladleful or two of the pasta water, add sage, and turn heat to high. Let boil vigorously until the ravioli is just before al dente, about 90 seconds. Scoop ravioli out to skillet with a large spoon. It's okay if water comes with, it'll just help the sauce thicken more.

When all of the raviolis are in the skillet, vigorously shake pan back and forth to stir the sauce and allow to come up over edges of ravioli, about 30 seconds. Remove sage, add about 1/2 cup grated cheese and shake again. Remove ravioli to plates. Put sauce back on heat to thicken if needed, adding more pasta water if you want to loosen the sauce. You want it to be incorporated and silky, but not too watery. Ladle sauce over ravioli, crack some more pepper, season with salt and top with more cheese. YUM!

Farmers Market Update

2007-07-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

Every Saturday morning I like to get up early and have a cup of coffee and head of to the Portland Farmers Market. I try to get there right at 8am before it gets crowded. This gives me a chance to talk to the venders about what’s new that week. As spring and summer progress it’s fun to watch certain venders come and go depending on what’s available. This week was one of the weeks when we see a lot of new faces as we start to see the arrival of some serious fruits and vegetables. This week Blue Berries really hit their prime and I saw Marion Berries first time this summer.

I came across a new vender this week called Two Tarts artisan sweets for the soul. They had a beautiful display of mini cookies. They don’t have a permanent retail space yet, but they are looking for a location. Right now they sell their goods through Pasta works or City Market and the farmers market. You can also call and place orders. Their mini cookies are perfect for any party or reception. I got a baker’s dozen for $6. I got a good mix to sample: Chocolate chip, Coconut Oatmeal, Peanut butter and my favorite Lavender Shortbread.
To order call Two Tarts, Elizabeth Beekley 503 910 6694

About Vinaigrettes

2007-07-14T10:27:00.000-07:00

As you can see with the vinaigrette recipes below, there's a basic method you can vary for whatever you feel like making. There are many vinegars out there, and you can adjust the herbs to pair with your desired theme. For a french flair, use herbs de provence. For italian, use italian herbs. If you have leftover fresh herbs, by all means!

Here's a basic recipe for vinaigrette, adjust to you liking.

1/4 c. vinegar
1 T dijon mustard
1 T minced shallot
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. dried or fresh herbs
1 T honey
3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

The mustard acts to emulsify the dressing, preventing the oil and vinegar from separating. This recipe has a nice balance of salty, sweet and acidic flavors. The goal of a vinaigrette is, when you taste it, the acid of the vinegar tickles the back of your throat but doesn't make your mouth pucker!

Supplement the vinegar with citrus juices to brighten the dressing. If something seems to be missing, it probably needs more salt. To sweeten the dressing more (especially when using very bitter lettuces), add a little concentrated fruit juice puree, which will help balance the bitterness of greens like endive, frisee, escarole, arugula or raddicchio.

The Country Cat makes the Rotation

2007-07-14T07:26:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought that right off 82nd and Stark lurked a new up-and-coming restaurant row? Flying Pie Pizza has been churning pizza piled high with toppings and a toothsome crust for years on this hidden street in the shadow of Mount Tabor. Enter the Country Cat, a charming "dinnerhouse bar". While Keith was smitten with the chef, who was bouncing around the well-appointed and laid-back dining room in overalls, Nick and Peter enjoyed the view from the best seat in the house, an oversize table in the glass corner of the restaurant.

A mountain of thin-thin-thin onion rings accompanies a house-butchered burger (with house-made ketchup that admittedly left something to be desired). The burger is over all good, and the onion rings are addictive.

One of the house specialties is the whole hog, with rolled belly, brined chop & smoked shoulder. Keith liked the yummy sweet beans, which as is turns out are actually Bing cherries.

Things are pretty dialed in for a new restaurant, but with time the kinks (such as slightly underseasoned meat) will be worked out. We saw country ham and prosciutto curing in the cooler behind the bar, which our knowledgeable server says will be ready come Christmas. Speaking of service, it was unpretentious and attentive (our barometer is if we are asked if we need another drink before the current one is gone). Check it out!

