Edible Portland Blog

From The Thanksgiving Table by Diane Morgan Copyright 2007

Trust me here—you will never again complain, nor hear complaints, about dry breast meat if you take this easy first step in the preparation of your holiday bird. After nearly 20 years of cooking a Thanksgiving turkey, I am convinced that brining produces the moistest and most flavorful turkey I have ever tasted. Brining requires nothing more than boiling water with salt, sugar, and spices; cooling the mixture; then soaking the turkey in the brine for 12 to 24 hours.

Apple Cider Brine (recipe follows)
1 fresh or thawed turkey (10 to 25 pounds)
2 oranges, quartered

Special Equipment:
2 turkey-size plastic oven bags (see Cook’s Note)

Have ready a heavy roasting pan large enough to hold the turkey. Place a plastic oven bag inside a second one to create a double thickness; then place these bags, open wide, in the roasting pan. Remove the turkey from its wrapping. Remove the neck and bag of giblets from the main and neck cavity of the bird. Store separately in the refrigerator for making gravy. If using the Apple Cider Brine, at this point stuff the main cavity of the turkey with the orange quarters.

Fold back the top third of the bags, making a collar (this helps to keep the top of the bag open). Place the turkey inside the double-thick bags, stand it upright, unfold the top of the bag, and pour the Apple Cider Brine over the bird. Add an additional 2 cups of cold water. Draw up the top of the inner bag, squeezing out as much air as possible; then secure it closed with a twist tie. Do the same for the outer bag. Place the turkey, breast side down, in the roasting pan and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. Turn the turkey 3 or 4 times while it is brining.

One hour before roasting, remove the turkey from the brine. Discard the bags, brine, and any cured herbs or spices remaining on the bird. Discard the oranges and ginger. Rinse the turkey under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

Apple Cider Brine
Makes 3 1/2 quarts brine; enough for a 10- to 25-pound turkey

2/3 cup kosher salt
2/3 cup sugar
6 quarter-size slices fresh ginger
2 bay leaves
6 whole cloves
1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed (see Cook’s Note)
2 tsp whole allspice berries, crushed
8 cups unsweetened apple cider or juice

In a 3- to 4-quart saucepan, put the salt, sugar, ginger, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns, and allspice. Add 8 cups of apple cider or juice and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Boil for 3 minutes; then remove from the heat. Add 4 cups of ice-cold water, stir, and set aside to cool. Then proceed with the directions for Apple-Cider Brined Turkey.

Cook’s Notes
Plastic oven bags (made by Reynolds) are found with other food storage bags at supermarkets. Buy the turkey-size bags. They are food-safe, plus they are big, strong, tear-resistant, and come with twist ties. I do not recommend using plastic garbage bags because they are not intended for food storage. I use a double thickness of bags as a precautionary measure against leakage. For the same reason, I place the bagged turkey in a roasting pan.

The easiest way to crush whole spices is to use a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder. If you do not have either of these kitchen tools, then place the whole spices in a heavy lock-top plastic bag, seal the bag pressing out all the air, and pound them with the bottom of a small, heavy saucepan.

Now What?
Check out Diane's recipe using the Apple-Cider Brined Turkey here: Butter-Rubbed Roast Turkey with an Apple Cider Glaze.

When the weather turns, you can’t beat starting your day with a perfectly chewy, tender round and a steaming cup o’ joe. Find a few of our favorites below.

Kettleman Bagels and Bakery may not have access to New York City’s tap water (often touted as New York’s secret ingredient), but that doesn’t prevent it from firing up a first-rate New York-style bagel. Boiled in oversized kettles and baked on a stone hearth, these bagels satisfy with a crisp exterior and a tender, chewy center.
Details: 2235 SE 11th Avenue | 503-238-8883 | kettlemanbagels.com

If the behemoth wood-fired oven of Tastebud Farm escapes your notice, just look for the line snaking down the street at the Portland or Hillsdale farmers’ markets. Tastebud Farm turns out one of the best bagels in town, so get there early! Sip a cup of hot fennel-spiced apple cider while you wait, and enjoy the pleasures of a Pacific Northwest fall moment.
Details: Portland Farmers Market at PSU on Saturdays | Hillsdale Farmers’ Market on Sundays

Kenny and Zuke’s Delicatessen is now building a permanent space in the downtown Ace Hotel sometime this fall and will feature Michael Zusman’s bagels. Zusman sells his bagels occasionally at the Portland Farmers Market on Saturdays, but they go quick. Often called the best in Portland, buy them if you see them. You won’t regret it.
Details: 1038 SW Stark Street | 503-222-DELI | kennyandzukes.com

