The Flavor Bible

I mentioned before that I was infatuated with the “Flavor Bible,” the new book by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. I wasn’t kidding- it’s one of the best cookbooks I’ve ever encountered. On Thursday, we had the pleasure of hosting the authors for a private book signing event. I was impressed with the way they were able to explain the creation of the book and address the audience. Listening to them, I felt like they were reading my mind. In particular, a few of the points and themes of the book really hit home. The way they described the thought process of shopping for, cooking and eating food was a piece from my own mind. The use of diverse acids on a (hot) station, a change from the basics of salt and pepper, is another culinary trend that I’ve followed. I loved hearing him Andrew talk about using the book as a guide to “mystery basket” shopping. What to do with a variety of ingredients that don’t seem to be connected? Cleaning out the refrigerator in search of dinner? What do you do if you have only some Gouda, cauliflower, almonds and ricotta? Look it up! You can use the book to search by ingredient to find its flavor affinities. The book also includes a collection of quotes by accomplished chefs, cooking tips from experts around the world, and tried and true flavor combinations. There are even listings for what does not go together. The “avoids” sections may be more helpful than you’d think; it might save you from a dinner disaster! Because the book is not full of recipes, I find it to be more helpful. I can browse by what’s on hand, find combinations that seem appealing, and improvise from there.

Grand Opening

Saturday was the grand opening celebration for our new location in Lake Oswego. The day was altogether a wonderful experience: it was great to see many of our regular customers as well as many new faces. Chef Ivy Manning signed copies of her new book, authors Diane Morgan and Christina Melander signed copies of their books as well. The open house was catered by our wonderful staff. The most popular item on the buffet may have been the “I Can’t Believe its Peanut Butter dip”, featured in Diane Morgan’s Chips and Dips book.
Ken Hoyt, who teaches cooking classes focused on entertaining, provided samples of his delicious toffee. The toffee, rich with chocolate, crispy in texture and flecked with Oregon hazelnuts, proved irresistible to many. (The good news is that we now carry the toffee in our store, packaged in adorable, biodegradable and compostable boxes).
The open house was not the only Lake Oswego activity. Saturday evening, chef and cooking instructor Barb Randall taught the first class at the new venue. The menu featured all local ingredients, including a hearty Sudan Lamb Farms Stew and a moist 1-2-3-4 cake with blackberries.
Thanks to everyone that made it to our open house. We hope to see you at both of our locations in the future!
-Josie

Trebol

It’s always a privilege to have a guest chef teach at In Good Taste. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to ask Kenny Hill, chef and owner of Trebol Restaurant, a few questions after the class. He was so fun and easy to talk to that it seemed more like a friendly conversation than an interview.

What do you cook at home?
Everything really, but I particularly like Sushi, Mexican, Italian, and the grill! I love to grill- I spend a lot of time honing recipes for the restaurant
What’s your favorite comfort food?
Maybe a hearty stew, or some great thai food-it’s best when it’s really hot and spicy
Where do you find daily inspiration?
I like to bounce ideas off of my wife. She’s not a chef, but she’s good to interact with in the kitchen because she’s honest, and can help me by giving feedback. She’s great as a taster! We learn from each other.
I also get ideas when I commute to work by bike; as I’m going through various neighborhoods, and seeing the seasonal changes, I get new perspectives.
What was your most recent kitchen purchase?
Some nice new Sauté pans – I like All Clad
What’s the #1 kitchen tip/lesson you could share with home cooks?
Work fast, neat ,and safe!
When did you know you wanted to be a chef?
I guess it started with childhood experiences in my grandmother’s Mexican kitchen. Then I went off to college to be a psychologist and it changed. While I was there, I read about a chef that i admired, went to interview him, and he offered me a job. After that, it all came together.
Favorite restaurant (other than your own)?
Nuestra cocina. I don’t have a favorite dish, there are so many to choose from- and everything is good
What would you eat as your “last meal”?
Lobster tacos with smoky corn salsa and heirloom tomato salad and stinky cheese- with chocolate pot de crème for dessert
What’s your least favorite food trend?
Epicurean style- pretty but not tasty – food that focuses more on appearance than taste
What great person would you like to have dinner with? (or cook for?)
Diana Kennedy- she has been an inspiration and I think she could give me great feedback

If I didn't have enough reasons to go Trebol already (great food, wonderful atmosphere, rave reviews), now I can add "charismatic and awesome chef" to the list. Trebol is definitely on my "to do" list.