The Country Cat
7937 SE Stark
Portland, OR 97215
503-408-1414
www.thecountrycat.net

Endive Salad with Blue Cheese, Walnuts and Champagne Vinaigrette

2007-07-12T15:26:00.000-07:00

I can't get over the magic of bitter greens. When paired with a bright, acidic vinaigrette, walnuts and funky, creamy blue cheese, this salad sings. Use any blue cheese you want, but Point Reyes Blue Cheese, if you can find it, evokes the wonderful terroir of Northern California.

1 lbs. belgian endive
1 lb. mixed greens
1 c. roasted walnuts
1/2 lb. crumbled Point Reyes blue cheese
1/4 c. champagne vinegar
1 T dijon mustard
1 t minced shallot
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. herbs de provence
1 T honey
3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Cut root end off endives and separate leaves. Roast walnuts in oven at 350 degrees until toasted but not burned. Watch them, they burn fast! In a blender, combine vinegar, mustard, shallot, crushed pepper, garlic, herbs de provence and honey. On high speed, add olive oil until combined, adding splashes of cold water if it gets too tight. Add salt and pepper to taste. In a large bowl, season endive and greens with a little salt, add just enough vinaigrette to coat, and toss. Pile on a platter, arrange walnuts and cheese on top and grind a little black pepper to taste.

Green Bean Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Fried Shallots

2007-07-12T15:19:00.000-07:00

This salad is the essence of summer. Bright green beans, plump cherry tomatoes and crunchy fried shallots shine in their simplicity. Use different colored tomatoes to give this salad a colorful flair.

2 lbs. blue lake green beans, cleaned and stems removed
1 lb. cherry tomatoes
1/2 lb. shallots
canola oil for frying
1/4 c. sherry vinegar
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp. dried italian herbs
2 T honey
3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Blanch green beans in plenty of salted water until crisp-tender, 1-2 minutes. Remove to ice water to shock and set color. Drain and set aside. Peel and cut shallots in half, then slice thin. Set aside about a tablespoon for vinaigrette. Heat canola oil to 350 degrees, and fry shallots in batches, taking care not to overload. Fry until golden brown, drain on paper bag and season with salt. Cut cherry tomatoes in half and set aside.

For vinaigrette: Combine vinegar, garlic, reserved shallot, crushed pepper, herbs, honey and mustard in a blender. Blend and slowly add olive oil until incorporated, adding a little cold water if it gets too thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Toss beans and tomatoes with vinaigreet and a little salt and pepper to taste. Pile high on a platter and garnish with the fried shallots.

It's mind blowingly good

2007-07-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

So enough praise has been heaped on Apizza Scholls, but you know what, it is just mind blowingly good.

Nick, Peter and I have a routine when we eat there. We ALWAYS order the same thing. We get the Tartufo Bianco and the Amanda’s Amore. It’s the perfect combo. They are so good I can’t even put it into words. In fact I’m often moved to doing the happy dance it’s so good.
I’m trying to post about it now, but we just got back and I’m in a pizza coma right now.

Got lemons? Make lemon salt.

2007-07-08T16:47:00.001-07:00

Lemon salt is a great finishing salt. It can be used on just about anything. The lemon zest gives a bright zingy note to the salt. It’s perfect on seafood, chicken or even salting the rim of a cocktail. Get creative and add different herbs.

Lemon Salt.

1 C kosher salt
6 lemons zested

In a food processor pulse together the salt and lemon zest. Spread the salt out in a thin layer on a sheet pan. Dry the salt blend in the oven at 175 for 45 minutes. Store in a air tight container.

Strawberry Shortcake

2007-06-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

There is nothing that announces the arrival of summer better than Strawberry Shortcake. For me, it’s absolutely necessary to only make this recipe with locally grown Oregon Hood Strawberries. Don’t even bother with those giant California industrial berries. If you’ve ever been to Ontario in east LA you’ll know what I mean. Every time I eat strawberry shortcake it makes me think of the hay harvest. My mom would prepare these giant spreads for the crew and there was always strawberry short cake.

