poRtlanD, oREgon / DECEMBER 2012
Eat • Drink • Get Out • Get Together MIXpDX.CoM
Our Guide to Holiday Entertaining
Party inspiration to make the season bright DECEMBER 2012
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editor’s note Every year I declare I’m going to throw a holiday party, but I always chicken out by December. This year, though, might be different — especially now that we’ve put this issue together. It’s packed with so many good reasons to have a bunch of people over. Reading about the good times and great food at the Riffle NW staff party (Page 50), and the cozy brunch from Shäna LaneBlock, owner of Compote (Page 60), makes me want to dig out my china. I wouldn’t even have to think about the wine list, because David Speer of Ambonnay has chosen so many great sparkling wines (Page 36). Or I could finally dust off that vintage punch bowl and mix up one of the tap cocktails from Imperial (Page 31). To give me courage (and a realitycheck), I asked Raechel Sims for some party planning advice. Read her tips to the right, then turn the page and get inspired.
PaRty Planning tiPs believe it or not, it is possible to throw a successful party without incurring a stress ulcer. some refer to it as the KIss method: Keep it simple, stupid. Whether it’s a casual get-together for a handful of friends, or a full-on Festivus extravaganza, use these tried and true tips to keep the holiday craziness at a minimum. — RAecHel sIms ✔ enhance your guests’ sensorial experience by mastering the two aspects they’ll notice first (consciously or not): lighting and aroma. everyone looks better by candlelight anyway (as does a not-so-spotless house) and scented votives can mask lingering cooking smells. ✔ Try using dry ice to keep the rest of your ice frozen. Placing a small (wrapped) chunk in the bottom of your ice bucket will prevent melting and messy condensation. You can buy dry ice at grocery stores such as Fred meyer. ✔ low on refrigerator room? Gift-wrap your trusty camping cooler in a linen tablecloth. It will free up much-needed space and keep beverages more accessible to your guests. ✔ Freeze berries on decorative cocktail picks to use as easy, eye-catching garnishes in glasses of bubbles. ✔ Don’t be afraid to spend time perfecting your playlist. For holiday parties, try a mix of classic renditions and modern, catchy interpretations. make sure to throw in enough singalongs to get the party started.
Danielle Centoni, editor dcentoni@oregonian.com
✔ Remember: Guests only have as much fun as the host. Once the doorbell starts ringing, put down the broom, pick up your glass, and go spend time with your loved ones — the real reason you’re throwing this party in the first place. PHOTOGRAPH bY leAH nAsH
Want to be sure you get every issue of MIX? S u b S c r i b e ! 10 issues for $20. Go to MIXpdX.coM or call 503-221-8240.
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MIXpdX.coM DECEMBER 2012
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When the Riffle NW crew throws a holiday staff party, it’s over the top / Page 50
december ’12 PHOTOgRAPHY BY BeTH NAkAmuRA
Starters
eat
drink
Get Out
Get Together
13 Yule logs you can eat, local gifts for food lovers
19 dining out: Best bets for dinner and a show, plus five new cheap eats
31 mixmaster: Are tap cocktails the next big thing?
45 day trip: Strap on the snowshoes and head to Stevenson
36 Wine: David Speer’s sparkling wine picks
48 calendar: What to do and where to go this month
50 feast of the seven fishes: The staff of Riffle NW comes together for an unforgettable holiday party.
23 good for you: The virtues of decadent cashew cream 26 technique: Shucking oysters with Tobias Hogan
41 Beer: Bottled brews worthy of giving
60 the Brunch Bunch: The owner of Compote Cafe celebrates the New Year with family and friends. ___ 68 Back page: Dishing with OBT’s Christopher Stowell
mIX is 10 issues a year! It’s easy to subscribe online — go to mixpdx.com and click on “subscribe.” You can also find past articles, restaurant reviews and all our recipes at mixpdx.com, so get clicking and start eating.
contributors As chef and owner of Compote Cafe & Bakery in Southeast Portland, Shäna Lane-Block finds making time for the things she loves extremely difficult but supremely important. “New Year’s Day Brunch,” she says, “is my chance to give something to the people I love in the best way I know how (Page 60).” Shäna divides her time between running Compote, spending time with her husband, and hugging her children as much as is humanly possible.
Writer Chad Walsh felt like he’d hit the jackpot when he was assigned to cover the Riffle NW staff holiday party (Page 50). “I’ve had plenty of good meals over the last few years,” he says, “but it’s been a long time since I’ve had one that was so carefully planned with such love and joy and imagination.” In addition to his weakness for Italian cuisine in general and Sicilian food in particular, he likes long walks, short jogs, good whiskey, raw garlic, sharkskin suits and old torch songs. He’s written about burgers, beer, cops, clowns and seeding clouds for a variety of publications east and west of the Mississippi.
other contrIbutIng WrIters: GRANT BUTLER, LiNDA CohEN, JANET FiLipS, BRENT hUNSBERGER, ShAWN LEvy, hANNA NEUSChWANDER, KERRy NEWBERRy, TRACy SAELiNGER, RAEChEL SiMS, TAyLoR SMiTh, JEN STEvENSoN, KAT vETRANo
Portland-based freelance photographer Leah Nash loves any job that involves stringing hand-made snowflakes and drinking bubbly, two activities she got to indulge in during her assignment to document Shäna Lane-Block’s brunch (Page 60). “I arrived early to photograph Shäna cooking and found myself pitching in on the holiday festivities which included taste-testing, wardrobe consultation and decorating. It is always a treat to be invited into someone’s home to share in their merry-making, especially when it tastes so good.” A regular contributor to the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Frommer’s Travel Guides, Leah can often be found begging other people to cook for her, and perfecting the art of photographing while eating.
other contrIbutIng photographers/Illustrators: oWEN CAREy, BLAiNE TRUiTT CovERT, REED DARMoN, MiKE DAviS, JAMiE FRANCiS, RoSS WiLLiAM hAMiLToN, BRiAN LEE, BETh NAKAMURA, MoToyA NAKAMURA, JohN M. viNCENT, EiLiSE WARD
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MIXpdX.coM DECEMBER 2012
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Holiday cheer starts here Ring in the holidays and leave the prep work to us. Preorder tiny bites for entertaining, impress your guests with a local charcuterie and cheese plate or fill your table with platters of Northwest seafood. Our chefs will take care of the mixing, seasoning and cooking to make sure your holiday meal is stress-free–from starters to dessert.
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index
Spice up your holiday entertaining with
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where to finD the recipes in this issue: Appetizers • Baccalà (Salt Cod Purèe), p54 • Vongole Oreganata (Stuffed Clams), p55 MAin Dishes • Bucatini Con Aragosta (Bucatini With Lobster), p54 • Crispy Breaded Fish Fillets, p56 • Rosemary Walnut Pesto Cream With Butternut Squash Noodles, p25 • Sfincione (Sicilian Anchovy Pizza), p55 siDe Dishes • Sicilian Seafood Salad, p57 • Spinach With Turmeric Ginger Cream, p25
Ginger Apple Spice • 1.5 oz Yazi Ginger Vodka • .5 oz Amaretto • Fill with Hot Apple Cider • Garnish with Lemon or Cinnamon Stick
BreAkfAst/Brunch • Buckwheat Blintzes With Spiced Pear Compote, p65 • Crustless Quiche with Mushrooms and Chard, p66 • Crustless Quiche With Smoked Salmon, Chives and Roasted Potatoes, p66 • Meyer Lemon Cream Biscuits, p67 Dessert • Maple Meringue Kisses, p67 cocktAils • Kinder Sorpresa, p58 • Mediterranean Punch, p59 • Remember the Maine, p34 coMponents • Basic Cashew Cream, p24 • Homemade Ricotta, p65 • Simple Vinaigrette, p63 • Spiced Pear Compote, p65
online extrAs At MixpDx.coM Find out where to buy David Speer’s five sparkling wine picks Read our full interview with Christopher Stowell Get the recipe for Riffle NW’s Cozze alla Marinara (Mussels in Red Sauce)
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MIXpdX.coM DeceMBer 2012
ViDeos: Watch Tobias Hogan of EaT Oyster Bar and The Parish demonstrate the safe way to shuck oysters. Learn how Riffle NW bartender Brandon Josie makes ice cups.
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T H E R E A L M OT H E R G O O S E . C O M
VoLUME 6 / ISSUE 10
mixpdx.com DANIELLE CENTONI / EdIToR
dcentoni@oregonian.com 11'12_mix_jewlbox.indd 1
11/6/12 5:54 PM
LINDA SHANKWEILER / cREATIVE dIREcToR
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WALLY BENSON, KATHY HINSON , COLIN pOWERS, AMY REIfENRATH, LAuRIE ROBINSON copY EdIToRS AdVERTISING BARBARA SWANSON / VIcE pRESIdENT oF SALES ANd MARKETING bswanson@oregonian.com, 503-221-8279 STEvE uRBAN / MIX MAGAZINE MANAGER surban@oregonian.com, 503-221-8314 DENICE WILLIAMS / RETAIL AdVERTISING MANAGER dwilliams@oregonian.com, 503-221-8514 DEBI WALERY / GENERAL AdVERTISING MANAGER dwalery@oregonian.com, 503-221-8302 RYAN COuRTNEY / AUTo, REAL ESTATE AdVERTISING MANAGER rcourtney@oregonian.com, 503-221-8329 CHuCK SpITTAL / pRodUcTIoN cooRdINAToR cspittal@oregonian.com, 503-294-4110 To AdVERTISE STEvE uRBAN / MIX AdVERTISING MANAGER surban@oregonian.com, 503-221-8314 To SUBScRIBE: Go To MIXpDX.COM oR cALL 503-221-8240 oR wRITE OREgONIAN puBLISHINg COMpANY
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starters Bûche de noël: Roll with it Local bakeries are embracing the bûche de noël, France’s classic yulelog-shaped cake, and dressing them up with their own stylish twists. With a dessert this eye-popping, who needs table decorations? — Tracy SaeLinger
The Modernist: Pix Patisserie after training in France, pastry chef cheryl Wakerhauser could probably make a bûche de noël in her sleep. “in France, everybody has to have one or it’s not christmas,” she says. “We made them day after day.” So at her own shop, Pix Patisserie/Bar Vivant, Wakerhauser chose to put modern twists on the classic French dessert. in addition to the traditional variety, Pix offers a chocolate Fig Port version with mousse, the “Sicilian” with cannoli filling, and a candy cane bûche, made with peppermint chocolate chip ice cream and decorated with candy cane pinstripes. 2225 E. Burnside St., pixpatisserie.com Preorders suggested throughout December; $36 for a 9-inch cake
The Traditionalist: St. Honoré Boulangerie
Pix PaTiSSerie
if you want the closest thing you can get to a classic French creation, put in an order at St. Honoré Boulangerie, where chef Dominique geulin turns out bûches de noël in the style of his father, a professional baker from the normandy countryside. When he opened his first shop nearly a decade ago, geulin sold maybe a few dozen of the traditional French cakes; nowadays, he gets a few hundred orders during the holiday season. “every year people call to make sure we will have them,” he says. Two locations, sainthonorebakery.com Preorders start Dec. 8; $30 serves 6 to 8; $42 serves 10 to 12
craVe BaKe SHoP
Gluten-Free: Crave Bake Shop For Kyra Bussanich, owner of crave Bake Shop, the bûche de noël is a big source of nostalgia. Her friend’s mom always made them and gave them out for the holidays. So it’s no surprise that one of the offerings at her gluten-free bakery is a bûche de noël made with moist chocolate cake and italian meringue buttercream filling, available in vanilla, salted caramel or chocolate. The cakes are topped with white chocolate mushrooms, and Bussanich reminds us you don’t have to be French — or gluten free — to enjoy one. “it’s so elegant and feeds a crowd, so it’s really good for entertaining.” 460 Fifth St., Lake Oswego; cravebakeshop.com Preorder Nov. 26 to Dec. 17; $40, serves 14 DECEMBER 2012 MIXpdX.coM
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starters
Local gifts for food lovers Cacao’s premium drinking chocolate mix
Snake River Stampede 8-year-old Canadian whisky Former indio distiller John Ufford is bottling a new kind of rodeo rush with his Snake river Stampede whisky. The journey begins in canada, where the spirit matures in used Bourbon barrels for eight months before being blended and transferred to used sherry casks for an additional six months. Then it’s shipped to and bottled in cottage grove. Spicy with rye, along with slight sweet and citrus notes, it goes down smooth, but is complex enough to stand on its own. Whether you’ve got a rodeo fan or whiskey aficionado on your gift list, this bottle is a keeper. — TayLor SMiTH $27 per 750ml bottle; stampedewhisky.com
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MIXpdX.coM DECEMBER 2012
Red Ridge Farms olive oil sampler This set of red ridge Farm’s specialty olive oils stack on top of each other to create a fun and space-saving treat for anyone who loves to dip or drizzle with extra-virgin oil. The arbequina is lighter with grassy notes, the Koroneiki is full-bodied with a peppery finish and the Tuscan is rich with earthy flavors. Buy the set of three 50-milliliter bottles for $17.95 online, at the red ridge shop in Dundee, or at specialty stores like elephants Delicatessen and Made in oregon. — TayLor SMiTH redridgefarms.com
Tiny tin of Jacobsen Salt Just the right size to slip into a christmas stocking – or your purse – is Jacobsen Salt co.’s new slide tins. about the size of your thumb, these tins of hand-harvested sea salt from netarts Bay are the very definition of portable. Hey, you never know when you’re going to need highquality salt to season those too-bland potatoes. Be prepared! —TayLor SMiTH $3.50 each; Visit jacobsensalt.com for store information.
Unbound Pickling Maraschino cherries craft cocktail enthusiasts and ice cream sundae devotees deserve to garnish their creations with the very best. Skip those fluorescent-red orbs and opt for Unbound Pickling’s new gourmet maraschino cherries in flavors like Hazelnut and chai Spice, and the spicy-hot Vanilla and cayenne. The sweet, flavorful cherries are just missing two things — artificial colors and flavors, for which we are forever grateful. —DanieLLe cenToni $6.50 per 9-ounce jar. Visit unboundpickling.com for store locations.
