Edible Portland Blog

Written by Ellen Jackson
For August-September 2006

“What’s in season?” you ask. What’s not?! According to my calendar, we’re closing in on the lazy, hazy days of summer, and yet we continue to be overwhelmed by fresh, ripe, local choices every time we’re in the produce aisle. The riot of color and flavor in our gardens and markets suggests that summer might be endless after all.

It’s tough to pick a favorite from so many—eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, melons, zucchini, raspberries, figs, nectarines, peaches, plums—but I’m going to do it… cast my vote and make an impassioned pitch for corn. Sweet corn.

I know, I know. We’ve all read Michael Pollan’s book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, or know someone who has. As a result, corn’s become the new WMD for conspicuous U.S. consumers. Ardent Pollan supporters can recite the litany of unsettling facts and figures he foists on his readers: Corn is the keystone of our industrial food system, a grain second only to wheat in acres planted and sustenance given worldwide. Our country is blanketed by 80 million acres of corn monoculture, a single crop that’s remade our landscape at the expense of animals, people and agricultural diversity.

Ninety-nine percent of what most Americans eat, especially if it is industrial food (rather than food produced locally or organically), can be traced back to corn; each of us consumes one ton per year. Oddly enough, of those 10 billion bushels of corn harvested each year, we eat less than one bushel per person as corn—on the cob, as flakes in a cereal bowl or baked into corn muffins, chips and tortillas.

From Ellen Jackson

Try this method using almost any fruit in season. Berries are easy and especially delicious, but stone fruits work well too. And don’t stop with waffles; spoon your compote over cake or ice cream. Experiment with seasonings that complement each fruit.

3/4 cup sugar, or to taste
1 1/2 cups water
2 pints blueberries, rinsed and drained
1 wide strip of lemon zest (use a peeler)
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
Pinch of salt

Put the sugar and water in a saucepan with the lemon zest, vanilla bean seeds and pod. Bring the mixture to a boil. Boil 10 minutes and add 1 pint of the berries. Reduce the heat and simmer 10 minutes or until the blueberries begin to burst. Remove the vanilla pod and lemon zest and add the remaining berries with a pinch of salt. Allow the compote to sit long enough for the second addition of berries to warm through.

SWEET CORN WAFFLES
From Ellen Jackson

1 1/2 - 2 cups corn kernels (from about 3 cobs)
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup milk
3 large eggs

Preheat waffle iron. Add melted butter to the corn, mix gently and set aside. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and sugar into a medium-sized bowl and set aside. Pour the milk and buttermilk in a 4-cup liquid measure or small bowl. Add the eggs and whisk gently until smooth. Pour this mixture, along with the corn and butter, into the dry ingredients. Stir until thoroughly blended, scraping from the bottom and sides of the bowl. Do not overmix; it’s okay if there are a few lumps.

Lightly spray the top and bottom of the hot waffle iron with nonstick spray and brush on a little butter. Add just enough batter to cover the cooking surface, about 1/2 cup. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, depending on your waffle iron. Do not overbake—you want the waffle to be crisp and brown, not too dark. Serve warm, with berries.

RECIPE - BERRY COMPOTE FOR WAFFLES

PAPA HAYDN'S SUMMER PUDDING
From Evelyn Franz, Papa Haydn
Serves 8-10

1 loaf good quality sliced bread (brioche or challah are best)
1 pt blueberries
1 pt raspberries
1 pt blackberries
1 pt strawberries
(or 4 pints of any seasonal berries combination)
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 1 small orange
Zest of 1 small lemon
1/4 cup mix of half lemon juice and half orange juice
1/2 cup framboise, or any other quality liqueur such as creme de cassis
1 1/2 pints whipping cream, sweetened to taste and whipped
Sliced berries and edible flowers to garnish

Trim bread of all crust. Line a 9 1/2 x 4 inch nonreactive bowl with sliced bread, slightly overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the berries and mix in sugar, zests, juices and liqueur. Let the mixture stand until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the berry mixture into the bread-lined bowl and, using your hands or a spatula, compress the mixture. Layer the top with the remaining sliced bread. Place the bowl on a sheet pan (to catch excess juice) and weight it down with heavy plates. Place the bowl in the refrigerator and let it set overnight.

To finish, invert the bowl onto a serving platter and, using a spatula or pastry tube, frost the summer pudding with the whipped cream. Garnish with sliced berries and edible flowers. Refrigerate until served.

From Jon Beaker, ACME Food + Drink, Portland

6 semi-boneless quail (Available locally from Nicky USA)

Marinade
2 bunches cilantro, finely chopped
1 Tbsp black pepper, ground
3 red Fresno chilies, seeded and finely minced
7 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 cup fish sauce
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 limes, zest and juice

In a large bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients and pour over the quail. Marinate at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.

Prepare grill and cook each quail making sure to turn twice on each side. Grill for approximately 6-8 minutes or until quail is just cooked through. Serve immediately with jasmine rice, chopped cilantro, green onion and sweet chile jam.

Sweet Chile Jam
Makes 1 quart

4 oz ginger, peeled and minced
2 Tbsp garlic, minced
4 red Fresno Chilies, seeded and minced
1 shallot, minced
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup rice wine vinegar (unseasoned)
1 cup apple cider vinegar

In a food processor, combine the ginger, garlic, chilies, shallot and sugar. Process to a paste and transfer to a sauce pot. Add the vinegars and cook over low heat until the liquid becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and cool. This sauce will last for weeks in the refrigerator and is also very good with anything from the grill.