Shortcake Biscuit

2C flour
2T sugar
3½ t baking powder
½ t salt
¼ C butter
¼ C shortening
¼ C sour cream
¼-½C milk
3 T

Berries
4 pints fresh local strawberries
¼ C sugar
3 T balsamic vinegar
1 T vanilla bean paste, you can substitute with 1 T vanilla extract

Whipped cream
1 Pint heavy whipping cream
1 t sugar
1 t vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400°. Shift dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Cut the cold butter and shortening into the flour mixture. Lightly mix in sour cream with fork. Add just enough milk to make a soft dough. Roll out ¾” thick on a lightly floured surface. Spread with remaining butter. Fold dough in half and roll out to ¾”. Cut out biscuits with biscuit cutter or just cut the dough into wedges. Place biscuits on ungreased cookie sheet and prick with fork. Bake 20 minutes till golden brown.

For the berries wash and slice the berries into a medium bowl. Mix in sugar, balsamic vinegar and vanilla. Let the berries macerate for an hour.
To assemble the desert split the biscuits in half. Spoon strawberries over and finish with a dollop of whipcream.

Paella!

2007-06-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I didn't use to like seafood. I grew up about as far from the ocean as you can get. After years of dedicated consumption of our friendly bivalves and crustaceans, I think I'm getting there. Proof positive: this paella recipe.

3 c. arborio or other medium grain rice

1/2 lb. spanish chorizo, slice thin

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1" cubes

1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 lb. littleneck clams

1/2 lb. mussels

1-3 bell peppers, assorted colors, medium dice

1 large onion, medium dice

8 cloves garlic, sliced thin

2 cups sugar snap peas

3 roma tomatoes, seeded and medium dice

4 c. chicken stock

2 c. clam juice

pinch saffron

2 tsp. smoked paprika

olive oil

salt and pepper

lemon wedges

parsley

Cut all the items and stage by stove as the cooking process goes fast!

Use 17-18" diameter paella pan or large skillet. Preheat oven to 450 degrees, 400 for gas oven. Combine chicken stock, clam juice and saffron in a large saucepan and keep just below simmer.

Heat 6 tablespoons olive oil in paella pan. Briefly saute shrimp over high heat and set aside. Add the chorizo and chicken and saute until brown but not fully cooked. Remove to a platter with shrimp.

Add the onion, garlic and bell pepper and cook until softened. Add tomato, cook 1-2 minutes. Stir in the paprika and rice, stir to coat well and saute 2-3 minutes until rice is opaque. Pour in the hot broth and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste (about 1 tsp each). Arrange chicken, sausage, and peas and boil about 2 minutes more until the rice is no longer soupy but enough liquid remains to continue cooking the rice.

Arrange the shrimp, clams and mussels around the pan and transfer to the oven. Cook, uncovered, 15-20 minutes (10-12 for gas), until the rice is almost al dente. Remove to a warm spot, cover with foil, and let sit 5-10 minutes, until the rice is cooked to taste. Garnish with parsley and serve with lemon wedges on the side. Serves 8.

The haze of White Sangria

2007-05-22T16:46:00.000-07:00

Summer time and living is easy. Here at the Niketer household we are firm believers in Sangria. All summer long we have a pitcher in the fridge. It’s so refreshing and versatile. You can adjust the recipe to fit your taste. We usually make Sangria with red wine, but this year for Cinco de Mayo Nick made white sangria. This is made with passion fruit, oranges, and apples. It’s light, fruity and really refreshing.

2 bottles dry white wine like pinot grigio or orvieto.
¾ C brandy
½ C triple Sec
½ C Simple syrup
3/4C passion fruit puree
2C orange juice
3 oranges, sliced
3 green apples
2 lemons
berries

In a pitcher dump all of the wine and booze. Mix in the juices and simple syrup. Slice all the fruit and add it to the wine. Drink it all and enjoy…have a good night.

Jicama Mango salad

2007-05-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

This jicama salad is great to serve along with just about any grilled meat. The jicama is sweet and crunchy. Depending on what we’re making we adjust the ingredients. You can get creative.