PHoTograPH By reeD DarMon
Put down that packet of Swiss Miss. if you’re going to drink hot chocolate, make it the good stuff. it doesn’t get much better than cacao’s decadent house-made drinking chocolates, and now the mix for their dark chocolate version is sold in a 12-ounce jar, so you can get your gourmetchocolate fix in the cozy confines of your own home. This premium blend of dark chocolate from Bolivia and the Dominican republic is a velvety, rich balance between bitter and sweet. When blended with milk and cream, each jar should make about 12 “espresso-size” servings, an ideal amount to satisfy your cacao cravings. — TayLor SMiTH $25 for a 12-ounce jar. Visit cacaodrinkchocolate. com for locations.
HILLSDALE
Shop • Sip • Dine
marketplace Korkage Wine Shop
Hillsdale Eye Care
Enjoy wine tasting, live music and small bite pairings in an intimate setting, featuring local boutique wineries and selected picks from around the world. Shop for a custom gift set for the wine lovers in your life. Our Chef offers expert wine consults - find just the right bottle for that special gift or holiday event!
Hillsdale Eye Care is dedicated to providing personalized eye care based on the patient’s individual needs. We enjoy working with patients requiring demanding visual needs such as sports vision, difficult to fit contact lens (bifocal or astigmatism) and children’s eye care.Call for appointment. Open 6 days a week.
1522 SW Sunset Blvd. 503.672.9190 www.hillsdaleeye.com
6351 SW Capitol Hwy. 503.293.3146 www.korkagewine.com
Paloma Clothing
Food Front
Paloma Clothing offers a unique, fun collection of women’s clothing and accessories including charming hats, scarves and locally made jewelry.
The most delicious and fresh ingredients necessary for your holiday spread are found at Food Front Cooperative Grocery. Farm-direct produce, local wines and microbrews, LOCAL heritage turkeys from Deck Family Farm, available only at Food Front and carefully selected grocery items are the foundation of your delicious holiday meal. Eat Colorfully and Live Vibrantly this holiday season with Food Front Co-op.
Holiday Open House 20% off all sweaters, jackets, scarves, earrings & necklaces. Now Thru Sunday, Dec 2 6316 SW. Capitol Hwy. 503.246.3417 www.palomaclothing.com
Hillsdale Farmers Market SW Portland’s year-round source for produce, cheeses, meats, eggs and more. Open Sundays 10am-2pm in the Wilson High-Rieke Elementary parking lot, 1405 SW Vermont St. Parking entrance at SW Capitol Hwy and SW Sunset Blvd. Weekly cooking demonstrations through November 18. Debit, credit and EBT cards accepted. Market runs weekly May 6-Nov 18, Dec 2, 16.
6344 SW Capitol Hwy. 503.546.6559 www.foodfront.coop
Indigo Traders Fine Mediterranean textiles and interiors. Beautiful collection of imported, colorful hand-painted bowls, luxurious soaps, woven scarfs, Turkish coffee and more.
6352 SW Capitol Hwy. 503-780-2422 www.indigotraders.com
www.hillsdalefarmersmarket.com 503.475.6555
TO ADVERTISE IN THIS SPACE CALL DARCY PAQUETTE 503-221-8299
shop local ~ shop hillsdale town center on sw capitol hwy.
starters, local gifts for food lovers TWo ToFFEES To TRy
The venerable Moonstruck chocolate company’s line of chocolate covered “tumbled” bits are definitely snack heaven, but our favorite of the bunch is the tumbled toffee bits. The crunchy, burnt-sugar flavor of the toffee is a great match with the rich dark chocolate. $10 for 5-ounce bag; moonstruckchocolate.com — DanieLLe cenToni
Lille Belle Smokey Blue Cheese Truffle Spread Blue cheese and chocolate? Trust us, this questionable-sounding combination is actually delicious — and a great hostess gift or stocking stuffer for the chocolate lover who has everything. The subtle funk of the cheese gives the toasted-almond-topped chocolate ganache depth, complexity and a savory edge, making it a great hors d’oeuvres spread for crackers or crostini. Look for it at Portland’s cacao locations. — DanieLLe cenToni lilliebellefarms.com
The Mighty Gastropolis Living and eating in Portland, you’d think we’d already know everything there is to know about the city’s best chefs and restaurants. Turns out, we have a lot to learn, which becomes abundantly and fascinatingly clear in Karen Brooks’ new book on the meteoric rise of Portland’s food scene (due out later this month). With her trademark wit and clever turns of phrase, the former oregonian food critic and current Portland Monthly food editor gives readers an engaging insider’s view of how our favorite people and places got started. Packed with compelling stories and delicious recipes, it’s a must-read for any food lover on your list. — DanieLLe cenToni
SPARKLING GIFTS you already know your champagne-loving friends have an affinity for the finer things. Satisfy the bubble enthusiast in your life with these gift ideas. — raecHeL SiMS
Riedel Sommeliers Champagne Flute glassware makes all the difference with your champagne, and riedel’s premiere line offers the best that money can buy: a handmade, lead-crystal flute with a single dot etched into its base to provide a continuous stream of bubbles. $68 each at Williams Sonoma; williams-sonoma.com
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MIXpdX.coM DECEMBER 2012
Perlage Systems in the rare event of leftover champagne, simply place your opened bottle into one of the Perlage System’s portable, plastic capsules. after sealing the bottle inside, the capsule is pressurized with a disposable co2 cartridge. Voilà! your bubbles remain immaculate until you’re ready to finish the bottle. $199 for 1 Perlage System capsule with six CO2 cartridges; perlagesystems.com
Personalized Sabres Few things are cooler than opening a champagne bottle with a sword, and Sonoma champagne Sabres offers custom engraving for all purchases. note: the phrase “There can Be only one” looks especially awesome in the block-lettering font option. Sabres start at $179.99; engraving $3 per character; sonomachampagnesabres.com
PHoTograPH By MoToya naKaMUra
new on the local confectionery scene is Vollie Austin Toffee, made in small batches with local ingredients in nearby aloha. The thick toffee pieces, which come in hazelnut, almond, coffee and no-nut varieties, are truly some of the best we’ve ever had – deeply flavored, buttery and crunchy, yet blessedly gentle on your teeth. The only problem with this easy-to-eat toffee is it’s easy to eat the whole tin. $18.99 for a 12-ounce tin online or at New Seasons market. Visit vollieaustintoffee.com
Craft Coffee Some people treat coffee the way they treat domestic affairs, settling into a long, happy marriage with their one true bean. But other coffee lovers have more promiscuous tastes. For them, there’s craft coffee, a new subscription service that sends you three ¼-pound bags of whole bean coffee from different roasters each month, selected from a blind tasting of over 50 coffees. Featured roasters have included San Francisco’s Four Barrel, Miami’s Panther coffee, and Bend’s Lone Pine coffee roasters, among dozens of others. — Hanna neUScHWanDer $19.99 to $24.99 per month (shipping included); craftcoffee.com.
Giving back
Marshall’s Haute Sauce in her first year of business, Sarah Marshall’s Smoked Habenero BBQ Sauce, with hints of cinnamon and clove, won first place at the 2012 national Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show. clearly she knows how to make some lip-smacking hot sauce. Her best-seller, the Serrano ginger Lemongrass Salsa, tastes beguilingly sweet at first, but leaves your taste buds with a punch of spicy serrano. it’s perfect for fish tacos. other varieties include Habenero carrot curry (Marshall’s favorite) and red chili Lime. — TayLor SMiTH $9 for an 8-ounce bottle; $25 for a sampler pack of four 4-ounce bottles. Visit marshalls hautesauce.com for store information.
in this season of generosity and gratitude, it’s only natural for our thoughts to turn to those in need and feel compelled to make a difference. Why not tap into your love of food by volunteering to help alleviate hunger issues in our city? To find out which organizations could use a few good volunteers, we turned to Linda cohen, the Beavertonbased author of “1,000 Mitzvahs” and a consultant who connects organizations with “doers and donors.” Here are her picks: HomePlate youth Services supports the positive development of young adults experiencing homelessness or housing instability with dropin locations in both Beaverton and Hillsboro. interested in preparing and serving an evening meal to youth? Volunteers are needed to provide the ingredients and cook the meal on site. alternatively, you could provide snacks like granola bars or beef jerky for the outreach program. homeplateyouth.org Lift Urban Portland, located in northwest Portland, provides food box deliveries for frail elders and people who cannot get to the food pantry. if you have a vehicle, bike trailer or little red wagon and 30 minutes, you could deliver a food box to one client. or help glean surplus food and deliver it to the pantry through the community Share program. lifturbanportland.org Since 1991, Potluck in the Park has served a hot meal to those in need every Sunday at 3 p.m. (rain or shine!) downtown at o’Bryant Square. This volunteer-led nonprofit needs more than 50 volunteers each week who will commit to working from 2-6 p.m. to help serve and clean up the meal. potluckinthepark.org Sisters of the Road runs a safe, friendly cafe in chinatown that serves over 200 nourishing, locally sourced meals each day. They need volunteers for everything from kitchen prep in the early morning, to serving drinks, waiting tables, plating and busing food or taking reservations. sistersoftheroad.org Store to Door fosters independent living by providing a low-cost grocery shopping and delivery service to seniors and people with disabilities. Volunteers are needed to take orders, shop for groceries and deliver them directly to the clients. storetodooroforegon.org — LinDa coHen
DECEMBER 2012 MIXpdX.coM
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EAT Imperial
Oregon Symphony Gospel Christmas
Santaland Diaries
Johnny Mathis
Dinner and a show
The Parish
Our restaurant Imperial / Arlene Schnitzer The Parish / Gerding Theater Concert Hall this time of year is all about the Christmas spirit, visits generally fall but if you’re headed to Portland Center Stage’s Chances are … you haven’t yet decided where into two categories you’ll be supping before the Johnny Mathis production of the Santaland Diaries at the this time of year Gerding theater, why not throw some holy spirit concert. Or maybe you’ve got tickets to the into the mix? Slip into a booth at this festive oyster Oregon Symphony Gospel Christmas. Either way, – pricey holiday splurges and meals if you’re heading to the Schnitz, your chances are depot, where a salvaged Southern pulpit is born again as a host stand, beckoning diners toward a awfully good that new downtown darling Imperial eaten on the cheap will have a table waiting for you before the show holy night of mushroom béchamel-heaped oysters to make up for Bienville, braised frog legs with tomato Creole, and (although reserving one would up your chances savory smoked duck gumbo. And since the theater them. Whether you from “awfully good” to “sure bet”). At this new a block up the street, you can indulge in one hot spot helmed by chefs Vitaly Paley and Ben plan to celebrate the Bettinger, you can sip a signature cocktail, followed islastbutSazerac while sympathetically observing your season with dinner less fortunate playgoers struggling to find lastby the duck meatballs with braised Moyer prunes minute Pearl District parking. and orange gremolata, savory spit-roasted lamb and a show, or are rolls, and a round of pastry chef Michelle Vernier’s — JEn StEVEnSOn looking for a new sticky toffee gingerbread. You’ll be humming pcs.org cheap thrill, this list Hallelujah all the way home. — JEn StEVEnSOn The Parish, 231 N.W. 11th Ave., 503-227-2421, has you covered. theparishpdx.com pcpa.com/schnitzer Imperial, 410 S.W. Broadway, 503-228-7222, imperialpdx.com
DECEMBER 2012 MIXpdX.coM
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dining out, cont.
Gilda’s / Artists Repertory
If you’ve booked tickets for Artists Repertory theater’s “Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol,” it’s elementary to also reserve a table at Gilda’s. this lovably kitschy slice of Italy is only a bocce court’s length up Southwest Morrison Street, and it’s just the spot for a fortifying meal of chef Marco Roberti’s sauce-slathered Old World specialties before you commit to several hours of meatball-free theater. For a trio far more palatable than the infamous past, present and future spooks, try the crisp, light and lemony fritto misto, decadent rigatoni gorgonzola and seared scallops as plump as nigel Bruce’s cheeks. — JEn StEVEnSOn artistsrep.org Gilda’s, 1601 S.W. Morrison St., 503-688-5066, gildasitalianrestaurant.com
Higgins / Keller Auditorium
It just wouldn’t be December in Portland without the Singing Christmas tree and OBt’s nutcracker, both arriving at the Keller this month. For a pre-dinner repast, head a few blocks west to another Portland icon — Higgins. there, panfried oysters, piping hot inside a crunchy panko-cornmeal breading, find perfect pairing with a caper rouille. A pool of pungent blood-orange marmalade isn’t so sweet as it is a powerful counter-punch to the fat in the tender confit of duck. Crisp endive and escarole complement the stronger flavors in a salad of mango-colored, saffron-poached pear and house-cured capicola. — BREnt HunSBERGER
obt.org singingchristmastree.org Higgins, 1239 S.W. Broadway, 503-222-9070, higginsportland.com
The Nutcracker
Higgins
Gilda’s
DeCarli / Portland Festival Ballet
If you’re looking for a new spin on an old favorite, check out the Portland Festival Ballet’s version of “the nutcracker.” Artistic director John Magnus, formerly the artistic director of the Joffrey Ballet School, puts his inventive take on the classic ballet, and tickets never top $30. the performances at Beaverton’s Arts & Communication Magnet Academy are just a mile from DeCarli, a bright trattoria serving up big plates with big flavors. Don’t miss the seasonal fritto misto; ragù of braised beef short ribs over spaetzle; fresh pastas; paninis and pizzette. there’s something for every taste, almost guaranteeing you’ll go home full and happy. — SHAWn LEVY portlandfestivalballet.org DeCarli, 4545 S.W. Watson Ave., Beaverton, 503-641-3223, decarlirestaurant.com
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MIXpdX.coM DECEMBER 2012
Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol
DeCarli
Five new cheap thrills 1) The Baowry
On a quiet corner just west of north Lombard, this torch-lined bungalow glows like a little bao beacon in the silent St. Johns night, drawing a steady stream of north Portlanders flowing through the front door like moths to your favorite silk kimono. In September, chef-owners Ross Skomsvold and Molly Scott finished an extreme makeover on what was an extreme fixer-upper and traded their beloved food cart for a brick-and-mortar kitchen and full bar. thus, you can sip signature cocktails alongside eclectic Asian-inspired eats like sizzling rice soup with pork belly, rich miso butter noodles with shaved shiitakes, and the fat, satisfying house buns — try all three for $10. — JEn StEVEnSOn 8307 N. Ivanhoe St., 503-285-4839, baowrypdx.com
The Baowry
2) Pupuseria Factory
If Salvadoran food remains an international cuisine of mystery to you, get a pupusa primer at this new northeast Sandy outpost of 82nd Avenue’s popular Pupuseria El Buen Gusto. Besides being an exceptionally entertaining word to repeat over and over again in someone’s ear, the mighty pupusa warms a winter-blighted belly like only a hot, golden pumpkin-, loroco flower- or pork paste-stuffed masa pancake can. For a mere $3 to $4, they’re served fresh off the griddle with traditional sidekicks — a mild-mannered tomato salsa and spicy fermented slaw. to further thumb your nose at Jack Frost, order the plantain custard-filled empanada and housemade champurrado, a creamy,
Uno Mas / p22 hominy flour-thickened chocolate atole. Pupusa! — JEn StEVEnSOn 6728 N.E. Sandy Blvd., 503-284-2033, pupuseriapdx.com
3) Songbird
Sitting pretty at the northern base of Mt. tabor, this cheerily chic Belmont Street cafe draws a cozy crowd of locals delighted
PhoTograPhy By (ToP) MoToya nakaMUra, (aBove) By eilise Ward
NE 30th & Killingsworth, Portland OR
503.227.2669 www. CocottePDX .com
Local & Organic Produce & Groceries Deli Specialities ~ Local Oregon Wines Full Service Catering Natural Health & Beauty Products 251 N. Third Street, McMinnville, OR 503.472.5740 ~ HarvestFresh.com DECEMBER 2012 MIXpdX.coM
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ROCO winery
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dining out, cont.