By Food Stylist Carolyn Schirmacher and Photographer Edward Gowans

BUTTER-RUBBED ROAST TURKEY WITH AN APPLE CIDER GLAZE

From The Thanksgiving Table by Diane Morgan
Copyright 2007

Serves 12 to 20, depending on the size of the turkey

This turkey, cured with Apple Cider Brine and then basted with apple cider during the last hour of roasting, has a sweet and beautiful bronze-glazed finish—perfect for showcasing on a buffet table. I like to garnish the serving platter with lady apples and kumquats nestled in a bed of fresh herbs.

1 Apple-Cider Brined Turkey (12 to 16 lbs) Click here for recipe
1 large yellow onion (about 10 oz), quartered
4 cloves garlic
2 Golden Delicious apples, cored and quartered
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
Turkey giblets (neck, tail, gizzard, and heart only)
1 cup homemade chicken stock, or canned low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups unsweetened apple cider or juice
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Position an oven rack on the second-lowest level in the oven. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Have ready a large roasting pan with a roasting rack, preferably V-shaped, set in the pan.

Place the onion, garlic, apples, thyme, and sage inside the chest cavity of the turkey and truss the turkey. Use a pastry brush to brush the turkey with the butter. Season the turkey with salt and a few grinds of freshly ground pepper. Place the turkey, breast side down, on the roasting rack. Add the giblets, stock, and 1 cup of the apple cider to the pan. Roast for 30 minutes.

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Baste the turkey with the pan juices, and roast an additional 30 minutes. Remove the turkey from the oven. Use oven mitts covered with aluminum foil, or wads of paper towels, and turn the turkey breast side up. Baste with the pan juices, and then return the turkey to the oven.

Continue to roast the turkey, basting occasionally. After it has roasted for 2 hours, begin basting every 30 minutes with the remaining 1 cup of apple cider. The turkey is done when an instant-read thermometer registers 165ºF when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh. When the internal temperature of the turkey is 125ºF, the turkey is about 1 hour away from being done. (Roasting times will vary depending on the size of the bird, its temperature when it went into the oven, whether or not it is stuffed, and your particular oven and the accuracy of the thermostat.)

When the turkey is done, transfer it to a carving board or serving platter, and cover the breast loosely with aluminum foil. Allow the turkey to rest for 15 to 30 minutes before carving to let the juices set.

While the turkey is resting make the gravy: Place the roasting pan over medium-high heat. Discard the giblets. Skim any fat from the surface, and bring the liquid in the pan to a simmer. Using a wooden spoon, scrape and loosen any brown bits sticking to the bottom and sides of the pan. Place the flour in a 1-cup measure, add a small amount of the simmering liquid, and blend until smooth. Slowly pour this into the simmering liquid and whisk until thickened, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a small bowl or sauceboat to serve.

Carve the turkey. Serve, accompanied by the gravy.

Perhaps you’ve had a sommelier pair the perfect wine with your first course. Or if you’re more experimental, you may even have tried single-origin coffee paired with fine foods at one of the dinners Stumptown and Navarre hosted last winter. Esmeralda Especial and Goose Rilette, anyone? Here in the craft-brew capital of the U.S., it’s now time for craft beer and food pairings. Experiment on your own. Alternately, train your palate with one of Portland’s beer experts: The bars at Higgins and Red Star both have designated beer stewards to guide you on your journey. Happy travels!

Details:
Higgins Restaurant | 1239 SW Broadway | 503-222-9070 | higgins.ypguides.net
Red Star Tavern | 503 SW Alder Street | 503-222-0005 | redstartavern.com

Do you enjoy discussing the finer points of a Red Delicious apple versus a Pink Lady? Can you talk at length about the flavor of halibut and salmon? Or, do you just like to try new products? Come make your opinions count in a taste test at the Food Innovation Center (FIC). Much like the Coke-Pepsi Challenge, the FIC runs taste tests for local food companies on anything from apple varieties to soymilk to pasta dishes and more. Sign up today and help shape the future of food in the Pacific Northwest.

Details: Food Innovation Center | 1207 NW Naito Parkway | 503-872-6672 | consumer.info@oregonstate.edu

Clarklewis Restaurant and Viridian Farms are collaborating to bring to the table the best of late summer's harvest.

Chef Daniel Mattern and the Clarklewis kitchen will prepare a five-course farm dinner with hand-picked produce fresh from the sun-kissed fields of Viridian Farms.

