The Salt Experiments

While browsing the store the other day, I happened to find a jar of Chardonnay Smoked Salt. Just the title was exciting- wine and salt in one! The artisan salt comes from France and is smoked is smoked over old Chardonnay bottles barrels which impart a deep oaky flavor into the salt crystals. I was inspired to do a bit of my own salty experiments. In Good Taste has so many salts that it is hard to know where to begin. Among them are two from Casina Rossa, a family run Italian villa with a variety of artisan products. Interestingly enough, the salts that they sell are categorized as “condiments.” Finishing salts really are condiments of sorts; with just a sprinkle, you can add color, texture, and, of course, flavor. What’s wonderful about these salts is their crystal, their crunch, sometimes their color, but always their unique and particular effects on food. Smoked Salt can add depth of flavor, black salt adds interest, and fleur de sel adds crunch.
Casina Rossa produces two salts. The Truffle Salt is a fantastic grey color, with a very fine texture, almost like confectioner’s sugar. The saffron salt is a gorgeous deep yellow color, like powdered gold. Reminiscing fondly of recent paella that I made, I decided to try pasta with prawns and saffron butter. Saffron is a natural pairing for shellfish, and a sweet but mild butter sauce is a perfect vehicle for the marriage of flavors.
After boiling and draining fettuccine noodles, I melted butter in a large sauté pan. I added large peeled shrimp and watched as they gradually turned carnation pink. When they had cooked through, I pulled the pan off the heat, dropped the drained noodles into the skillet. Then I sprinkled the pan with the saffron salt, and tossed thoroughly to coat. I noticed the lovely gold color permeated the noodles and shrimp; the entire dish took on a glowing color. I coiled a pile of fragrant noodles and the shrimp onto a serving plate, sprinkled with a touch more salt, and took a bite. The unctuous butter sauce had an indescribable flavor. The first bite carried a heavy taste of saffron, but as I ate, the intensity mingled perfectly with the neutrality of the fettuccine and sweetness of the shrimp.
The saffron salt imparted a beautiful color, a mouthwatering aroma, and a depth of flavor that is inimitable. This luxury is not to be reserved for every day.

-Josie

The $28 Burger

Last weekend, Hurleys opened for brunch. Matt and I couldn't resist the thought of a relaxing morning at one of our favourite restaurants so we eagerly made a reservation for Sunday.

I ordered the Eggs Benedict which was absolutely the best I've ever had. The "pomme rissole" – a heavenly crust of crisp, golden potato ribbons – proved to be the perfect improvement over the commonplace "English muffin". Needless to say, the hollandaise was perfectly executed. But enough of the Eggs Benedict…

The real standout was the $28 burger. The portions are generous so Matt was happy to give me a quarter of his. One mouthful told me that this was no ordinary burger. It is served with a house made mayonnaise flavoured oh-so perfectly with truffle oil. Chef Hurley knows how to lavish a dish with a decadent touch without overdoing it. The Kobe beef was cooked to perfection. Alongside the burger, the Asiago chips – Hurley's trademark – beckoned me. I threw caution to the wind, and indulged. The burger rested on pretzel buns from the same bakery that supplies Chef Hurley's Seattle restaurant, Coupage. I loved that burger! And, apparently, so did many others. In answer to my question, our server shared with me that the burger was their most popular item so far.

The ever-helpful staff answered all my questions with ease; they are clearly involved and knowledgeable about the new items on their menu. My incessant foodie questions didn't faze them at all.

I couldn't help but notice that everyone else in the restaurant seemed equally sated and happy. What a great place for brunch!

Barbara

 

Spring Resolutions

Like many people, I have always made ambitious New Year’s resolutions, vowing to be better, do better, and live better. And like many, by about March, I’ve sort of forgotten about my initial goals. This year however, I had an epiphany- what about making a Spring Resolution, to mark the first day of spring and all things fresh and new? So this year, on March 21st, the first day of spring, I renewed my vows to do better and eat better by starting the 100 Mile Diet. This is not a typical diet; it’s an effort to eat food that comes from within 100 miles of your home. The idea is to reconnect with your food, your local farmers, and the seasons. By supporting local, sustainable agriculture, you learn about the area around you, the great artisan products that you might be missing, and skilled craftsmen that make or grow them.
So much of our food now travels an average of 1,500 miles before ending up in our kitchens. Globalization of the food supply has a tremendous impact on the environment, our health, our communities and our taste buds. The apple that you ate with breakfast most likely came from Chile- but what about the bounty of apples growing in Hood River? Many of us do not think about them at all.
Rather than obsessing about every single detail and product that I use in the kitchen, I’m going to try the 80/20 rule- 80% of ingredients will be within the 100 mile radius, while the other 20% can be carefully selected from anywhere. As excited as I am about the Eat Local challenge, I’m not quite ready to give up my morning coffee.
For me, the Eat Local Challenge is more of a way to enjoy the harvest of each season and celebrate Oregon’s Bounty. At In Good Taste, we have an “Oregon’s Bounty” series of classes that do just that. Each class has a seasonal menu based on local ingredients from sustainable farmers and purveyors.
I look at this like a great scavenger hunt- how fun is it to research food and find the best and most interesting ingredients from around the Portland area, and then create a fantastic menu? It’s like a Mystery Basket challenge, but with a much bigger basket.