to finally have their own neighborhood hangout. And since it serves three squares a day (minus Sunday supper), you can pop in for a warming serrano chile biscuit with sausage gravy after your soggy morning constitutional in the park. Or gossip about your nextdoor neighbor’s egregious holiday decorations (after making good and sure they aren’t sitting behind you) over a kale Caesar at lunch. And since dinner plates max out at $16 and kids menu items run $3 to $6, you can treat the entire clan to a bonding evening meal without depleting the holiday gift fund. — JEn StEVEnSOn
6839 S.E. Belmont Ave., 503-477-6735, songbirdpdx.com
4) Trigger
Bringing a little yee-haw to the underbelly of northeast Russell’s Wonder Ballroom, the Bunk boys are going bunker with this sunken, tex-Mex, late-night nosh pit. A sexy cowgirl mural smolders at the hot hipsters clustered around the red vinyl-stool dotted bar, while they in turn smolder at the hot tequila selection lining the walls. Affordable, booze-absorbing eats abound: the classic queso dip ($6), achiote duck quesadilla ($9.50) and brisket fajita platter ($14) will ease the hungry ache in your El Paso-lovin’ heart, with enough dinero left over for the Sidepipe. After all, anything involving a Coronita upended in a fishbowl-sized margarita should be experienced at least twice. — JEn StEVEnSOn
128 N.E. Russell St., 503-327-8234, triggerpdx.com
5) Uno Mas
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MIXpdX.coM DECEMBER 2012
Much ado has been made about whether (taco) size matters at Oswaldo Bibiano’s newest endeavor, a bright blue taqueria roughly the size of a Pacifico bottle cap in the Ocean’s mini restaurant-row. But when fillings are this fresh, well-prepared and interesting (try the chicharron and spicy blood sausage), why quibble? Hearty eaters can attempt the taquiza surtida — a dozen kitchen-chosen tacos for $20. For dessert, splash out on the mini churros or a dense dark chocolate chile cookie — they’re only a dollar. Heck, get two.— JEn StEVEnSOn 2323 N.E. Glisan St., 503-208-2764 £
eat / good or you
Cashew cream adds silk to dishes without the dairy
By Kat Vetrano PHotoGraPHy By Motoya naKaMUra
D
ecadent. This one word describes pretty much everything we’re eating during this celebratory time of year, from silky bisque soups to whipped cream-topped desserts. But if you’re looking for a way to keep the decadence while adding a wallop of nutrition, we’ve got a solution: cashew cream. Cashew cream is a nondairy alternative to heavy whipping cream, making it popular among vegans. But its roots are found in cultures across the world, particularly in Indian and Latin cooking. The idea is simple: Soak raw cashews in broth, water or any other flavorful liquid for few hours or even overnight. Then blend the softened nuts into a creamy purée. The result is a rich, silky cream that can substitute for whipping cream, milk, sour cream, crème fraîche or even yogurt. DECEMBER 2012 MIXpdX.coM
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good for you, cont.
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Ken Rubin, chair member of the Culinary Trust, former culinary school professor and all around food know-itall, is not a vegan, but he uses cashew cream regularly for its culinary versatility and health benefits. “Cashews have good fat, are a high-quality protein, and are easily digestible — especially when you use
Basic Cashew Cream MaKeS aBoUt 2½ CUPS
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rinse the cashews and place in a medium bowl. Cover with an inch of water and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. Drain cashews and rinse. Place in a blender or food processor and add 2 cups of water. Purée for several minutes until the mixture is very smooth, adding up to 2 cups more water to help the mixture along. you may have to stop and scrape the sides of the blender a few times. add more water if you want the cream thinner in consistency. If you’re not using a professional-grade blender (such as Vitamix), you can strain the cream through a fine-mesh sieve for a smoother consistency. — From chef Gabriel Crocker, Blossoming Lotus, Portland
preparations that involve soaking,” he says. “Soaking is an important part of the process; it releases enzymes, making the protein more digestible.” For those watching their cholesterol, cashew cream is a great alternative to dairy because the nuts have very little saturated fat and are high in phytosterols that can lower cholesterol. It also means you don’t have to
turn to dairy substitutes made with preservatives and unpronounceable ingredients. And when it comes to cooking, Blossoming Lotus chef Gabriel Crocker says cashew cream is a dream to work with. It’s almost neutral in flavor, making it extremely versatile. You can sweeten it with honey or agave and use it in breakfast parfaits with granola and fresh fruit. Or add fresh
herbs and spices to turn it into a savory cream sauce or salad dressing. “Cashew cream will perform in almost all cases just like cream or milk, and in some cases it’s superior,” he says. “For example, lemon juice or any acid will curdle cream, but the proteins in cashew cream don’t react in the same way and won’t curdle like dairy will.”
Spinach With Turmeric Ginger Cream this creamy spinach dish with Indian spices is like a vegan version of saag. It makes a great side dish for an Indian-themed feast. or leave out the ginger, turmeric and coriander and you have a healthful version of creamed spinach for the holiday table. 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 1 mild green chile (such as Anaheim), chopped 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 dozen sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped 3 cloves garlic, sliced 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger ½ teaspoon dried turmeric 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste ¼ cup water 1 to 2 cups basic cashew cream Salt 2 bunches spinach, stems trimmed, chopped
Set a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. add the oil, onions and chile. Sauté until beginning to caramelize. reduce heat to medium and add coriander, cilantro, garlic, ginger and turmeric. Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. add the lemon juice and water to deglaze the pan and remove from heat. Purée the mixture along with 1 cup of the cashew cream in a blender or food processor. add salt to taste and more cashew cream and lemon juice if desired. return the purée to the pan and add the chopped spinach. Set over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, until spinach wilts. — From chef Gabriel Crocker, Blossoming Lotus, Portland
Rosemary Walnut Pesto Cream With Butternut Squash “Noodles” (pictured, p23) MaKeS 4 SerVInGS
this wintry dish is as rich and comforting as pasta with cream sauce, but packed with nutrition. try experimenting with other nut/herb combinations, such as pumpkin seeds and cilantro, or hazelnuts and thyme. 1 medium to large butternut squash 1 cup toasted and chopped walnuts ½ teaspoon minced rosemary 1 large clove garlic, minced ¼ teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 to 2 cups cashew cream
Peel butternut squash, and run through spiral slicer to create “noodles.” (note: if you don’t have a spiral slicer, you can use a mandoline with the julienne blade to create a similar result. you can also use a vegetable peeler though it will take longer.) you should have about 5 cups of “noodles.” Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. While the water comes to a boil, combine toasted chopped walnuts, rosemary, garlic, salt and olive oil in a small bowl. add the squash to the boiling water and cook briefly
for about 30 seconds or until just tender; strain. Set a large sauté pan over medium heat. add the walnut mixture and sauté, stirring, for about 1 minute, to lightly cook the garlic and enhance the flavors of the other ingredients. add 1 cup of the cashew cream, and cook gently for a couple of minutes, just until heated through. taste and add more cashew cream if desired. add the squash to the sauce and toss until coated. Serve immediately. — From chef Gabriel Crocker, Blossoming Lotus, Portland £ DECEMBER 2012 MIXpdX.coM
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eat / technique
Shucking oysters By KERRy NEWBERRy / PHOTOgRAPHy By MOTOyA NAKAMURA
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MIXpdX.coM DECEMBER 2012
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othing adds sparkle to a holiday party like a platter of glistening oysters on the half shell and a glass of bubbly. However, if you’ve ever shucked an oyster, you know the process can be daunting and potentially dangerous. That is unless you have the right tools and tips. We asked Tobias Hogan, oyster shucking expert and coowner of EaT: An Oyster Bar and The Parish, how to coax open an oyster shell. “The freshness and flavor can’t be beat when you shuck your own oysters,” Hogan says. You can also get more
bivalves for your buck when you buy them by the dozen and take them home. The Parish sells oysters by the dozen from their daily chalkboard selection — ranging from Tillamook Sweets to Kumamoto, depending on what’s in season. “You can grab a dozen oysters to go and a bottle of wine if you want,” says Hogan. You don’t even have to worry about preparing a mignonette, as Hogan advises a squirt of lemon or slurping au naturel. “It’s about the oyster, not what you put on top of it,” he says.
tipS anD toolS: 1. Before you shuck, find a dish towel that’s good and thick. “Remember, you want something for padding and blockage,” says Hogan. 2. A well-designed oyster knife makes all the difference. “We use these little INOX French ones at the restaurant because they are very utilitarian and easy to use,” says Hogan. At home, he uses different knives for different oysters because the bivalves come in all shapes and sizes. 3. Just in case, Hogan suggests some protective gear. Either a puncture-proof glove or a glove with a rubber palm that is puncture proof. 4. Also essential — good wine (preferably Champagne or chablis) and good friends, adds Hogan.
How to SHuCk an oyStER 1. Prepare a platter of crushed ice to
place the just-shucked oysters on. “Some people freeze rock salt, which is a little less messy,” says Hogan. The ice or frozen rock salt keeps the oysters chilled and level so you don’t lose any of the liquor.
2. Lay a thick towel on a stable,
flat surface, like a cutting board or countertop. Fold up one end of the towel so you can cradle the oyster. The towel is good for hand protection from the shell, and it’s also good for leverage.
3. Position the oyster cup-side down
with the hinge (or pointy side) toward you. The hinge is always going to be pointing down or straight out.
4. Using firm pressure, wiggle the tip
of an oyster knife into the hinge. Rotate gently back and forth. Keep in mind that it doesn’t take a lot of force. “It’s pressure and leverage more than force and sharpness,” says Hogan.
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5. Once you’ve “popped” the hinge
open, angle your knife tip up and run it underneath the top shell to cut the oyster’s adductor muscle (try not to cut into its body). Then angle the knife tip down and pull it toward you under the oyster, using the bottom shell as a guide, to cut the muscle from the bottom shell.
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6. When you reach the other end,
twist the blade to separate the top and bottom shells. If the shell chips or you accidentally cut the oyster, you can still save it but it’s not so great for the presentation. “So, I would probably just eat it and try again,” Hogan says.
7. Slide your blade under the oyster
and cut through the adductor muscles holding the meat to the shell. Try to keep the oyster flat so you retain the liquor inside. That’s where all the flavor comes from, says Hogan.
8. Squirt with fresh lemon, then slurp with good friends and wine.
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E
xperience the delight of the holidays.
Shopping and Dining in Lake Oswego
World Class Wines
Patrick James
Our store selection is crafted for every wine lover, from the most exclusive to delicious everyday wines. While you’re here, enjoy a glass of wine with us, inside or outside! Friday night tastings are from 4:30-8:00. Private events welcome.
Check out the new exciting Robert Graham deliveries. This waffle weave pullover quarter zip is perfect for Winter...just like you would expect from Patrick James.
310 North State Street 503.305.6575 patrickjames.com
269 “A” Avenue 503.974.9841 worldclasswinesoregon.com
Grapevine
Soletta Shoes
the Art of Style
Soletta Shoes specializes in exciting European fashions that are unique and great quality, yet practical and comfortable. Come visit us to see our great seasonal selection.
Find a fun and friendly boutique filled with all your favorite things to make you look and feel great! Shop Grapevine where 30 years experience makes fashion fit your lifestyle.
Lakeview Village 310 North State St. Suite 116 503.210.4125
310 North State Street 503.635.6009 www.facebook.com/grapevinestyle
Dyke Vandenburgh
Chocolates by Bernard® Melt in your mouth pure Belgian Chocolate. Just one bite and you’ll taste the difference. Simply the Best!
Dyke has been creating custom gold and platinum jewelry since 1970. Along with a wide selection of Dyke’s custom jewelry, the showroom also features fine quality designer jewelry from around the world.
440 5th Street, Ste A 503-675-7500 • 888-829-6800 www.bernardcchocolates.com
27 “A” Avenue 503.636.4025 vandenburghjewelers.com
ORDER CLIENT GIFTS TODAY!
Upcoming
Events in Lake Oswego
Gingerbread Contest • Holiday Houses of Lake Oswego • December 10 - 25 Celebrate the holiday season with Lake Oswego Parks & Recreation’s third annual Gingerbread House Competition. Local businesses will show their skills by creating a one-of-a-kind gingerbread house to display in their store. Pick up a tour map, visit all the homes, and vote for your favorite. The winner of the competition receives a brilliant trophy and bragging rights for the whole year!