The menu will be based on what is picked at Viridian that day. It really is about the bounty of the season.

DATE: Saturday, September 8, 2007
PRICE: $65.00 per person
RESERVATIONS: Call 503.235.2294 or go to www.clarklewispdx.com

Want a surefire way to expel the rainy day blues? Pick up a Caramel Apple Spice cupcake from Cupcake Jones. Nothing says fall like these treats, made with local apples and homemade caramel sauce. Pick from the mini cupcakes or the jumbo ones with luscious pastry cream centers. For kids, or just the kid in all of us, seek out Cupcake Jones’ head baker, Shae Binfet, at the Portland Farmers Market Chef’s Stage teaching cooking classes for children.

Details: 307 NW 10th Avenue | 503-222-4404 | cupcakejones.net

It's almost here! The Fall 2007 issue of Edible Portland will be available at these locations or by subscription starting Thursday, September 6.

Why pick up this issue? Inside you'll find expert advice on whipping up luscious fall soups from Castagna Restaurant's Kevin Gibson and Monique Siu. You'll learn why Northwest artisan cheese is tangy, creamy, downright delicious, and a little pricey (but well worth it). Or maybe you just want to find out what's in Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams' fridge - and backyard.

Get it while you can!

NEW POTATO AND CHANTERELLE GRATIN
From Ellen Jackson
Serves 4-6

2 lbs new potatoes (or russet potatoes)
1 lb chanterelles, cleaned
2 Tbsp butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh tarragon, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups cream
Salt and pepper

1. Put a large pot of generously salted water over high heat. As you wait for it to boil, slice the potatoes (peel first, if using russets) into 1/4-inch thick rounds. When the water boils, add the potatoes, return it to a boil and cook the potatoes for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Tear or slice the chanterelles into 1/4-inch thick pieces. Heat the butter in a wide sauté pan and, when it is bubbling, add the mushrooms and a bit of salt. Cook over medium-high heat 4 to 5 minutes, add the shallots and cook another minute. Remove from heat and add the tarragon.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter a gratin dish or shallow casserole. Layer the bottom with half of the potatoes, and season them well with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add all of the mushrooms and cover them with the remaining potatoes, overlapping the top layer to make it look nice. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Gently pour the cream over the top. Bake for about 40 minutes until the potatoes have absorbed most of the cream and are covered in a golden crust.

From Monique Siu and Kevin Gibson of Castagna
Makes 16 cups

We have discussed how puréed soup just needs water, but sometimes you want a flavorful broth as the base for a soup. This is a simple and very quick vegetable stock, made with a combination of chopped vegetables. At home, we keep canned chopped tomatoes and canned cannellini beans on hand, as well as this stock, so we can always make a quick minestrone with whatever is in the vegetable drawer.

2 large carrots, peeled
1/2 head of celery
1 large onion
2-3 fennel tops
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup black peppercorns
2 large bay leaves

Chop vegetables and sauté gently in olive oil until translucent but not brown. Add peppercorns, bay leaves, and 4 quarts cold water. Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain.

CARROT-GINGER SOUP
From Monique Siu and Kevin Gibson of Castagna
Serves 4

1 onion, diced
6 large carrots, diced
1 thumb ginger, chopped
2 Tbsp butter
Sea salt
1/2 thumb ginger, finely chopped

Sweat onions, carrots, and one thumb ginger in butter until soft. Add salt and stir for 5 more minutes. Do not allow the vegetables to brown. Add cold water to cover by 1 inch. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add the finely chopped 1/2 thumb of ginger and purée. Strain. Pour into bowls and garnish with one of the following: thinly sliced scallions, seared prawns with coriander and cumin, slices of prosciutto fried in olive oil until crisp, or pea shoot tips.

My neighbors keep giving me tomatoes. I really should learn to can. I have a few weeks left. I hereby commit to learning. Check back in a few weeks and I’ll tell you how it went.

But in the meantime, here’s Harriet’s recipe. See Harriet's full article on tomato canning here. –Deborah Kane

INSTRUCTIONS: GETTING THE TOMATOES IN THE JAR
From Harriet Fasenfest

AMOUNT What size of jar best matches your cooking style? Use pint jars if you cook for a small number of people. For larger quantities, use quart jars. Regardless, you need 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pounds of tomatoes for each quart you can. A bushel of tomatoes, should you rise to the occasion, weighs 53 to 55 pounds and supplies you with approximately 40 pints.

