Bailey’s family has been growing cherries in these hills for more than eighty years, when his grandparents made their first investment in a piece of farmland. Since then, Orchard View Farms has grown to include 2,050 acres in four counties. The orchard is home to twelve types of sweet cherries, from perennial favorites Bing and Rainier to more unusual choices, such as Sweetheart and Skeena.
Without question, Oregon has earned a worldwide reputation for its craft brewing industry and craft beers. What started with a few Portland area brewers has spread to include more than one hundred microbreweries in a state many now lovingly call “Beervana.” Integral to Beervana are its many public houses, where ales and lagers find good company with comfort food.
Wine consumers and wine tourists can raise their glasses in a toast to the times. Prices have dropped, and wineries are courting tourists through their tasting rooms and wine clubs. The industry is in the hands of hundreds of small, family-owned wineries where visitors can often meet and talk with the people who craft the wine. The state’s wild, scenic beauty, its reputation as a foodie culture and a genuine place to taste wine attract many out-of-state tourists. And instead of all roads leading to Newberg or Dundee as they did in the ’80s and ’90s, wine lovers can get their fix in tasting rooms from Hood River to Ashland.
Jill McClaran wears her blonde hair to her waist and spurs on her cowboy boots. The 27-year-old spends her days in the saddle herding cattle along the basalt rims and airy benches of Hell’s Canyon. Out of cell phone range and hours from the nearest town, this University of Idaho graduate looks over a thousand McClaran Ranch cattle as they graze the rugged and wild eastern Oregon grasslands.
Tumalo Farms, Juniper Grove Farm and others are taking goat cheese to a refined level not seen or tasted before in the region.
2 servings Roaring River from Ancient Heritage Dairy in Scio would be a great local substitution for Raclette. Wine Pairing Beaux Freres “Les Cousins” Pinot noir, 2009, $36.00: Light Pinot noir fruit with nuanced earthiness artfully complements the delicate buttery – mushroomy qualities of the Raclette. Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons flour 1 cup milk Pinch of nutmeg, salt, and pepper ½ cup grated Raclette 2 farm fresh eggs 2 slices thick bread Directions: Melt butter, whisk in flour. Cook until flour is lightly golden. Add 1/4 cup milk to mixture and whisk until smooth. Continue in quarter cup increments until all the milk is added and there are no lumps. Add nutmeg, salt, pepper and Raclette. Keep mixture on a low simmer while whisking constantly to melt cheese. Adjust seasoning. Preheat oven broiler. Cut out centers of bread (circular cookie cutter works well) and butter both sides. Heat large (oven-proof) sauté pan on medium high heat, grill bread until golden brown on one…
4-6 servings We serve this with mixed greens tossed with champagne vinaigrette. Wine Pairing Owen Roe Rosa Mystica Cabernet Franc, 2008, $38.00 A broad, generous (and suprisingly not heavy) wine with full fruit and savory herb notes challenge and complement the assertive elements in the Strata. Ingredients: 14 ounces crusty bread (we use 1/2 baguetteand 1/2 wheat levain), crust removed and cut into medium size cubes 1 quart half and half 1 bay leaf 3-4 peppercorns Sprig of thyme Small pinch of chili flakes Heavy grating of nutmeg3 cloves Large pinch of salt 6 eggs 1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 small yellow onion, chopped and sauteed 10 ounces Rogue Creamery Smokey Blue, crumbled 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes, cooked in salted water until tender and well drained 10 pieces of bacon, cooked and chopped Directions: Infuse half and half with bay, thyme, chili, nutmeg, clove, salt, whisk eggs with mustard–temper and strain….
4 servings Wine Pairing Adelsheim Auxerrois, 2009, $26.00 An unusual and truly interesting white wine with minerality to lift the roast chicken, citrus tones to highlight the pesto and bracing acidity to balance the cheese. Ingredients: 4 Draper Valley 10 ounce skin-on chicken breasts 20 ounces cooked penne pasta 3 ounces extra virgin olive oil 1 pound Tumalo Farms Classico GoatCheese (shredded) 1 pound organic baby arugula 4 ounces toasted pine nuts 4 fresh garlic cloves 1 finely chopped shallot 4 ounces heavy cream 3 ounces white wine Pinch of kosher salt Pinch fresh ground pepper Directions: Begin by rinsing the chicken breasts and allow to dry. French the little wing bones. It looks elegant but is not necessary. To french the bone, simply cut around the base of the wing bone, scrape the skin and flesh up the bone and, using a cleaver, chop off the top of the bone along with the skin and flesh. Toss…
4 servings Top this gnocchi with your favorite local cheese (aged goat cheese works great). Sautéed mushrooms & truffle oil can be a nice addition, or top with olive oil-scented micro greens. Wine Pairing Willakenzie Pinot Meunier, 2007, $33.00. A perfect foil for the simple flavor profiles of the gnocchi with spinach and goat cheese. This elegant, medium-bodied Pinot Meunier with flavors of fresh red fruits, delivers. Ingredients: 1 cup russet potatoes (roasted) 1 cup kabocha squash (roasted) 4 ounces of Oregon aged goat cheese 2 egg yolks 2 cups flour (may need more or less) 2 tablespoons fresh chopped sage 2 tablespoons fresh parsley 1 tablespoon fresh thyme ½ tablespoon rubbed sage Salt and pepper to taste Directions: Rub squash and potatoes with olive oil and roast until tender. While hot, cut potatoes and squash lengthwise and scoop out middle, measure a cup of each and put through a china cap with plastic spatula. Place mixture onto a…