-Josie

Summer’s End, New Beginnings

Summer may be over, but September offers more than one way to celebrate the abundant harvest, including a continued stream of delectable edibles from local sources. In the first class at the new location of In Good Taste Cooking School, instructor Barb Randall demonstrates that the end of summer doesn’t mean the end of local eating. The class, “Harvest Abundance,” will utilize only ingredients grown or produced within 100 miles of In Good Taste. In addition to preparing the seasonal menu, Barb will share recipes, tips for sustainable eating, and where to find the best meats and vegetables.
The menu kicks off with Celebration Oysters and a creamy Sweet Corn Soup. The entrée, a hearty Lamb Stew with Glazed Turnips and Pearl Onions, features lamb from nearby SuDan farms. There will also be Fried Green Tomatoes with Fresh Corn Salsa, Green and Yellow Pole Beans Provencal, and a 1-2-3-4 Cake with Blackberries.
Celebrate the beginning of fall, local eating, and the new location all together on Saturday, September 26th at 6:00 PM. For more information, and to register for the class, visit our website at http://www.ingoodtaste.com/ or call (503) 248-2015.

-Josie

Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest!
It’s Oktoberfest time! Oktoberfest is a two week festival held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany during late September and early October. It is one of the world's largest fairs, with some six million people attending every year. It inspires numerous similar events celebrating “Oktoberfest” and around the world, and Portland is no exception. While some Oktoberfest parties started last weekend, there are more to come. This weekend, and next weekend, offer up a variety of options for your own Oktoberfest party. No matter how you choose to celebrate, it’s sure to be a good time, full of good fun and delicious food.
You can create your own Oktoberfest spread if you choose not to go to a bar or restaurant. I think German beer is a must, and that should be accompanied by traditional German foods. Bratwurst with spicy mustard, sauerkraut and rye hard rolls are on the menu for our little get together. I’ll make up a warm German potato salad, with smoky bacon and cider vinegar to go with. And because I always think of dessert first, I’ll use Hood River apples in a traditional German apple cake. Robert Hammond , the chef at Honeyman Creek Farms will be at In Good Taste on Saturday, October 4th to share his Oktoberfest menu. The menu includes a Wild Mushroom Medley in Cream on Toast Points, Moravian Cabbage Salad, Sausage Stuffed Pork Loin Baked in Hard Cider, Gingersnap Gravy, Cranberry Chutney, Sweet Potato Dumplings, a Gratin of White Beans and Collard Greens and an Apple Stack Cake. The class starts at 6:00. Prost!
-Josie

Restaurant recreations

One of my sources for new recipes is finding restaurant dishes I really like. Unfortunately, I can’t go out to my favorite restaurants every time I get a craving, so instead, I (try) to make up the recipes at home. After buying some truly delicious stone fruit the other day, I was in the mood for the polenta cake from my favorite Healdsburg bistro. Since I can’t get there, I set about trying to recreate it. The cake is lightly sweet, with a coarse, cornbread- like texture that carries fruit compote well. I researched substituting semolina flour for all purpose flour in baked goods. Semolina flour is made from hard durum wheat which has been ground into flour. It is high in gluten and is usually used for making pasta and breads; you can find it in either coarse or fine texture flour. According to King Arthur Flour, you can substitute semolina for AP flour on a 1:1 ratio. I tried it in a basic yellow cake recipe. It seemed to work, although the texture wasn’t quite as coarse as I expected. A bit more tweaking and I had a decent copy of the restaurant version. Replacing half of the AP flour with a combination of semolina flour and cornmeal seems to be the solution. This is not super sweet, so it is good with a fruit compote. Try making one by simmering peaches with amaretto, or plums with port.

