I became really interested in cooking when I was in high school. My parents both worked, my older brother and sister had moved away to start their own lives and it was just the three of us left at home. My mom often threw something together for us to eat for dinner, but planning and preparing the evening meal required more energy than my mom had at the end of a long day.
‘Hey, you got your chocolate in my peanut butter! No, you got your peanut butter in my chocolate!” Remember that old candy bar commercial that suggested that only a collision could bring the two flavors together? It turns out they are an obvious pairing for countless confections and desserts. Chocoholics everywhere agree that a day without chocolate is a day without sunshine. Eating chocolate causes endocrine glands to secrete hormones that affect your feelings and behavior by actually making you happy. Research has found that chocolate eaten in moderation can even lower blood pressure. One T-shirt I agree with reads: “Emergency alert: If wearer of this shirt is found vacant, listless or depressed, administer chocolate immediately!”
Ingredients: 2 large eggs 1 cup whole milk 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 1/4 ounce Oregon blue cheese, crumbled 1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh thyme Non stick spray Directions: In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, melted butter, flour, salt and pepper. Whisk until all of the lumps have dissappeared. Whisk in the cheese and the thyme. Transfer the batter to an airtight container. The batter must be chilled; refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray non-sitck spray in to cups of mini-muffin pan. Fill each cup to the top with the chilled batter. Bake the popovers until golden and puffed, fifteen to eighteen minutes. Serve warm.
Rob Melton, bartender at Salem’s popular French bistro La Capitale, created this delicate and festive cocktail featuring E.Z. Orchards French cidre: 1 ounce Berentzen apple liquor*4 ounces chilled E.Z. Orchards cidreNutmeg and cinnamon stick Shake Berentzen in an ice-filled cocktail shaker for ten to fifteen seconds. Strain into a well-chilled martini glass. Top with cidre. Garnish with a thin apple slice, and a dusting of fresh grated cinnamon and nutmeg. *Berrentzen is a German apple schnapps available in well-stocked liquor stores. If you can’t find it, substitute another brand of apple schnapps. Food pairings Before prohibition spoiled all the fun, cider was one of America’s favorite drinks. With its farmhouse roots—inexpensive, relatively simple to make and a scrumptious way to use a bumper crop of apples – and low alcohol content, typically 3-7%, it was thought of as an everyday family beverage. It’s also complementary to a wide range of…
Is there anything in a fruit bowl more accommodating than the apple? Fresh berries wait for no one. Peaches and plums turn soft and mealy in a few days. The greenest bananas will be covered with brown spots within a week while the apple waits patiently. Even when apples pass their optimal ripeness and you put them in the crisper for just a few more days, they can be used in a tart or made into apple sauce.
Serves 10 as a starter or 4 for a main course Ingredients: ½ ounce dried porcini 1 quart water 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon soy sauce ¼ pound unsalted butter 1 cup long grain rice ½ ounce dried onion Grated Parmesan cheese 2 ounces Joel Palmer House Oregon White Truffle Oil Directions: In uncovered saucepan, bring water, dried mushrooms, sugar, salt and soy sauce to boil then add rice and reduce heat to simmer. Strain out the liquid and reserve. Chop the mushrooms finely. In a medium sauté pan, melt the butter and add the dried onion and rice. Stir for one minute then add the reserved mushroom liquid. Cook uncovered and stir gently until water is absorbed and evaporated, about fifteen to twenty minutes. Portion rice, drizzle lightly with Parmesan cheese and truffle oil and serve.
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…