1 large jicama
2 mangoes
1 red bell pepper
1 shallot
2 roma tomatoes
1 bunch cilantro
juice of 2 limes
1/3 c. white vinegar
1/2 c. olive oil
salt and pepper

Peel and slice jicama into batons. Peel and cut mango from pit and cut into 1" dice. Cut bell peppers into 1/2" dice. Slice shallots finely, and seed and dice tomatoes. Combine Cilantro, lime juice, vinegar and a pinch of salt and pepper in a blender and puree, adding olive oil in a stream until combined. Marinate shallots in dressing for at least 15 minutes, and combine with other items just prior to serving. Add half a seeded jalapeno to dressing when pureeing for a spicy kick. Variation: when it's summer, substitute fresh corn kernels cut from the cob for the mangoes and use basil, lemon and cider vinegar instead of cilantro, lime and white vinegar.

Green Rice

2007-05-16T17:54:00.000-07:00

You've had dirty rice, but how about green rice? The combination of roasted peppers and cilantro gives this rice an herbaceous and spicy kick. Long grain rice works best texturally. This recipe serves 4 as a side, but can be multiplied easily.

2 poblano peppers
1 jalapeno
2 c. chicken broth
2 T vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 cup long grain rice
salt
1 bunch cilantro

Place peppers under a broiler and heat until the skin is blackened, turning to get all sides. Place peppers in a plastic bag or cover to steam for about 10 minutes. Peel skins, stem, and remove seeds from the inside. Dice peppers and set aside.

Heat a saute pan to medium high heat. Add oil and onions and saute until translucent and beginning to brown. Add garlic and continue to saute 1 minute. Combine with chicken broth and peppers.

Place mixture, a pince of salt and rice in a rice cooker and cook per instructions. When done, stir in minces cilantro and garnish with diced tomato or sliced green onion.

Achiote Shredded Pork

2007-05-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

This slow roasted pork is rubbed with an achiote spice rub. The spice rub gives the pork a gorgeous deep red color and a great earthy flavor. Achiote is made from annotto seeds, oregano and other spices. It comes from the Yucatan and it harkens back to the Mayan culture. The pork is roasted wrapped in banana leaves. It comes out moist and luscious. It shreds beautifully and makes fantastic tacos.

10lbs pork shoulder
2 3.5oz packages achiote seasoning
4C water
banana leaves
Preheat the oven to 325° Line a roasting pan with banana leaves. Rub the achiote seasoning over the pork and arrange it in the roasting pan. Pour water into the pan and cover with more banana leaves. Roast the pork for 2-4 hours till the pork is fork tender. Shred the pork and mix with the pan juices.

Pico de Gallo

2007-05-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

Fresh homemade pico de gallo is bright, vibrant and will take any dish to another level. The key to making really excellent pico de gallo is obsessively chopping everything into a perfectly even fine dice. I start cursing halfway through, but the end result is beautiful and delicious.

8 roma tomatoes, seeded and brunoise (finely diced)
½ jalapeno, minced
3T red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 limes, zested and juiced
1T extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
ciltantro
Dice and combine all of the ingredients in bowl. Add the salt right before serving. If you add it hours before the salt will bring out all of the liquid in the tomatoes and you will end up with watery pico de gallo.

Fantastic Guacamole

2007-05-13T12:03:00.000-07:00

This Guacamole always disappears fast. This year I made a batch with 25 avocadoes. There is nothing more exciting than a giant bowl of guacamole. When there is that much everyone feels free to just dig in. By the end of the night the bowl was empty and it looked as if someone had held it up to there face to lick it clean.
Here’s the basic recipe.

4 avocadoes
½ jalapeno, minced
½ roma tomato, seeded and diced
2T red onion, minced
1 clove garlic minced
1t cumin
2 limes, zested and juiced
salt and pepper
½ bunch cilantro

Try to get the avocadoes a few days in advance so they are nice and ripe. I like to score the avocado flesh with a pairing knife so when you spoon it out it comes out in small pieces. Combine all of the ingredients in to a large bowl. Use a large fork to combine the ingredients to the texture you like. I prefer to leave it a little chunky so you can really enjoy the texture of the avocado.

Let's get this started

2007-04-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

Peter and I want to share with everyone the joy we get from cooking and eating with our friends. We’re going to share recipes, menus and all of the mess that comes along with it.