-Josie

Semolina Cake

Family Mealtime Month

September is Family Mealtime Month. Sharing meals together is a great way to reconnect after a long day. Even if you don't have the time or energy to create something spectacular, just sitting at the table together means a lot. Dinner can become monotonous though, if you're always serving the same thing. If you're looking for creative dinner ideas, check out our recipe archive. We have a collection of recipes from our classes and chefs. They range from classic to exotic. Or, join one of our cooking classes and learn new recipes first hand. The upcoming class schedule is pretty exciting: You can learn about seafood preparation tomorrow night in Ivy Manning's Simply Seafood Class. The menu is sure to impress and includes Seared Sablefish in Tomato Basil Broth, Miso Broiled Halibut with Sea Vegetable Salad, and Cioppino with Garlic Toasts. For some vegetarian ideas, spend the day with Maya Klein, during her Vegetarian Soiree on Sunday, September 21. You won't be disappointed when you taste Chickpea Fritters with Red Pepper Sauce, B’stilla of caramelized onions and feta, Creamy Wild Herb and Cucumber Salad, Tomato Confit drizzled with Olive Vinaigrette, Timbales of Pinenut Pilaf, and a delicious Pistachio Nougat Ice Cream and Peaches with Dark Chocolate Sauce .

Happy cooking!
-Josie

New Beginnings

Although spring is usually associated with new beginnings, I associate September with growth and development. To me, it’s all about starting over. The kids are starting a new school year, to school, summer projects wind down and fall projects take over. The fall garden goes in, harvest starts, the pace picks up.
Big things are happening at In Good Taste too. We are excited to announce that our second location is opening next week in Lake Oswego. The new location will be the perfect venue for hands on cooking classes and team building events. There’s lots of parking too.
To kick off our new space, we’re hosting a :”grand opening” party. On Saturday, September 27th, we’ll have an open house in Lake Oswego. Come and meet our staff, view the new location and learn about our exciting fall line up of classes.

-Josie

A farm in the backyard

All week long, I look forward to Saturday morning. I love getting up and going spending the morning at the farmer's market. There is always a lot to see, taste and smell. There are bakery goodies to nibble on, flowers to buy and farmers to meet. I leave with stories, ideas, new friends and bundles of produce.

When I got home today, I wandered out into the garden, where I found my own little "farmer's market." I was delighted that the warm weather of late has resulted in a generous growth spurt of all my vegetables. I'm not sure what I'll do with all of them, but for now, I'm just excited to have actually grown things. Somehow, vegetables always taste better when they're from your own "farm".

Lemonade

On a hot summery day, there’s nothing like a cold glass of tangy lemonade. My friend’s 7 year old daughter agrees with me. On Sunday, when the weather was at its best, she decide to start a lemonade stand. “Mom, where’s the Kool-Aid?” she asked. Kool Aid is not lemonade, not even close. I showed her how to cut lemons in half and juice them, then combine the juice with sugar and water for real, old fashioned lemonade. She was amused. the easiest way to juice a lemon is by hand, simply squeezing the lemon over a sieve or screen (to catch seeds). But, recently, I tried the Trudeau Juice Catcher, which has a seed -catching device built in. It’s quite handy, comes in small, and large, and is available in lots of fun colors. Plus, you can juice any citrus fruit you like. A small cup underneath the juicer catches all the tart liquid without making a mess.
It’s a very handy thing to have, especially if you’re craving lemonade.
-Josie

More than a Name

While visiting Sauvie’s Island Organic Farms last weekend, I discovered Lemon Cucumbers. They look like yellow baseballs. I expected them to be tart, but the name refers to color only. Instead, the cute lemon cucumbers are sweet and delicate, without any bitterness. I learned that they’ll be available until the middle of autumn. Look for them at farmer’s markets.
Lemon cucumbers are great paired in salads, yogurt sauces, or simply sliced and enjoyed plain. Ken Hoyt, who’s teaching a Gifts from the Garden class tonight, suggests making a relish with the lemon cucumbers. Sounds good to me!
-Josie

Not the usual cheese and crackers...