Christmas Ship Parade Foothills Park • Saturday, December 15, 6:00pm 2012 marks the 58th year of the magical Christmas Ship Parade! This holiday tradition began in 1954 with a lone sailboat from the Portland Yacht Club. Boats from 14’ to 65’ long are brightly colored for the holiday season. Up to 60 holiday boats are expected to make up the two fleets which will make their way to Lake Oswego. They will depart from RiverPlace Marina and continue as far as George Rogers Park in Lake Oswego, arriving between 6:15 and 6:30p. Make plans to enjoy the sparkle of the colorful flotillas from the shores of the Willamette at beautiful Foothills Park. A warm fire guard in the shelter will guard you from the frigid winter temperatures. For additional information, visit http: //www.christmasships.org. Event is dependent upon weather and river conditions.
shop local ~ shop lake oswego
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xperience the delight of the holidays.
Shopping and Dining in Lake Oswego
SCRATCH. foods
Backyard Bird Shop
Local farm fresh foods, handled with pride. Gluten free, whole-food cookery. Lunch, Dinner, Catering, and Cooking Classes. A la Carte, Chef’s Table, or Tasting Menus. Holiday Parties, Wine, Beer, and Spirits.
Our flock of shops are celebrating 21 years of connecting people with nature. Our staff can help you transform a typical urban backyard into a habitat for birds, squirrels, bats, mason bees and other wildlife. We try every day to offer our customers attentive service, plus the highest quality and greatest variety of wild bird products you can find!
Lower Boones Ferry Rd. at I-5 16949 S.W. 65th Ave 503.620.7454 backyardbirdshop.com
149 “A” Avenue 503.697.1330 scratchfoodsllc.com
Trios Studios
The Oilerie
Discover the refined embellishments of award winning French jewelry designer, Frederic Duclos. Duclos combines sterling silver, Rhuthenium, Rhodium, and rose and yellow gold accents in contemporary and affordable jewelry styles.
GREAT gift ideas . . . from specialty oils and vinegars to luxurious health and beauty products made with Olive Oil! Come in and check them out . . . you can sample them before you buy! Portland’s Olive Oil Bar® Store!
Oswego Towne Square 3 Monroe Pkwy, Suite I 503.496.1285 www.TriosStudio.com
438 1st Street 503.675.6457 oilerie.com
Stickmen Brewery & Skewery
Framed By Design
Providing custom framing to the greater Portland area for more than 20 years. We offer more than 5,000 frame choices that will enhance and protect your fine art, heirlooms, and collectibles. Visit our website or store to learn more about how our in-house staff can provide expert services for your home or business.
Craft beer, craft food, craft cocktails - enjoy them all in the completely renovated restaurant and bar on the lake. Innovative food featuring a selection of skewers grilled over specialty charcoal. Private events welcome.
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Lucky Me Boutique when you find one of a kind, fun gift items, hats, jewelry and beautiful cashmere scarves from Germany for only $32.00.
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Horse Drawn Carriage Rides Millennium Plaza Park • Dec. 9, 11am-3pm, Dec. 14, 4:30-8:30pm, and Dec. 15, 11am-3pm Experience the thrill of an old fashioned horse drawn carriage. Slow down and savor the sights and sounds of the holiday season with a memorable sleigh ride through downtown Lake Oswego. Snuggle under the blankets and enjoy the magic of the majestic horses. Adults and children alike insist on making this an annual holiday tradition!
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drink
Are tap cocktails the next big thing? By chad walsh photograph By jamie francis
S
ome bartenders are traditionalists and insist that the only way to make a classic cocktail is to do it the way its founding fathers intended. Others get a thrill from dreaming up their own concoctions with obscure ingredients that pleasantly confuse and surprise our tongues. But no matter which camp they fall into, every bartender worth his or her shiny shaker knows a big part of bartending is the magic, performance and spectacle of creating custom drinks à la minute for a captive audience. So why are some bar programs starting to remove all that shaking and stirring
from the mixology equation by offering big-batch cocktails on tap? Are science and substance trumping style? In a word, no. At present, there are just two bar programs that have adopted the tap cocktail — Riffle NW in the Pearl District and downtown Portland’s Imperial. They offer only six tap cocktails between them, so there’s still plenty of ways that Riffle and Imperial bartenders can show off their skills. But tap cocktails definitely have their place, and bartenders are embracing them as a new tool in their utility belts. “Tap cocktails can take the magic out of the mixing,” admits Imperial’s bar manager, DECEMBER 2012 MIXpdX.coM
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cocktails, cont.
Brandon Wise. “But they’re another opportunity to bring people into our world and show them what we can do.” Gas is GooD Not too long ago, no one really thought wine on tap would work, until Irving Street Kitchen pioneered the idea in Portland. Buying wine by the keg was cheaper and more environmentally friendly than bottles, and serving it on tap meant the wine would stay fresh between every pour. Before long, other places around town had cut and pasted that new approach into their own bar programs. Now cocktails are getting their turn. Batched cocktails mean you can serve more customers more quickly, the driving force behind the punch trend of previous years. But putting the batch in a 5-gallon Cornelius keg and dispensing it with gas adds another layer of opportunity — a chance to play. When the seasons change, Brandon Josie, Riffle’s bar manager, dreams up four “Twists on Tap,” slightly skewed, seasonal
takes on classic craft cocktails. But because they’re on tap he gets to experiment with gas. If a cocktail needs no bubbles, like a Roman Punch, he’ll gas it with a carefully calibrated combination of nitrogen and carbon-dioxide to produce a “flat” drink. But if he wants to serve something bubbly, like a French 75, he has the freedom to skip the sparkling wine and swap in
whatever white wine he wants. Then he can gas it with carbon-dioxide to make sure the cocktail’s appropriately fizzy. When you get down to it, though, the most appealing thing about tap cocktails is how they save time, and therefore money, both behind the bar and in front of it. Of the two taps Wise has at Imperial, one is dedicated to his all-time favorite cocktail:
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cocktails on tap might seem gimmicky, and even anathema to the craft-cocktail movement in portland, but the city’s bartenders are embracing the trend. tap cocktails won’t replace hand-mixed drinks, they say, but will serve as a useful addition to the menu. putting a few cocktails on tap saves on labor, so drinks with quality spirits can be offered at a discount. and because the drinks are dispensed with gas, bartenders have another way to experiment photograph (far left) By jamie francis, (left) By john m. Vincent
the Vieux Carré. Making one cocktail normally takes a few minutes, but mixing up a large batch doesn’t take that much more time. And, more impressively, he can pour 200 servings from that batch — all without compromising the drink’s integrity. Because the labor is so low, Imperial can offer that cocktail on tap for a song
during its two daily happy hours. In a world of $13 and $14 cocktails, the $5 Vieux Carré makes a lot of people happy. But both Josie and Wise say that one of their favorite things about the concept is its instant accessibility. If either notices a table of regulars stroll in for dinner, they can quickly send over a round of tap cocktail shots as aperitifs before the meal. Likewise,
if they want to spread good will to some first-timers, they can send over a round as a digestif to go with dessert. ThE FuTuRE So are tap cocktails a fad meant to pass or will they become a permanent fixture on bar menus across the city? At present,
Holidays with the Portland Spirit This year let us do all the work and celebrate in style! Cinnamon Bear Cruises
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Multnomah Village marketplace
Medley
Multnomah Village’s newest café, serving breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. Enjoy delicious, comfort food in a charming, cozy atmosphere that makes you feel all warm and happy inside. A great place to meet a friend over tea, celebrate a birthday or bring your book club. Gluten free options. Open 8-5:30 daily.
Peggy Sundays Find the perfect gift this holiday season at Peggy Sundays. Choose from a vast collection of gifts and treasures to delight the special people in your life. And always, Peggy and her knowledgeable staff are happy to assist you and wrap your special gift free of charge.
7880 SW Capitol Hwy. 503-246-8263 www.peggysundays.com
7881 SW Capitol Hwy. 503.972-3316 www.medleytea.com
Jacqueline’s Found & Fabulous
Jones & Jones Our specialty is working with each customer to produce a beautiful and original custom designed piece that fits your individual style.
Every year Le Jacquard Francais produces a limited edition table linen especially for the Christmas festivities. It expresses a dreamlike world marked by childhood memories and will spotlight your holiday table. Come browse for holiday décor, distinctive gifts and much more.
7858 SW Capitol Hwy. 503-223-6020 www.jonesandjonesjewelers.com
7763 SW Capitol Hwy. 503-244-1560
Sweets, Etc. Sweet’s Etc. is a veritable smorgasbord of candy. We have everything from old fashioned jars filled with a variety of sweets, to fine, imported chocolates from all over the world! Handmade fudge reminiscent of your grandmother’s. You will find something wonderful for everyone on your holiday gift list.
7828 SW Capitol Hwy. 503-293-0088 www.sweetsetc.com
Switch Shoes & Clothing Unique and comfortable women’s shoes, clothing and accessories. Specializing in products from independent designers in Portland, Israel and beyond.
7871 SW Capitol Hwy. 503-445-4585 www.switch-shoes.com
Healthy Pets NW
Indigo Traders
Your family-owned alternative for all natural pet foods, treats, toys and supplies. New Pet Ed Center for dogs and pet health seminars for their people. Great gift ideas for your favorite furry friend!
Fine Mediterranean textiles and interiors. Beautiful collection of imported, colorful hand-painted bowls, luxurious soaps, woven scarfs, Turkish coffee and more.
7878 SW Capitol Hwy. 503-780-2422 www.indigotraders.com
7642 SW Capitol Hwy. 971-222-2686 www.healthypetsnw.com
Maggie’s Boutique
Sip D’ Vine
Snuggle up in this plush, playful P.J. Salvage robe from the world’s bestknown pajama designer. Famous for its fabulous fabrics, P.J. Salvage designed this knee-length robe in cozy, washable poly fabric with a chic pattern and whimsical whipstitching at the collar and pockets. $88
Not your stuffy wine shop! Sip D’ Vine offers an extensive selectio of Northwest wines set in a casual, eclectic atmosphere. Enjoy live blues and special events. Oregon’s very first combination wine bar and bottleshop. Text ‘sipdvine’ to 96362 to join our text club.
7868 SW Capitol Hwy. 503-297-1609 www.maggiesboutiqueonline.com
7829 SW Capitol Hwy. 503-977-WINE (9463) www.sipdvine.com
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cocktails, cont.
they’re definitely trending. Wise says he expects to see the number of tap cocktails double, chiefly because he’s helping Imperial open its sister kitchen, the Portland Penny Diner, which will feature a bona-fide soda fountain, where real soda jerks will pour all kinds of drinks, including as many as six tap cocktails. And The Parish owner Tobias Hogan says he plans to introduce at least one rotating tap cocktail, too. Ultimately, though, the success of cocktails on tap depends on you. So the next time you visit one of these establishments, ask for a taste, and if you like it, ask for a round — or two.
Holiday Gala Multnomah Village Annie Bloom’s Books Annastasia Salon Down to Earth Café Fat City Café Healthy Pets Northwest Jacqueline’s Found & Fabulous Jones and Jones Jewelers Maggie’s Boutique Marco’s Café Multnomah Antiques Multnomah Arts Center Nectar Yogurt Lounge O’Connor’s Restaurant Peggy Sundays Sip D’Vine Sweets, Etc. Switch Shoes & Clothing Thinker Toys Umpqua Bank Village Beads
rECiPE
Remember the Maine maKes aBoUt 20 serVings
it’s cocktail party season, and no one wants to be stuck behind the shaker when they can be mingling with friends instead. the solution is to make a big batch of cocktails like this crowd-pleaser. although you likely don’t have your own home tap system, you can serve it in a punch bowl or pitcher and let guests pour their own. 1 (750ml) bottle Jim Beam Black ½ bottle (375 ml) Byrrh, infused with hibiscus tea (see note) 6 ounces Cherry Heering 2 ounces Pernod ½ ounce Angostura bitters 20 ounces filtered water combine ingredients, seal mixture in bottles and chill overnight. serve on the rocks with a twist of lemon. To make the hibiscus tea-infused Byrrh: Byrrh is a red-wine-based aperitif. Use 1 ounce by volume of looseleaf hibiscus tea (wise uses Big hibiscus from smith tea) for each half bottle of Byrrh. allow the tea to cold steep for 20 minutes and strain. — From Brandon Wise, Imperial, Portland £
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Quaint Multnomah Village boasts small town charm and dozens of eclectic shops, boutiques, wine tasting and restaurants.
Fri Dec 7
Tree Lighting 6:42 pm Horse-drawn Carriage Rides, Carolers, Hot Cocoa and Other Great Fun! Sat Dec 8 Pancake Breakfast with Santa at Lucky Lab, 8:00 - 11:00 am Dec 6-8 Annual Arts & Crafts Sale at Mult. Arts Center, Thur & Fri 9-9; Sat 9-4 Dec 1-31 Holiday Golden Ticket Discounts
The Village in the Heart of Portland
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drink / wine
Five wines for a sparkling holiday BY KERRY NEwBERRY
I
n between hanging the mistletoe, making lists and checking them twice, your holiday season often includes countless fêtes and feasts. And that raises one big question: What to drink? The holiday table, as you know, is a smorgasbord of irresistible flavors, which can be a wine-pairing challenge. But according to Champagne aficionado David Speer, there’s one thing that always works: bubbles. “The beauty of sparkling wine and Champagne is that you can pair them with pretty much anything,” he says. As the owner of Ambonnay, the Pacific Northwest’s first Champagne bar, Speer is often found waxing poetic over sparkling wines from his intimate chandelier-lit nook tucked into the Olympic Mills Commerce Center. Patrons can pick from a rotating list of glass pours and a bottle list that features a mix of hard-to-find boutique Champagne producers, coveted classic styles and off-thebeaten-path sparkling wine blends. “Because of some really passionate importers, Portland has an amazing Champagne selection,” says Speer. “We get Champagne that no one else gets across the U.S.” Skipping the typical flutes, which enhance a wine’s bubbles but not much else, Speer serves all of his sparklers in burgundy stems. “This way the wine really opens up and you can take in more aromas and flavors,” he says. “The glassware also changes the dialogue about Champagne.” A bubblyfilled flute screams “special occasion.” But once Champagne is poured in a standard wineglass, and the mystique is removed and it’s another food-friendly wine that can be sipped year-round. With that in mind, we asked Speer to pick five bottles to pair with the rich wintry foods we’re setting on the table this time of year.