-Josie Ross

Breakfast again

Breakfast again! Yes, the meals of late have been wonderful- creamy hollandaise sauce, delightful French toast, French Press coffee- my week based on food alone has been wonderful. No one could elaborate better on such a thought than the venerable James Beard. “I have had, in my time, memorable meals of scrambled eggs with fresh truffles, scrambled eggs with caviar and other glamorous things, but to me, there are few things as magnificent as scrambled eggs, pure and simple, perfectly cooked and perfectly seasoned.” Cooking eggs properly though, is not as easy as it sounds. So often the eggs are overcooked, dry, and flavorless. Omeletes are overflowing, tough and inelegant. Since I was in the breakfast mood, I reached again for the book that has been on my desk for a week. “Chef on Fire” with Joseph Carey is a great resource for understanding basic cooking principles. Recipes are grouped by method, rather than category, so that each technique is explained thoroughly with a variety of applications. In the third technique of five, Cooking with Fat, Chef Carey explains the way to make a perfect omelet. His instructions are detailed, straightforward, and best of all, they work. My attempt to make the Perfect French Omelet, which I topped with a sprinkling of nutty Gruyere, was successful.

-Josie Ross

Setting the breakfast table

March 26
All that talk about brunch left me hungry for more. I picked up Joseph Carey’s book “Chef on Fire” to find something to satisfy my need for the ideal morning meal. Since baby spinach and artichokes are classic spring ingredients, I was inspired to make Eggs Sardou. The magnificent combination of eggs, artichokes, baby spinach, and hollandaise seemed like just the thing I required. I was right; the creamy hollandaise smothered the gently poached eggs and that rested on a bed of lightly sautéed spinach and artichokes. The dish was creamy and luxurious, without overwhelming my palate. I set the table with my French press of dark coffee, a crisply toasted English muffin, and my Eggs Sardou. As I ate, I remembered that all that Nathaniel Hawthorne had wisely said, “Life, within doors, has few pleasanter prospects than a neatly arranged and well-provisioned breakfast table." I could not agree more.

-Josie Ross

By Your Request

You know about the three “r’s”- reading, writing and ‘rithmatic. Now, there are three new ones- “Readers Request Recipes.” For those that want to learn more about the chefs featured in our cooking classes, or their restaurants, we will now offer some of the prized recipes that they have created. In Good Taste can be your resource for finding some of those coveted restaurant recipes, from popular Portland restaurants or chefs. Although we cannot guarantee that a chef will be willing to divulge his or her culinary secrets, we will do our best to meet all recipe requests. Email In Good Taste with requests for your favorite recipes and dishes from local restaurants. Then, use the techniques that you learn in our skill classes to create tantalizing restaurant dishes at home.
Look for the recipes on this page and check the website for new updates.

Requests can be emailed to jross@igtoregon.com
http://www.ingoodtastestore.com/

-Josie Ross

New beginnings

Inspired by the changing season, we've decided it's time to write our thoughts down ….

With the arrival of spring, all things are renewed and refreshed. There are new ingredients available, new buds on the fledgling flowers, new projects in the works, and new ideas blossoming daily. One fantastic development is the new brunch service at Hurley's. Opening today, the menu features luxuries like truffled brioche, potatoes rissole foie gras and a decadent French toast. Just the thought of the French toast made me reminisce fondly about the Morning Bun Bread Pudding with Cranberries, Toasted Pecans and Walnuts that Chef Tom Hurley prepared here at his class on Monday. Ken Collura, wine director and sommelier at Andina teamed up with Chef Hurley on a culinary journey through France. The evening began with a velvety two-squash soup paired with a Pinot Blanc from Alsace. From there, we traveled to the Rhone valley with Duck Au Poivre with Seared Foie Gras and Hurley's rightfully renowned truffled chips, then to Provence with a Dry Aged New York served with a Bandol, and finally, the luscious bread pudding. After such a great meal, we could hardly wait for Sunday brunch! If only the week wasn't so long……

Josie Ross – In Good Taste