COOKING Choose ripe, firm tomatoes. Wash and submerge them in a pot of boiling water for 10 to 20 seconds to soften the skin. Drain and place in an ice water bath to cool. Peel, remove cores and seeds, and quarter. Cut in smaller pieces if desired.

Cover the bottom of a large saucepan or stockpot with about 1 inch of diced tomatoes. Simmer while using a potato masher to bring out their juices. Cook approximately 5 minutes to render all the juice before adding the rest of the tomatoes. The mixture should contain enough liquid to cover the tomatoes when placed in the jar, but still have enough structure to lend texture to sauces and stews.

Michele Simon will be in Portland to discuss her new book:
Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Undermines Our Health and How to Fight Back

BOOK TALK AND SIGNING WITH MICHELE SIMON, JD, MPH
7–8:30 pm, Tuesday, Sept. 18
Portland State University’s Urban Center, Room 250
506 SW Mill Street, Portland, Oregon

Publisher's Notes
Over the past two years, concerned Americans have finally begun to ask: Who is to blame for the growing public health crisis of obesity and diet-related illnesses? Is the junk food industry at fault, or is it all just a matter of personal and parental responsibility? How can we fight back with workable solutions?

Appetite for Profit describes food industry lobbying, front groups, and other tactics that operate to undermine nutrition policy in schools and elsewhere. It explains how to counter attack. Additionally, this book tells how to see through corporate promises; informs how to respond; celebrates the unsung heroes in the fight; and provides reliable resources on how to get involved. This enlightening book provides hope with real-life examples of winning strategies and a road map for reform.

Rumor has it he might run for mayor. But politics aside, check out what Sam Adams has in his fridge - and oh! - that wonderful backyard garden…

THE FRIDGE STARTS IN BACK: CITY COMMISSIONER SAM ADAMS' MIDNIGHT GARDEN
Story and Photos by Jen Marlow
For Fall 2007

It’s 6:27 a.m. in North Portland. Sam Adams is already dressed for the day in a blue button-down dress shirt, pressed slacks and dark-rimmed glasses. He invites me inside and runs to get his electric razor.

I notice empty egg cartons stacked on the porch as I pass through the front door, and then Sam leads me straight to the backyard. We pass by the fire pit, where friends gather on cool evenings for s’mores made with last year’s stale marshmallows, and the hand-built chicken coop, ending up in a mulched garden with several raised beds.

Once in the flower patch Sam gnaws on an edible chrysanthemum flower and mentions offhand that he grows his own horseradish. He gardens at night, the only free time he has available, given his dawn-to-dusk work schedule, earning him the title of Midnight Gardener from his neighbors. The story of this urban procurer’s food life is much richer told by beginning in the garden, rather than the cold storage confines of his fridge:

sam’s garden In my backyard I grow four different kinds of apples, three different kinds of grapes, acorn squash, Atlantic pumpkins for sport, and three different kinds of potatoes: Peruvian, Austrian and fingerlings; strawberries, sweet sugar-snap peas, four different kinds of tomatoes, kiwis, and mustard greens—I love spicy mustard greens; raspberries, celery, dill, cucumbers for pickling, zucchini, and ornamental gourds for my mom.

If I can’t grow my own food, I live my everyday life in support of farmers’ markets, local food growers and local food vendors. On Wednesdays I go to the farmers’ market downtown, two blocks from my office at City Hall, and I go to the farmers’ market at PSU almost every Saturday.

PEAR AND SAKEONE SORBET WITH HONEY CRISPS
From The Portland Clinic

Sorbet
2 1/4 lbs ripe pears, peeled and sliced
1 cup + 1 oz Momokawa Pearl Saké from SakéOne
1 cup + 1 oz water
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split

Combine all ingredients in a large, stainless steel saucepan. Simmer until pears are very tender. Remove the vanilla bean. Purée contents of saucepan in a blender until smooth. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve and cool completely. Once cool, freeze the purée in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s directions.

Honey Crisps
2 1/2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp butter, softened
3 Tbsp powdered sugar
1 egg white
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Blend honey, butter and sugar in a mixer or by hand until smooth. Add egg white and blend, then add flour and blend until smooth. Grease a cookie sheet and spread batter in a thin, even layer across it. Bake at 375 degrees until golden (10-12 minutes). Remove from oven and cut into triangles while still hot. Allow to cool completely before serving with the sorbet.

Join John Ash and explore the use of flavors and techniques that have come to us from Asia. These are not traditional dishes but rather contemporary versions that are easily done in the American kitchen.