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With earthy lentils and rosemary:
NV Marie-Courtin ‘Resonance’ Extra Brut ($53) “When it’s singing, it’s so good,” says Speer, holding a bottle of coveted Champagne from rising star growerproducer Dominique Moreau. Located in the Côte des Bar, Moreau farms 40- to 50-year-old pinot noir vines biodynamically near the village of
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NV Schoenheitz Cremant d’Alsace ($15) This wine hails from Alsace in Northeastern France near the border with Germany. “Dominique Schoenheitz is the co-owner and co-winemaker with her husband Henri Schoenheitz,” says Speer. “They own some of the steepest slopes in Alsace and produce some of the best wines in the appellation.” A blend of 90 percent Auxerrois and 10 percent Pinot Blanc, it’s a delightful wine with lots of minerality and delicious peach and mango tones while still being quite dry. Its lively acids are great with scallops, roast pork and lighter hors d’oeuvres or first courses. Or serve as a stand-alone aperitif.
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And since it’s party season, they had to be special (but not break the bank). No surprise, Speer was ready with this list of standout sparkling wines you’ll be excited to uncork this holiday season.
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wine, cont. Polisot. Moreau celebrated her first vintage in 2006, which was so tiny it never went beyond the French border. “The most prominent note is blackberry,” says Speer, “which is unusual for Champagne.” The brambly and baked pear essence enthralls on this elegant wine with a rich, almost lush finish. Speer suggests pairing with pork tenderloin “or something really earthy like lentils; it would accentuate the minerality and that blackberry in the wine.” Add in caramelized shallots and fresh rosemary and you’ve got the perfect wintry fare.
With steak and prime rib:
NV André Clouet Silver Brut Nature, Grande Reserve ($40) “I discovered this wine worked really well with steak totally by accident,” says Speer. He and a friend set a date with a readyto-drink cult Napa cabernet at Urban PHOTOGRAPH BY jAMIE fRANcIS
“Because of some really passionate importers, Portland has an amazing Champagne selection—we get Champagne that no one else gets across the U.S.”— David Speer Farmer. “We get there, pull the cork and it’s bad.” Instead of another red, they decided to pair the 20-ounce steak sampler
with a bottle of Champagne. “It was awesome, particularly with the dry-aged steak,” he says. The silver label has a very
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low dosage, and Speer finds that extra bit of acidity “helps cut through the richness in all the ways tannins normally would with red.” The brut with the beef also brings out a nice earthiness with notes of raspberry and blueberry. “I find if you drink it on its own you don’t get quite as much of the berry because you are overwhelmed with the minerality.”
With grilled or roasted vegetables and poultry:
2008 Gramona Gran Cuvée ($20) Cava is not as sexy as Champagne, but this bottle is known to woo even the most devoted converts. “I like cava for mixed drinks, cocktails and all that jazz,” says Speer. Then he found this budget-friendly bottle that shines on its own in the glass. A medley of xarello, macabeo and chardonnay grapes, it comes from one of the oldest cava families in the Penedès region of Spain. The richness, complexity and “baked lemon, smoky notes and stone fruit” speak to the Gramona philosophy — their wines are aged in the cellar longer than any other house. Speer would pair this crowd-pleaser with food from the grill “or other similar cooking methods to give the food some char marks.” Try a trio of root vegetables, or if you are craving something meaty, “chicken would be tasty, particularly dark meat, and sausages.”
With mushrooms and duck:
2007 J. Albin Blanc de Noir Sparkling Wine ($30) John Albin was director of viticulture and winemaking at King Estate Winery for seven years before deciding to focus on his own wines. The fruit for this bottling is 100 percent old-vine pinot noir sourced from a vineyard Albin planted in the Chehalem Mountains more than 30 years ago. “I liked the 2007 blanc de noir when it first came out,” says Speer. The classically cool DECEMBER 2012 MIXpdX.coM
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wine, cont.
vintage was reminiscent of what Speer likes about Champagne — higher acids and a nice bright minerality. “But then like so many pinot noirs, it kind of went into a close-up phase and wasn’t showing so well,” he says. “It’s finally emerged from that and it’s showing really well now. If anything it’s put on a little bit of flesh, it’s a little broader, and there’s some nice fruit tones.” The earthy notes in the wine make it a great match for any mushroom dish, “like risotto with chanterelles or lobster mushrooms.” For bird fans, he suggests grilled duck breast or duck confit. (Note: less than 500 cases were made, so grab it while you can).
Bonus: The bottle to bring
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NV Schloss Gobelsburg Brut Reserve ($35) This off-the-beaten-path sparkling wine from Austria is an eclectic blend of grüner veltliner, pinot noir and riesling. “It’s a great bridge wine — wine geeks can get into it for what it is, but it’s so delicious that anyone can enjoy it,” says Speer, who would serve this zesty wine as an aperitif. Lively across the palate with bright lime and baked pear notes, “this is the wine I take to a lot of parties and I’m always happy to show it off.” Plus, it’s a great conversation starter. The Schloss Gobelsburg estate is one of the oldest wineries in Austria. Until 1996, when the Zwetti Monastery sold the property to winemaker Michael Moosbrugger and Willi Bründlmayer, one of Austria’s rock star winemakers, monks had been making wine from the vineyard since the 1700s. £
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drink
Gifts for a hoppy holiday By CHAD WALSH
F
ew things in life are better than beer, but free beer is certainly one of them. Especially when it’s a wellthought-out gift, because it tells you exactly what your gift-giver thinks of you. And that’s precisely why picking out a special bottle for the beer lover in your life can be a bit daunting. A six-pack of a local craft brew is nice, but it doesn’t really say, “you’re worth the effort.” That’s where the experts at your local bottle shop come in. These enthusiasts are way more knowledgeable about the world of beer than the rest of us, so they have great ideas for picking out that certain something for that certain someone. We asked three of them to give us their picks for gift-worthy bottles (available locally) they’d be as proud to give as they’d be happy to receive. Here are their suggestions for making your loved ones’ holidays happier and hoppier. Sarah Pederson at Saraveza
DeuS, Brouwerij Bosteels (Belgium), 750ml, 11.5 percent ABV Miller High Life may be “The Champagne of Beers,” but can you really call it that when it comes in twist-off bottles? If you genuinely want the true Champagne of Beers, Saraveza’s Sarah Pederson says you’ll pop the cork on a bottle of DeuS (translated, boastfully, from the Latin, as God). Its mystique? It’s fermented once in Belgium, and then again in France’s Champagne region, where it’s bottled, riddled, corked and stored for almost a year before it hits the market. It’s crisp, it’s clear and it’s meant to be consumed from Champagne flutes among your family and your closest friends when you’re turning turn 50, celebrating your
pHotogrApH By rEED DArMoN
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beer, cont.
recent engagement or welcoming your first-born into the world. In other words, it’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime beers. Seizoen, Logsdon Organic Farmhouse Ales (Oregon), 750ml, 7.5 percent ABV When she feels like celebrating even minor victories, Pederson says she always reaches for a bottle of Belgian ale. And she says she’d be thrilled if someone thought enough of her to gift her a bottle of Seizoen, brewed just up the road at Logsdon Brewery in nearby Hood River. This particular ale, with its pear notes, is both “delicate and sparkly,” which is why she suggests that you and your friends quaff it from wineglasses. “Ultimately, they’re just beautiful beers that come in beautiful packages,” she says. Saraveza, 1004 N. Killingsworth St., 503-2064252, saraveza.com
Adam Hobbs, one of the partners in the new 1856 bottle shop, says a gift-worthy beer is one you’d be happy to share with friends after a special meal. the shop, located next to pok pok Noi on Northeast prescott, is named in honor of the year Louis pasteur discovered how microorganisms ferment beer. It offers offers beer and cider on tap, in addition to its vast bottle selection. pHotogrApH By roSS WILLIAM HAMILtoN
Adam Hobbs at 1856
Cerasus, Logsdon Organic Farmhouse Ales (Oregon), 750ml, 8.5 percent ABV The first gift beer that pops into the mind of Adam Hobbs, one of bottle shop 1856’s
five owners, also happens to be a Logsdon ale, in this case, the brewer’s Cerasus. Barrel-aged and fermented with cherries harvested from Logsdon’s own orchard, this kriek-style red ale makes a great gift,
Hillsboro area Restaurants Reedville Cafe
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The family-owned, award-winning place in Oregon for Japanese pubstyle dishes, top-notch sushi and sashimi, and superb sake.
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says Hobbs, as it’s one of those beers you break out on special occasions, after a good meal, for a small group of friends. Xyauyù, Etichetta Oro (Gold Label), Baladin (Italy), 24 ounces, ABV percentage varies With its confounding X and its muddle of vowels (counting the Ys), your guess at pronouncing this beer’s name is as good as Hobbs’ — who’s not sure how to pronounce it either. What he’s sure of, though, is that this rare Italian import is one of those holy grails for beer lovers everywhere. It’s malty and mediumbodied, but other than that, he says, the beer has no distinct style: It’s neither lager, nor ale nor stout. It’s more like a mystery. And he says don’t be surprised if you gift this beer to a friend who promptly stores it away. Like a good wine, it gets better with age. Just wait a few years and, if you’re lucky, that friend might just invite you back to help break it open. 1856, 1465 N.E. Prescott St., 503-954-1104, 1856pdx.com
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Neil Tandow at Belmont Station
Billy the Mountain Old Ale, Upright Brewing (Oregon), 750ml, 9.1 percent ABV You’re forgiven if the first thing you feel after stepping into Belmont Station is a sense of despair — perusing its 1,300 beers to find the right one can be daunting. That’s why you should seek out general manager Neil Tandow for help. His “perennial
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beer, cont.
favorite” is Upright Brewing’s English ale, produced each year in limited batches. It’s affordable and “complements hearty holiday dishes,” but it does so with a brighter palate than your usual winter beers, like porters and stouts. “Quite simply,” he says, “nobody in the state of Oregon makes a beer quite like it.”
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Sixteen, Firestone Walker Brewing Company (California), 22 ounces, 13 percent ABV This beer, like the holidays (and just in time for them, too), comes but once a year. In fact, Firestone’s annual anniversary beers are met with such anticipation that they don’t last long on the shelves, so you’ve got to get them while the getting’s good. Tandow says these anniversary beers are known for their “layers and layers of flavors,” but determining what’s in each bottle is your own guess — although each bottle comes with liner notes for tasting, Firestone keeps its ingredients under wraps. So what’s the best way to drink it? Tandow says he buys a bottle each year — a little gift to himself — and shares it the way he would a dessert wine: after a delicious meal, and with a good cigar. 4500 S.E. Stark St., 503-232-8538, belmont-station.com £
get out
Day Trip: Stevenson, Washington By Kerry NewBerry
R
aining again? Don’t fret. A winter drizzle in Portland equals snow flurries just a short drive away. And where there’s snow, there’s fun. Next time you gaze at a charcoal sky, pack the skis and head to the tiny town of Stevenson for a snow-kissed cross-country adventure. Just 40 miles east of Portland, the sleepy hamlet offers everything you need to brighten the weekend, from boutiques and a cult-craft brewery to gourmet cupcakes, cozy cafes and locally roasted coffee. Oh, and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest is the town’s backyard, so in the same amount of time it takes to bake a frittata, you can plant your feet in a foot of snow.
If you can, plan your trip for a Saturday, because most of the town’s boutiques and coffee shops are closed on Sundays during the winter. Hit the road early enough to witness the mystique of the Columbia River Gorge on a winter’s morning, when a soft fog slumbers atop the winding river. You’ll also still be in morningcoffee mode, so you can hit Robbie’s (77 S.W. Russell Ave.,
509-427-0154) before you hit the trail. Pair a cup of locally roasted coffee with a fresh-from-the-oven cinnamon roll or a slice of artisan bread from Acadian Farms. The coffee shop-cum-antique-art-store also has ample couches to kick back and relax. When you’re ready to channel your inner snow-bunny, rumble up the evergreen Wind River Road, past the teeny town of Carson to
Big River grill
PhotograPh (aBove) By Jamie FraNcis, (leFt) By reed darmoN DECEMBER 2012 MIXpdX.coM
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daytrip, cont.