I had the opportunity to have a lovely meal at Lovely Hula Hands last weekend. Every ingredient on the menu was incredibly fresh, locally grown and at the peak of summer flavor. It was really nice to have such a simple restaurant meal, where all of the ingredients are highlighted, rather than manipulated into completely different forms. I think the most interesting item I ate though, was the black sesame seed cracker. It was paper thin, crackly, and delicious. (Especially with some of the fresh mozzarella!). When I was in Italy, we made crackers that were somewhat similar. We called them “sheet music bread”, because they were so paper thin. I tried to recreate Lovely Hula Hands’ crackers yesterday, and was able to get pretty close. When you make this, you can vary the seeds as you like- black or white sesame seeds (or even flaxseeds) would all work. They’re really light and crispy, but are especially good with fresh cheeses like goat cheese or fresh mozzarella.
I get to travel back to Italy on Thursday, at our Tuscan Harvest Dinner. Alison and Amelia, wonderful and talented chefs that are long-time teachers at In Good Taste, are back again. This time, their menu takes a trip to Florence, with Summer Panzanella, Porcini minestrone, Chicken with Grapes and Marsala, and an Apple Torte. These dishes are perfect for savoring from the deck. Buon Appetito!

-Josie
Thin and Crispy Black Sesame Crackers

Cookbooks Worth Reading

Any time a new cookbook comes into the store, I’m immediately distracted from my work. The length of time that I’m distracted depends on the complexity of the book. Single subject books, therefore, usually take up just a few minutes to look through. Recently however, a single subject book not only caught my eye, it made me drop everything. Even though I’ve written about them to excess, I still obsess about tomatoes. A new cookbook, Tomatoes, by Manisha Harkins captures one of my favorite fruits (yes, tomatoes are a fruit) and brings it to life in new recipes, old classics and vivid photos. Just looking at the picture for the Rustic Chicken Panini with Sicilian Pesto made my mouth water. Another single subject cookbook that I completely underestimated is Tom Douglas’ I love Crabcakes. So do I actually, and (wrongly) assumed I had figured out what I needed to know. The tiny book is filled with great information, new ideas and creative variations. Even though for me, crab is never boring, it sometimes craves innovation. Last weekend, rather than making crab cakes again, I made a Lump crab with Lemon and Fresh Linguine. It was light, zesty and a welcome change. No matter what you’re cooking this week, open up a single-subject cookbook- you might be surprised.

-Josie

Paella Party

Paella is a saffron infused rice dish, studded with various seafood or meat. It’s the perfect entertaining food; the aromatic seasonings and fresh ingredients create a stunning visual presentation as well as a sumptuous feast. The ingredients are variable. Beyond the necessary saffron, rice, garlic, and sweet pepper, you can use any combination of seafood (think shrimp, clams and scallops), sausage (chorizo links are traditional) and fowl that you like. The specifics change with each region of Spain (and with each cook!).

It’s a great idea for a party-make a huge pan of paella, loaded with seafood and fragrant with saffron. You can start it when the guests arrive and invite them to join you in the kitchen as it cooks. The smell alone will draw them in. Set out bowls of almonds, pieces of sliced bread with Manchengo cheese , and make a pitcher of sangria to tide you over until the paella is ready. Since it’s an all-in-one dish, you don’t need to serve much alongside. A light salad with dried figs and Cabrales, a tangy Spanish blue cheese, and you’re set to go. Oh, and don’t forget the Crème Catalan- the traditional Spanish custard with a caramel topping is well worth the extra work. But, if you’re not quite up to creating your own paella party tonight, or you’d like some more tips on how to create this mouthwatering dish, join Nancy Forrest in her Paella Party Class tonight. She’ll give you all the insider tips on creating a Spanish style fiesta, plus shopping tips on Spanish ingredients. See you there!

-Josie

Labor Day

It’s the last summer holiday; the kick- off for fall. Labor Day is synonymous with “back to school” for many, but for me, it means one more chance to dine al fresco while savoring summer flavors. Realistically, “summer” produce stars like corn, tomatoes and basil will be here for a few more weeks. It still feels like fall is creeping in though (especially with today’s weather!). If the rain and clouds haven’t dampened your spirits, fire up the barbecue and start cooking!I’ll be having the Greek Burger, topped with a creamy-cucumber yogurt sauce, orzo pasta salad, sliced tomatoes with olive oil and balsamic, and an almond-scented cake topped with crunchy toasted almonds. But if your heart is set on hot dogs, that sounds good too. Set out plenty of condiments, like spicy mustard, chopped onions, and, for a twist on the usual sauerkraut, try serving a sweet onion confit.
Enjoy your Labor Day, no matter what you decide to make.

-Josie