Bloomsbury Old Man Pass Sno-Park, elevation 3,040 feet. More than 25 miles of cross country ski trails ripple through old-growth groves of western red cedar and Douglas fir trees. There’s also a play area for thrill-seekers on sleds and inner tubes. If you are a novice skier, opt for the easy 1.2-mile loop through the forest with a spectacular view of Mt. Adams. For the hardier spirit and more experienced skiers, you can swish by more landscape on the 5.7-mile route. After you crisscross over the snow and through the woods, head back to discover the charms of Stevenson. First stop? Bloomsbury of Kanaka Creek Farm (240 S.W. Second St., 509-427-4444, bloomsburyshop.com). Originally a blacksmith’s shop, this home and garden store is like the Anthropologie of the Columbia River Gorge, filled with clothes, accessories and home decor. If you need a holiday gift for a sister, aunt, mom or wife, you can find it here — even vegan leather purses. Around the corner, Lesley’s Books (240 S.W. Second St., 509-4274463, lesleybooks.com) features an 46
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Big River grill eclectic selection of new and used books, as well as more than 50 pop-up books for kids and adults. In true Oregonian style, the namesake for the humble shop is the owner’s beloved hound, who can often be found lounging on the store’s couch. After book browsing, early birds can lunch at the Big River Grill (192 S.W. Second St., 509-427-4888, thebigrivergrill. com), a landmark building dating to 1910 that originally housed a hardware store and, rumor has it, a brothel. The dark woodsy decor evokes a hunting lodge, with an impressive collection of sturgeon, lumber saws, hard hats and vintage wooden skis adorning the walls. Try the sockeye salmon sandwich with basil pesto aioli or the hearty grilled veggie and portobello sandwich served on homemade focaccia bread. If you hold off on lunch until 3 p.m. Walking Man Brewing (240 First St., 509-427-5520) opens and it’s worth the wait. The convivial crowd is a mix of Carhartt-clad locals and sporty snowseekers in wooly hats. A chalk-board menu spotlights the 10 beers on tap, including seasonal offerings like Sasquatch Pumpkin
Walking Man Brewing
Ale and the classic Walking Man IPA. You can peek into the bedroom-sized brewery at fermentation tanks in action and often chat with founder Bob Craig perched at the bar with a pint. Hint: Look for the gentleman with a salt-andpepper ponytail and a neatly trimmed gnome-like goatee. The plate of wild steelhead fish and chips — beer battered and golden, savory and subtly salty — is an occasional weekend special. Get it when you can. Also, order a platter of the IPA-braised chicken wings with hop honey glaze for the table. Men with beards take note: You’ll likely need a friend to spot clean the orange sauce from your chin hairs, as the wings go down with gusto. Before you leave town, grab a sweet treat for the road at A. Boutique (77 S.W. Russell Ave.; 509-427-2244; aboutique. us). Amid the clothes and jewelry is a coffee shop stocked with delicious Franz lake baked goods. iver 84 ia r Try the umb
luscious red velvet cupcakes or a chocolatedipped shortbread cookie sprinkled with sea salt. Head out of town on Highway 14 and slow down as you approach the Franz Lake National Wildlife Refuge. A scenic overlook is located near Milepost 31. You won’t see Sasquatch, but the view is magnificent. The refuge is a winter home for close to 500 tundra swans each year. wind river It’s just one more snow road white wonder to take caRson in before heading back home to Portland. £ stevenson
14
cascade Locks 43 miles to Portland
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PhotograPhy By reed darmoN DECEMBER 2012 MIXpdX.coM
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calendar Our picks for what to do when COMPILED BY GRANT BuTLER
ALES! ALES! THE GANG’S ALL HERE THROUGH DEC. 2
The annual Holiday Ale Festival is one of Portland’s most-flavorful holiday traditions, and features more than 50 seasonal spirits in Pioneer Courthouse Square. If it’s chilly, heated tents protect beer aficionados from the elements, while the city’s holiday tree shimmers above. On tap are some of the region’s best limited-release brews you won’t find in your neighborhood grocery store. holidayale.com
NO WIRE CHRISTMAS TREES EVER!!! THROUGH DEC. 23
What screams Christmas more than a guy in drag? With the campy “A Very Joan Crawford Christmas,” Triangle Productions imagines the famously mean-spirited actress hosting her own TV special. Think of this as your glazed ham for the holidays. After the show, head for appropriately glitzy drinks at the Southeast Portland bar Crush. www.tripro.org crushbar.com
HOLIDAYS ON MARS THROUGH DEC. 23
Whether you celebrate christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, Susannah Mars’ one-woman cabaret “Mars On Life: Holiday Survival Guide” will get you through the treacherous territory between now and new Years eve with wit, wisdom and wonderful songs. cohoproductions.org
PHOTOGRAPH BY OWEN CAREY
DIY DECK THE HALLS
DRIVING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND
DEC. 8-9
THROUGH DEC. 25
Now in its 20th year, the drive-through Winter Wonderland lighting display is the largest of its kind west of the Mississippi. But here’s what’s really cool: You get to drive on the actual track of Portland International Raceway — OK, granted, not at whiteknuckle speed. Turn on some holiday music as you roll past 250 flickering displays of tin soldiers, skiing elves and glowing wreaths and poinsettias. The event doubles as a food drive for Portland’s Sunshine Division. globaleventsgrouppdx.com
The do-it-yourself elves have been working overtime getting ready for the Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale. In addition to handmade Christmas decorations and unique clothes, jewelry and handbags for giving, you’ll find delicious candy and homemade snacks. The sale is so big it’s taking over the Oregon Convention Center for two whole days. craftywonderland.com
LAST MINuTE AT THE MARKET
DEC. 15
don’t wait until the very last minute to pick up stocking stuffers for the food lover on your gift list. at the last Saturday edition of the Portland Farmers Market of the year, you’ll find great spice mixes, jars of local honey, artisan pickles and even wine and beer for spirited giving. and you can pick up a handful of farmers market tokens, which can be used at the wintertime markets after the first of the year. portlandfarmersmarket.org
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PHOTOGRAPH BY BRIAN LEE
Now opeN
Located in the Bridgeport Mall NuTS TO YOu DEC. 8-23
Snowfall. Dancing candies. An army of marauding mice! Oregon Ballet Theatre’s gorgeous production of George Balanchine’s “The Nutcracker” has it all. Tchaikovsky’s beloved score brings to life a magical Christmas world where a toy nutcracker saves the day. obt.org
Tasting & Retail Monday through Saturday: 10AM - 8PM Sunday: 10AM - 7PM www.lucerooliveoil.com
PHOTOGRAPH BY BLAINE TRuITT COVERT
Gerding Theater at the Armory 128 NW Eleventh Avenue
•
877 330 2190
503.445.3700
pcs.org
MAKE A NEW TRADITION DEC. 25
On Christmas Day, you can drink your eggnog and gingerbread cookies, or you can try something new by embracing some of the foods that are cooked in other countries to celebrate the holiday. In Guatemala, homemade tamales are served. In Norway, the feast centers on pork sausage made with powdered ginger, cloves, mustard seeds and nutmeg. In France’s Provence region, dinner ends with a series of 13 desserts! One of those could be a Jamaican Christmas cake soaked in rum.
William Shakespeare’s
RING IN 2013 DEC. 31
Those Mayan calendar predictions of the end of the world didn’t happen, which means there’s a New Year to usher in. New Year’s Eve is one of the biggest nights for eating out, so get dressed up and head to a posh restaurant. Make reservations early, or be prepared to watch the ball drop at home with Ryan Seacrest. That really would be the end of the world. £
Directed by Penny Metropulos
November 13–December 23 Judy Kelley Madeline Nelson & Jim Lafky
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When choosing wines for the feast, Riffle NW wine director Dana Frank kept her focus on Sicily. “They come from small farmers, are made naturally and simply, and speak of the place they come from.�
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get together The Riffle NW crew celebrates the holidays together with seven fishes, 24 bottles of wine and one big party.
FamIlY IS WheRe You FINd IT
Servers, bartenders, line cooks — pretty much anyone who prepares or brings you your dinner — often share one thing in common: They’re orphans from some other city, moored to jobs far from home. So when the holidays roll around, they stick together and improvise their own impromptu “families”, creating new traditions out of old ones, with new friends made on the fly. Ken and Jennifer Norris know the drill. They’re New York City émigrés who moved to Portland two years ago to open their fresh-catch seafood spot, Riffle NW. In doing so, they “orphaned” their friend and fellow New Yorker Joseph Cefalu. So they lured him to Portland to run Ken’s kitchen, and the trio formed the core of the restaurant.
By Chad WalSh Photography by BeTh NaKamuRa DECEMBER 2012 MIXpdX.coM
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even before they flung open the restaurant’s doors to the public last spring, the Norrises held a series of dinner parties at their home, not just as a way to test out new entrées but also to welcome their new hires into the Riffle family fold. So it was only natural that they’d celebrate this holiday season — and the orphans they’ve adopted — with a holiday staff party at the Norris home. This time they persuaded Cefalu to prepare his grandmother’s Feast of the Seven Fishes, a Catholic holiday spread he inherited from his nonni, Jeannie Veneziano Cefalu, who imported it to New York City from her native Sicily when she immigrated to the States long ago. In order to faithfully celebrate a proper Sicilian Feast of the Seven Fishes, Cefalu (an alum of such high-profile NYC restaurants as le Bernardin, whom everyone affectionately calls “Chef Joey”) said you must first hold fast to some traditional rules. Rule No. 1: No meat shall be consumed (unless you consider fish meat). Rule No. 2: No baking. Rather than slave over sweets in the kitchen, outsource the preparation of your cannoli to your neighborhood Italian bakery (the Riffle family chose overlook’s di Prima dolce). Rule No. 3: Table talk shall be lively and animated. Bonus points for hand gestures. most importantly, politics must be discussed. Politics, he said, leads to conversational impasses, guaranteeing that your home will return to its former tranquillity by no later than 9:30 p.m., when the last of your guests shuffle home. Rule No. 4: The absence of baccalà (a salted cod dish born from peasant traditions that takes two days to make) disqualifies a Seven Fishes Feast. Baccalà, Chef Joey said, is central to the meal. The baccalà was but one of the more than seven courses. Chef Joey also served up a cold, marinated seafood salad, stuffed clams, stuffed crab, mussels with red sauce, lobster bucatini, Sicilian pizza with marinated anchovies, as well as fried fish cutlets that everyone, even the chef, jokingly referred to as “chicken strips.” The food on the table ebbed and flowed, with one course replacing another, and then another. Plates were cleaned, then filled back up. Conversation tapered off between bites. and before long, this very appropri52
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the menu
ately named “feast” had every taste bud on everyone’s tongue singing the exact same happy song. of course, the wine helped, too. as did the cocktails. and that brings us to the New Rules. If food is the ingredient that rightfully brings people together, then it’s the sauce that makes them stay. and at this feast, there was plenty of it — 24 bottles to be precise. Riffle’s wine director, dana Frank, led her fellow guests down an oenological trip of Sicily, generously instructing them (between spontaneous toasts) on what island reds and whites to pair with which course. Then, as everyone ate, drank and made merry, Riffle bartenders Brandon Josie and alani Vierra excused themselves to prepare a theatrically presented dessert punch — served in delicate, crystalline, egg-shaped glasses made of ice — to accompany the platter of cannoli. and then there was music — but not your grandmother’s kind. There was no Pavarotti, no maria Callas. Not even deano or Sinatra got a spin. Instead the Riffle family stuck to the playlist they used to inaugurate their opening night party earlier this year, an amalgamation of each guest’s eclectic tastes, with an emphasis on glam pioneers, new wave revivalists and blues crooners (T. Rex, Cut Copy, Passion Pit, Raphael Saadiq, Sharon Jones and the dap Kings). When 9:30 p.m. did roll around, the bands (via a Spotify playlist) played on and on, and no one stirred from the table — every seat was filled and every glass refilled (there were, after all, nearly a dozen bottles of wine waiting to be uncorked). and while the conversation did grow livelier, the crew remained sensible, never once mentioning
amuse-Bouche: Blood orange and Saffron Granita With Carbonated Grappa, and Blood orange and liqueur “Caviar” Sfincione (Sicilian Anchovy Pizza) Baccalà (Salt Cod Purèe) Vongole oreganata (Stuffed Clams) Cozze alla marinara (Mussels in Red Sauce) Bucatini Con aragosta (Bucatini With Lobster) Sicilian Seafood Salad Crispy Breaded Fish Fillets Stuffed Crab
drinks
As longtime restaurant veterans, Jennifer and Ken Norris (above) know what it’s like to spend the holidays working long hours away from home. So they invited their staff to celebrate the season together, with a festive, collaborative party loaded with great food and drinks.
mediterranean Punch 2007 Benanti, Pietramarina, etna 2010 I Custodi, ante, etna 2010 Grillo, Nino Barraco, marsala 2010 occhipinti, Il Frappato, Sicilia 2009 azienda agricola CoS, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Sicilia 2009 Benanti, Rosso di Verzella, etna 2009 Tenuta di Castellaro, Nero ossidiana, lipari 2008 daino, Nero d’avola “Suber,” Caltagirone Wines can be purchased at Riffle NW, among other stores
dessert 2006 marco de Bartoli, Bukkuram, Passito di Pantelleria Cannoli from di Prima dolce bakery Kinder Sorpresa (Dessert Cocktail)
even the word politics. But they didn’t need anything to argue over. Instead, they sang along with the music, trading stories between sips of wine, happy to have found home away from home. Because restaurant people know — as does anyone who celebrates life through food and drink — family is where you find it.
The Riffle NW crew will cook up another Feast of the Seven Fishes, this one open to the pubic, Monday, Dec. 10, at 6 p.m. at their Pearl District digs; reservation only; rifflenw.com. DECEMBER 2012 MIXpdX.coM
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Baccalà (Salt Cod Purèe) MAKeS 8 to 10 Appetizer ServiNgS
Bucatini Con aragosta (Bucatini With lobster)
Creamy and savory yet not at all fishy, salt cod purèe is one of the most delicious things you can slather on crostini.
MAKeS ABout 4 ServiNgS
1 pound boneless skinless salt cod (see note) 1 pound russet potatoes About 4 cups milk 2 sprigs fresh thyme 3 bay leaves 2 cloves garlic, grated ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish Freshly ground black pepper ½ cup heavy cream ¼ cup olive oil, plus more if needed Salt 2 tablespoons plain dry bread crumbs 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan 2 tablespoons unsalted butter Grilled sliced artisan bread, for serving
3 to 4 (6-ounce) raw lobster tails, with shells 4 teaspoons olive oil 4 tablespoons unsalted butter ¼ cup diced celery ¼ cup diced onions 2 cloves garlic, sliced 2 cups dry white wine ¼ cup canned tomato sauce ½ cup heavy cream Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper ½ pound bucatini
and rinse salt cod and place in a saucepan. Add enough milk to cover, along with the thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and cook until fish flakes easily, about 5 minutes. remove from heat and allow fish to cool in the liquid. Flake the fish into a bowl, checking for any bones and skin. purée warm potatoes by passing them through a ricer or food mill. Add to the fish. Add grated garlic, chopped parsley and pepper to taste. gently stir in the cream and enough olive oil so that the mixture is the consistency of lumpy mashed potatoes. taste and add up to ¾ teaspoon salt, if needed.
Bucatini is like thick, hollow spaghetti. You can also use perciatelli, which is a bit thinner, or go with something truly delicate, like angel hair pasta. the creamy, wine-infused tomato sauce works with just about anything. until they turn bright red. Add the white wine and carefully ignite with a match held just above the surface of the liquid. Allow the alcohol in the wine to burn off until the flames subside. Add the tomato sauce. increase heat to high and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. pick out the lobster shells and discard. Add the cream, bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 more minutes.
Scrub the potatoes and place in a medium saucepan. Cover with water, bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are easily pierced with a Note: Salt cod is dried, salted cod. knife. Drain, allow to cool, and peel. You can find it at pastaworks and Newman’s Fish Market. preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drain
Cut lobster tails in half lengthwise. gently pull meat out and cut into bite-sized Bring a large pot of water to a pieces. reserve meat and shells boil and salt generously. Add the separately. pasta and cook for 1 minute less than the package directions. Heat a large sauté pan over Strain and add the pasta to the medium heat. Add olive oil sauce. Allow pasta to simmer in and butter. When butter melts, the sauce for several minutes to add the celery and onions and finish cooking. Before the pasta sauté until translucent, about 5 is done, season the sauce to minutes. Add garlic and cook 3 taste with salt and pepper and minutes more. add the lobster meat. Simmer Add the lobster shells and sauté until heated through and serve.
— Ken Norris and Joseph Cefalu, Riffle NW, Portland
— Ken Norris and Joseph Cefalu, Riffle NW, Portland
place salt cod in a non-reactive bowl, cover with water and refrigerate for two days, changing the water every 16 hours.
transfer mixture to a 2-quart casserole dish. top with bread crumbs, parmesan and dot with butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 20 minutes. remove from oven and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve warm or room temperature with grilled bread.
Vongole oreganata (Stuffed Clams)
Sfincione (Sicilian anchovy Pizza)
MAKeS 4 Appetizer ServiNgS
MAKeS oNe 10½-BY-15½-iNCH pizzA (6 eNtree ServiNgS
A simple topping of herbed bread crumbs makes these simple clams irresistible.
or 12 Appetizer ServiNgS)
½ cup plain dry bread crumbs 2 tablespoons dried oregano (preferably Sicilian) 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 12 large shucked Manila clams, shells reserved (see note)
mixture, which could bruise the fresh herbs and make the bread crumbs mushy.) Set aside.
Set oven to broil. in a large bowl, gently toss bread crumbs, dried oregano, fresh parsley, ½ cup olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper. (Be careful not to overwork the
Note: You can use the same technique to shuck clams as you would oysters. For a step-by-step demonstration, see page 26. And watch our video at mixpdx.com.
Line a baking sheet with a thick layer of coarse or kosher salt to keep the clams from tilting. Arrange 12 clam shells in the salt. put 1 clam in each shell and top with 2 tablespoons of the bread crumb mixture. Drizzle with olive oil. Broil 2 to 3 minutes until bread crumbs are toasted.
— Ken Norris and Joseph Cefalu, Riffle NW, Portland
A sprinkling of raisins, pine nuts and piquant marinated anchovies give this focaccia-like pizza the sweet-sour agrodolce flavor common to Sicilian cuisine. 1 teaspoon active dry yeast ¼ cup warm water (110 degrees) ¾ cup cold water 1 teaspoon salt 2¼ cups bread flour ½ cup olive oil (divided) 1 large onion, chopped 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 2 tablespoons pine nuts 8 white anchovy fillets, chopped (see note) 2 tablespoons raisins ¾ cup toasted bread crumbs (see note) ¾ cup grated caciocavallo or aged provolone cheese (see note)
dough from the bowl and knead on a lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes, until a smooth, tight ball can be formed. Coat a large bowl with olive oil. Add the ball of dough and turn to lightly coat in oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days. preheat the oven to 450 degrees. place a pizza stone inside and allow to preheat for 45 minutes. Coat a 10½-by-15½-inch rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. remove dough from the refrigerator and stretch it to fit the baking sheet. use a fork to poke holes all over the dough to help it rise evenly.
Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. remove from heat and stir in crushed tomatoes, Stir the cold water and salt into red pepper flakes, pine nuts, the yeast mixture and gradually stir in flour until the mixture pulls anchovies and raisins. together into dough. remove continued x Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a large bowl. Let stand until dissolved, about 5 minutes.
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Crispy Breaded Fish Fillets MAKeS 4 ServiNgS
Chefs Ken Norris and Joseph Cefalu used slender whiting fillets for their feast, but any white-fleshed fish will do. the fresh bread crumbs are what give the fillets their amazing texture. Don’t substitute store-bought dried bread crumbs or panko.
Fpo
Sfincione, cont’d. Spread the tomato sauce heavily over the entire crust. Sprinkle liberally with toasted bread crumbs and grated cheese. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Allow the dough to rise near the warm oven for about 30 minutes. place the baking sheet on the pizza stone and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the bottom of the crust is golden brown (lift up a corner to check). Cut into squares and serve.
Notes: Caciocavallo cheese is a teardrop-shaped cheese from Southern italy that can be hard to find. try substituting aged provolone. Marinated white anchovies (boquerones) can be found in bulk at pastaworks and in jars in the refrigerated case at Barbur World Foods. to toast the bread crumbs, spread on a baking sheet and bake in a 350-degree oven for 10 minutes.
— Ken Norris and Joseph Cefalu, Riffle NW, Portland
2 large eggs 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups fresh white bread crumbs 1 pound firm white-fleshed fish, such as haddock, cod, whiting or pollock, cut into 16 equal pieces Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper About ½ cup vegetable oil, or as needed Lemon wedges and chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley for garnish
in the bread crumbs. gently press crumbs onto both sides of the fish, coating it completely. transfer breaded fillet to a rack; repeat process with remaining fillets.
preheat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add the oil to the skillet and heat until hot (a few crumbs sprinkled in the pan should sizzle on contact). Slip the fillets into the hot oil, which should come halfway up the sides of the fish. Cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, Beat the eggs and 1 tablespoon depending on the thickness of water in a shallow bowl. place the fish, until golden brown. the the flour and bread crumbs in two thicker the fish, the more slowly separate bowls. Set a wire rack you should cook it, so turn the over a baking sheet. heat down if necessary. if cooking Season the fish fillets on both in batches, add a little more oil to sides with salt and pepper. pan if it appears dry. Working with one fillet at a time, using a slotted spatula, transfer dredge it in flour, shake off the fish to a platter and immediately excess, then dip it in the beaten salt the fish once more. Serve eggs, making sure entire fillet is garnished with lemon wedges and coated. remove fillet from eggs, chopped fresh parsley. letting excess drip off, then place — Ken Norris and Joseph Cefalu, Riffle NW, Portland
ONLINE EXTRA: Get the recipe for Cozze alla Marinara (Mussels in Red Sauce) at MIXPDX.COM 56
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Sicilian Seafood Salad MAKeS 6 to 8 ServiNgS
Don’t be intimidated by the baby octopus and calamari in this dish. Both are readily available at uwajimaya, and give this fresh and flavorful salad a wonderful texture. Poaching broth: 4 cups water 1 cup white wine 2 teaspoons salt 2 to 3 bay leaves 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper 1 small onion, roughly chopped Salad: 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced 1 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced 1 small red onion, thinly sliced ½ cup chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley 1 pound small (31 to 40 count) shrimp, cut in half crosswise ½ pound bay scallops ½ pound calamari, cut into rings ½ pound cleaned baby octopus, thawed if frozen, hoods separated from the tentacles (see note) ¼ cup olive oil, or more to taste Salt and freshly ground black pepper Juice of 1 to 2 lemons in a large pot, combine the broth ingredients, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. remove from heat and allow to steep for 30 minutes (or refrigerate overnight). Meanwhile, combine the bell peppers, onion and parsley in a serving bowl. Strain the broth, discarding the solids, and return the broth to the pot. Bring back to a boil over high heat and add the shrimp. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes. turn off the heat and use a slotted spoon to transfer the shrimp to the bowl of vegetables. Add the scallops to the poaching water (do not turn the heat back on), cover and allow scallops to gently poach in the hot broth for 3 to 4 minutes. use a slotted spoon to transfer the scallops to the serving bowl. return the broth to a boil over high heat once more. Add the calamari rings and boil 30 seconds to 1 minute. use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the serving bowl. repeat the same process for the baby octopus, cooking for 3 to 4 minutes before adding them to the bowl. Drizzle the salad with olive oil, a little salt and half the lemon juice. taste and add more lemon juice if desired. Note: Baby octopus is available cleaned and frozen at uwajimaya. — Ken Norris and Joseph Cefalu, Riffle NW, Portland DECEMBER 2012 MIXpdX.coM
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Kinder Sorpresa MAKeS 1 ServiNg
this luxurious cocktail is made even more special by the use of ethereal, egg-shaped cups of ice. Bartender Brandon Josie shows you how to make them in our video at mixpdx.com. 1 ounce Averna Amaro ¼ ounce Nux Alpina Nocino Ice Ice egg cups or coupe glasses, for serving 3 ounces chilled prosecco Pistachio foam (see below) Candied thyme (see below) Combine Averna and Nocino in a mixing tin with ice. Stir several seconds until chilled. Strain into the ice egg or coupe glass. top with chilled prosecco and a dollop of pistachio foam. garnish with candied thyme. To make pistachio foam: in a saucepan, heat 2 cups whole milk and 2 cups shelled pistachios, stirring occasionally until pistachios are soft (don’t allow milk to boil). remove from heat, then purée in a food processor. Strain through a cheesecloth-lined sieve. Dissolve 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin in 1 tablespoon water. Stir into the milk and allow to cool. pour into a whipped cream canister and charge with
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a Co2 charger. Keep chilled until ready to use. To make candied thyme: Whisk 1 egg white in a bowl until frothy. Dip thyme sprigs into the froth, dip into a bowl of granulated sugar and place on a paper towel for 1 to 8 hours to dry. — Brandon Josie, Riffle NW, Portland
ONLINE EXTRA: Watch Riffle
NW bartender Brandon Josie demonstrate how to make ice cups at MIXPDX.COM
Through January 6, 2013
Presented By: MIX Magazine: Horizontal: 4.917”x 4.875” HISTORY MUSEUM AT THE OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
WWW.OHS.ORG | 503.222.1741 Monday–Saturday 10 AM–5 PM Sunday Noon–5 PM
mediterranean Punch MAKeS 12 to 16 ServiNgS
punches are a great way to serve a crowd without having to shake up individual cocktails all night. to keep it cold, make a block of ice by freezing water in a large plastic yogurt container. 15 ounces Batavia Arrack 10 ounces limoncello 8 ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice 5 ounces lemon olea saccharum (see note) 20 dashes Scrappy’s cardamom bitters Ice block 15 ounces sparkling water Mix Batavia Arrack, limoncello, lemon juice, lemon olea saccharum and bitters in a punch bowl. Add a large block of ice and allow the mix to chill for an hour in a cool place. Before serving, top off with sparkling water and garnish with clove-studded lemon wheels. Serve in punch cups over ice. Note: olea saccharum is an old-fashioned term for citrus-infused sugar. to make it, combine 3 ounces (by volume) cane sugar with the peels of 3 lemons. Allow peels to macerate for 24 hours. Add 3 ounces of hot water to dissolve the sugar, then strain off the lemon peels. — Alani Vierra, Riffle NW, Portland £ DECEMBER 2012 MIXpdX.coM
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Holiday brunch
The owner of Compote Cafe starts the New Year off right — with family, friends and plenty of good food.
By shäna lane-Block Photography by leah nash
Shäna Lane-Block (top left), the owner of Southeast Portland’s sunny Compote Cafe, says New Year’s Day is ideal for a celebratory brunch.
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I love any excuse to get dressed up in my own home. It’s an opportunity to get fancy, which I really like to do, without the hassles involved with actually going somewhere. I can take off the uncomfortable heels whenever I feel like it. I don’t need a bulky coat hiding my cute little dress. It won’t rain on my hair. the other thing I love is brunch — so much so that my cafe and bakery, compote in southeast Portland, is pretty brunchy, too. not because we expect a late-morning crowd; it’s just my favorite food to make and to eat. salad is a good accompaniment to breakfast, eggs are good for lunch, and pastries are good at any time of the day. I used to do an annual brunch on christmas Day — until I had children and realized I wanted to spend christmas morning in my bathrobe watching my kids unwrap presents, not preparing a buffet for guests. But new year’s Day? that’s a different story. It’s a great day to cook for people. Most restaurants are closed, and everyone partied the night before, so they’re more than grateful to come over and let me cook.
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My husband, scott, and I are lucky to be surrounded by people we look forward to celebrating the new year with. slowly but surely all members of our family and our oldest friends have migrated to Portland, and all live practically within arm’s reach of each other. they know to expect an elegant meal but nothing too fancy. I like special details like cloth napkins and fresh-squeezed orange juice, but I don’t do anything too fussy. My goal is to make food that I can prep ahead, so that come new year’s morning I just put some things in the oven, squeeze some juice, make coffee, set the table and welcome my guests (you know, when I’m not running around trying to finish everything). I like to include at least one egg dish, a simple fresh salad, some pastries and a special drink. I’m definitely a from-scratch
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The Menu crustless Quiche (two kinds: Mushroom and chard; and smoked salmon With chives and Roasted Potatoes) • Mixed green salad With simple vinaigrette • Buckwheat “Blintzes” With spiced Pear compote • Meyer lemon cream Biscuits • Maple Meringue Kisses • spiced Pear champagne cocktail
cook, though. even the sausages and gravlax at compote are housemade. and brunches in my home are no different. that means even my simplest menus can be a bit time consuming, which is why I try to plan ahead — try being the operative word. For this particular brunch, I was still cooking well after my guests arrived. no matter how well I plan or how poorly I plan, I’m always behind. My daughter was squeezing orange juice, my son was crying about not wanting to put on a nice shirt, and my husband was trying to contain my whirlwind of a mess (that’s a big and often thankless job! thank you scott!). But, hey, at least I got to get dressed up and have all of my favorite people gathered in one place, eating and drinking good food prepared with my own hands. that, really, is what it’s all about.
Simple Vinaigrette MakeS aBout 4 CuPS
this is a traditional vinaigrette, but a touch of honey rounds out its sharp edges. the recipe makes more than you’ll need for one salad, even when feeding a crowd, but having a jar of vinaigrette on hand is a good thing. You’ll need 1 to 2 tablespoons of vinaigrette per cup of mesclun/spring mix. and one cup of salad mix per person. Be sure to toss the salad just before serving so the leaves don’t get wilty. 3 3 2 1
tablespoons Dijon mustard tablespoons honey teaspoons salt teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ½ cup white wine vinegar 3 cups extra-virgin olive oil Place all the ingredients except olive oil in the bowl of a food processor. Process until well combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl when necessary. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 weeks. (If you refrigerate, the oil will solidify and you will need to set it out at least 15 minutes before serving to allow it to liquefy again.)
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Buckwheat “Blintzes” With Spiced Pear Compote
Homemade Ricotta
MakeS 12 BLINtzeS
MakeS 1½ CuPS
I put “blintzes” in quotes because if you’re looking for east Coast deli blintzes, these aren’t them. they are, however, delicious and rustic. the buckwheat crepes are a bit delicate and might rupture in spots, but it’s ok. It just adds character and the batter makes 16, giving you some wiggle room. the lightly sweetened filling of fresh ricotta and cottage cheese is the perfect backdrop for the delicate pear compote. Filling: 1½ to 2 cups ricotta cheese (recipe follows, or use store-bought) 1 cup cottage cheese 1 large egg 2 tablespoons honey ½ teaspoon vanilla extract Crepes: 1½ cups buckwheat flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 6 large eggs 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1½ cups whole milk ¾ cup water Spiced Pear Compote, for serving (recipe follows)
To make the filling: In a food processor, combine ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, egg, honey and vanilla extract. Process until combined and curds are a bit smoother. transfer mixture to a bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour to firm up. To make the crepes: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and sugar. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, milk and water. Stir the wet ingredients slowly into the dry until combined. Let the batter rest while you preheat the pan. Set a 10-inch sauté pan over low heat for about 5 minutes. Lightly coat the pan with vegetable oil and increase heat to medium. using a 2-ounce ladle or ¼ cup measuring cup, pour one scoop of batter into the pan. Immediately tilt the pan in all directions until the batter evenly coats the bottom and a little way up the sides. When the edges start to curl a little (about a minute) use a thin spatula to turn up an edge and check that it’s starting to brown. Loosen the crepe the rest of the way and flip it over. Cook about another 30 seconds, then slide onto a plate. Continue with the remaining batter, stacking the finished crepes. When finished, cover with plastic wrap for a little while to steam and soften. (the crepes can be made a day ahead and rewarmed in a dry sauté pan over medium heat.) To assemble blintzes: Place a scant ¼ cup filling near the bottom of a crepe and fold up once to cover it. tuck in the sides and fold over again. then fold once more so the seam is underneath. Repeat with the remaining crepes and filling. Chill 1 hour or up to overnight. To cook: Place a large sauté pan over medium-low heat until hot. Fill the pan with about 1⁄8 inch of vegetable oil. Working in batches, place blintzes in the hot oil seam side down. Cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, then turn over and brown the other side. If they get brown too quickly, reduce the heat. Finished blintzes can be kept in a warm oven until ready to serve (no more than an hour). top with Spiced Pear Compote and serve.
this is technically cheater’s ricotta, since real ricotta is made from the whey left over in cheesemaking. Still, it’s equally delicious, quick to make and will have a sweeter, more delicate flavor than standard store-bought tubs. using lemon juice to acidify the milk gives it a flavor that truly complements sweeter dishes like blintzes. You could use vinegar, but I think that’s best for savory dishes, like lasagna. 6 ½ ½ 3
cups whole milk cup heavy cream teaspoon salt tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
In a saucepan, combine the milk, cream and salt. Set over medium-high heat and bring mixture to 185 degrees. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Continue stirring gently until curds begin to form, then set aside undisturbed for 20 minutes. Line a large strainer or colander with 4 layers of cheesecloth and set over a pot or large bowl. Carefully pour the curdled milk into the prepared strainer. Gently lift the sides of the cloth and tie them together. Place a large wooden spoon through the loop and use it to suspend the bundle over the pot for 30 minutes so it can drain. If not using immediately, transfer the ricotta to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. You can discard the whey or, since it still has some protein and nutrients in it, refrigerate or freeze to use later. think of it like clear buttermilk and use in bread, pizza dough, pancakes, smoothies, marinades or for cooking things like oatmeal, rice and pasta.
Spiced Pear Compote MakeS aBout 8 CuPS
I prefer using anjou pears for this recipe because they hold up well during cooking. If your pears break down too much, your compote might seem to have more syrupy liquid than fruit. If that happens, don’t despair. Remove the extra liquid and use it as a Spiced Pear Syrup, which is great spooned over yogurt or pancakes or even mixed into cocktails. For this brunch, we mixed 1 ounce of the compote syrup into each glass of sparkling cava. 1½ cups granulated sugar 4 cups riesling (or other white wine with fruity notes but not too sweet) ½ teaspoon freshly ground allspice 2 teaspoons freshly ground cardamom seeds 2 vanilla beans 7½ pounds firm but ripe pears, peeled, cored and sliced (about 16 cups sliced pears) 2 cups hot water
In a large stockpot or Dutch oven (large enough to add the pears), combine the sugar, wine, allspice and cardamom. Split the vanilla beans lengthwise, scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife and add to the pot, along with the pod. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Cook until mixture is reduced to 2 cups. add the sliced pears and hot water; simmer until pears are soft. use a slotted spoon to transfer the pears to a bowl. Continue simmering the cooking liquid until reduced and thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add the pears back to the liquid, taste the compote and adjust the sweetness or spices if desired. (If you add more sugar, return the pot to the heat and cook until sugar is dissolved.) Remove the vanilla bean pods (you can rinse them, allow to dry, then tuck them in a container of granulated sugar to make vanilla sugar). allow compote to cool, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week. to rewarm before serving, place in an oven-proof dish, cover with foil and heat in a hot oven. DECEMBER 2012 MIXpdX.coM
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Crustless Quiche With Mushrooms and Chard MakeS 8 SeRvINGS
the best part about quiche is the flavorful filling surrounded by rich custard. So why not save yourself a whole lot of time (and calories) and skip the crust altogether? In the time it takes to mix and bake a crust, you can assemble another quiche and add variety to the buffet table. this vegetarian version is loaded with chard and mushrooms. Butter, for coating the dish Brown rice flour, for coating the dish 4 tablespoons olive oil (divided) 1 small red onion, finely diced (about 1 cup) 1 teaspoon salt (divided) ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (divided) 2 cups sliced crimini mushrooms 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, plus 1 tablespoon thyme leaves for garnish 3½ ounces shredded Gruyère (1 heaping cup) 3 cups chopped chard, packed 4 large eggs ¾ cup whole milk ¼ cup heavy cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch pie dish with butter. Sprinkle with brown rice flour and tap out the excess. Set a 10-inch sauté pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. When hot, add the onion, ½ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper. Sauté until translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes, then transfer to a plate. Return the pan to the heat and add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. When hot, add the mushrooms and thyme. Sauté until mushrooms have released their liquid. Season with ¼ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper, then transfer to a plate. Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. When hot, add the chard and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook until leaves are just wilted (don’t overcook or it will get mushy and lose its beautiful color). Remove to a plate and allow to cool, then squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Sprinkle the onions evenly over the bottom of the pie dish. top with one-third of the cheese, followed by the chard, another third of the cheese, and the mushrooms. Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the top. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and cream. Pour the custard over the filling, starting at the center and spiraling outward to keep from disturbing the layered filling too much. once all custard is in, use your fingertips to press the filling under the surface. Sprinkle the top with thyme leaves. Bake until golden brown and just a little bit jiggly in the middle, about 35 to 45 minutes.
Crustless Quiche With Smoked Salmon, Chives and Roasted Potatoes MakeS 8 SeRvINGS
Roasted potatoes, creamy cheese and smoked salmon add up to a flavorful quiche that doesn’t get weighed down by the addition of a crust. Butter, for coating the dish Brown rice flour, for coating the dish 2 medium red potatoes, unpeeled and cubed Olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced 4 ounces smoked salmon, roughly shredded 3 ounces queso barra, shredded (about ¾ cup; or use any creamy, semi-soft, melty cheese) 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, plus about 1 teaspoon for garnish 4 large eggs ¾ cup whole milk ¼ cup heavy cream
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch pie dish with butter. Sprinkle with brown rice flour and tap out the excess. on a rimmed baking sheet, toss the potato cubes with a generous drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Roast until potatoes are lightly browned and tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Set a medium sauté pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When hot, add shallots and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sauté until translucent, about 7 minutes; remove from heat and allow to cool. Sprinkle shallots evenly over the bottom of the prepared pie dish, followed by potatoes, salmon, cheese and chives. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and cream. Pour the custard over the filling, starting at the center and spiraling outward to keep from disturbing the layered filling too much. once all custard is in, use fingertips to encourage the filling under the surface a bit. Bake until golden brown and just a little bit jiggly in the middle, about 35 to 45 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining chopped fresh chives on top and serve.
Meyer Lemon Cream Biscuits MakeS 8 SeRvINGS
I love the sweet-tart flavor of Meyer lemons. When they’re in season, I try to put them in anything and everything. If you don’t have Meyer lemons, use a combination of 1½ tablespoons lemon zest and ½ tablespoon tangerine or orange zest. these sweet biscuits are tasty all by themselves, but you can also serve them with cream and jam for a scone-like treat. 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill) 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon baking powder ¼ cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons Meyer lemon zest (about 4 lemons; see note) 1½ cups heavy cream 3 tablespoons lemon juice (1 to 2 lemons) Lemon sugar: 1 tablespoon chopped lemon zest 1 ⁄3 cup granulated sugar
Maple Meringue Kisses
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar and zest. Measure the cream into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup and stir in the lemon juice. Pour the cream into the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. use your hands to bring the mixture together into a cohesive mass without kneading (don’t overwork the dough). turn dough out onto a clean, dry work surface. using your hands, portion the dough into 8 equal pieces, or 16 if serving them on a buffet. very lightly shape the pieces into rounds so they stay together but retain their rough shape. arrange on the prepared baking sheet. To make the lemon sugar: In a small bowl (or small food processor) mix together the lemon zest and sugar until well combined. Sprinkle each biscuit with about ½ teaspoon of the lemon sugar. Bake until just beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Rotate pan front to back and bake another 5 to 10 minutes until light golden brown. Note: I prefer to use a traditional zester to produce thicker strips, which I then mince. this results in nice lemon specks in the biscuits. a Microplane zester will work for flavor, but the delicate bits will be less visible.
MakeS aBout 2 DozeN
Most people don’t want a big heavy dessert so early in the day. these crisp, delicate meringues offer a sweet, light bite that’s a perfect way to end a brunch. Besides, they look really cute on a platter. Maple sugar is a little bit expensive, but it’s a special occasion. keep in mind that meringues get sticky when it’s humid. You might want to make something else if it’s a particularly moist day. or dry them out in a hot oven and eat them soon, as they’ll likely get sticky again after about an hour. 2 ¼ 1 ⁄8 8
large egg whites teaspoon cream of tartar teaspoon kosher salt tablespoons maple sugar, plus more for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt. Mix on medium-low speed until very foamy, then increase speed to medium-high. When the mixture forms very soft peaks, gradually sprinkle in the maple sugar while beating. Beat until mixture is glossy and forms almost-stiff peaks. Drop the meringue by the tablespoonful onto the prepared sheets. Shape each dollop into little meringue peaks. You could also use a small ice cream scoop or a pastry bag with or without a decorative tip. Sprinkle your shaped kisses with a light sprinkle of maple sugar. Bake for 2 hours, until you can start to lift them off of the parchment. turn off oven and leave meringues in oven for at least 3 hours or overnight. If you can, leave the kisses in the cold oven until morning so you can put them right on the serving dish and you won’t have to find something to store them in. If you do need to store them, cool completely and store in an airtight container. DECEMBER 2012 MIXpdX.coM
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i.d.
Christopher Stowell reflects on his family of foodies By Janet Filips photograph By ross william hamilton
Propped up by pillows in his Pearl District condo, a view of the autumn-hued West Hills in the distance, Christopher Stowell — artistic director of Oregon Ballet Theatre — searches Julia Child’s “The Way to Cook.” Ah, here’s the recipe — under “All-Purpose Fish Mousse” instead of “Quenelles” as he’d expected. Quenelles — poached fish balls — are a wry reminder of Stowell’s childhood. For an entire month, his father — who destressed by cooking — experimented with quenelle recipes and techniques, serving up dinner after dinner of the delicate dumplings to his wife and three young sons. “My father thrives mostly on spontaneity in the kitchen but is occasionally obsessed with a complicated recipe,” Stowell says with a smile. “Like quenelles.” Stowell, 46, grew up deeply immersed in opera and dance along with good food. His parents, Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, are former soloists for the New York City Ballet and founding artistic directors of Seattle’s Pacific Northwest Ballet. Stowell, a former principal dancer with the San Francisco Ballet, spent an unusual early November at home this year, pampered by friends and family with meals and attention, while recovering from hip surgery. Then it would be back to OBT’s “The Nutcracker,” which has defined his
December for 34 years of his life. Before his days became filled with mice and dancing sweets, we asked him to tell us more about his life with food. Q: So, for starters, do you like to cook? My younger brother, Ethan, is actually a well-known chef in Seattle, and the real reason for that is our entire family is foodies. My father is an excellent selftaught chef, and what we were eating every day was of paramount importance to our entire family ever since we were little. I really do like to cook, though I’m not nearly as accomplished as my father or brother. Q. Did your dad ever call you and your brothers into the kitchen for cooking lessons? A. Everything always happens in our kitchen. We all crowded in. But there was no, “Sons, gather around and watch me do this.” It all happened through osmosis. Q: And your mom? A: My mother has a vital role in meals. She’s always in charge of salad; of cleanup before and after; and of setting the table and all the decorative items. Q. So every meal has “decorative items.” A. The simple answer is yes. And when it
comes to holiday time, it’s a lot of hoopla. She has special holiday tablecloths, cloth napkins, fresh-cut greenery — and that’s nice because it smells good — lots of candles and teeny, tiny salt-and-pepper shakers for every place setting. Q. Do you putter in the kitchen on your day off, making a stew to last for days? A. I wish I were more like that. But I do love getting out some cookbooks for inspiration, going to the grocery store or farmers market, and then having time to cook — and, most importantly, cooking for someone other than myself. Q: Do you ever cook for your colleagues at OBT? A: I have an annual (tree-decorating) tradition that I try to fit in during the “Nutcracker” schedule. I invite people from work and the neighbors. Because I don’t have time to decorate the tree myself, I arrange all my boxes of decorations, and I ask people, when they come in, to help. It’s usually 50 people in my loft. It’s raucous and kind of casual. I have a piano, and lots of pianist and singer friends. So we end up doing loud rounds of Christmas carols. Professional singers — and loud non-singers. £
ONLiNE EXTRA: Read our full interview with Christopher Stowell at miXpdX.COm 68
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O R I G I N A L LY C R A F T E D F O R T H E H O L I D AY S
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© 2012 Anheuser-Busch InBev S.A., Stella Artois® Beer, Imported by Import Brands Alliance, St. Louis, MO
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