In Good Taste Cooking School
231 NW 11th Avenue

Saturday, September 29, 6:30 pm
Fee: $125
Click here to register

John Ash came to national prominence in 1985 when he was selected by Food & Wine magazine as one of America's “Hot New Chefs.” He founded his restaurant, John Ash & Company, in Northern California's wine country, in 1980 and it continues to be critically acclaimed more than 25 years later.

John is also a passionate voice for ethical and sustainable food issues and serves on the Board of Overseers for the Chef's Collaborative, a national organization of chefs who support ethical agriculture.

THE MENU
Smoked Chicken Rice Paper Rolls with a Spicy Dipping Sauce
Thai Tomato Soup with Shrimp and Cellophane Noodles
Soy Roasted Salmon with Asian Greens
Steak Salad with Hoisin Vinaigrette and Grilled Asparagus
Litchi Sorbet with Fresh Fruits

By Food Stylist Carolyn Schirmacher and Photographer Edward Gowans

Tune in to OPB on Thursday, Sept. 20th at 8pm (repeats Sunday, Sept. 23rd at 6pm) to watch Oregon Art Beat. This episode follows food stylist Carolyn Schirmacher as she styles an image of a Cornish Game Hen for Edible Portland.

Need a great fall recipe for Cornish Game Hen? You can easily substitute hen for turkey in this Butter-Rubbed Roast Turkey recipe from Diane Morgan.

Updated 3/26/08: Zoë Bradbury, author of "Help Wanted: Young Farmers," has answered the call and become a young farmer herself. She recently began plowing the fields on Oregon's southern coast. In 2008, she will be blogging all about her experiences on Edible Portland in a series titled Diary of a Young Farmer.

My husband and I remember a conversation we had with my parents almost 15 years ago now. We were fresh out of graduate school and announced to my folks that we wanted to be farmers. You could have heard a pin drop. Suffice to say my parents didn’t share our enthusiasm. Today my husband and I both have "desk jobs." Zoë Bradbury knows the raised eyebrow of which I speak. But lucky for us, she’s following her dreams raised eyebrows notwithstanding.

The average age of U.S. farmers is 55. Who is going to grow our food when they retire? We’re really going to have to give some serious thought to recruiting the next generation of farmers in our country.

–Deborah Kane

HELP WANTED: YOUNG FARMERS
Written by Zoë Bradbury
For Fall 2007

Every five years, the United States Department of Agriculture conducts something called the Agricultural Census. And every five years, once all the results are tallied—the irrigated acres summed, the number of women farmers counted, the gross revenues from hog production totaled (and much more)—without fail, an alarm bell sounds.

With no offense intended to my spunky, fiftysomething parents and their baby boomer friends, U.S. farmers are getting old. The national average has climbed to 55.3 years as of the last agricultural census in 2002 (the 2007 census is currently underway), and the trend is ever upward.

Well, big whoop, my parents are muttering as they read this. Fifty is the new 30 anyway....

Though that may be true, the sirens are clanging not only because farmers are getting older (in fact, more than a quarter of U.S. farmers are older than 65), but because young farmers are getting scarcer. A mere 5.8% of farmers are now under 35, compared to 16% in 1982.

If you’re digesting these numbers over breakfast, you might stop to wonder who’s going to milk the cows and grow the grain for your morning bowl of corn flakes.

WHEN LESS IS MORE: SIMPLE SOUPS
Written by Monique Siu and Kevin Gibson
Photo by Christine Hyatt
For Fall 2007

The comforting nature of soup is universal. All cultures have their own curative and restorative soups. For us, the comforting soups of childhood were Campbell’s Tomato or Chicken Noodle, and congee with beef, ginger and preserved vegetables. Reminiscing about the many wonderful soups we have eaten, we remember ones of great refinement and sophistication, and also deeply satisfying rustic ones.

Some soups are the prelude to a serious dinner; others a make-do, Sunday night one-dish meal. The Soupe au Pistou is a celebration of the season, with a profusion of ripe, seasonal vegetables. Still others are hearty winter meals of dried beans, lentils or split peas, or steaming bowls of broth packed with wontons and noodles.

We have often been inspired by the soups in France, where they are a traditional first course. The French love their soup! The most amazing French soups we have had were also the simplest. A puréed pumpkin soup at Violon d’Ingres in Paris tasted of pure pumpkin and was simply garnished with tiny buttery croutons and squares of Gruyère. At Hiramatsu we dined on a delicate broth poured over rare, thinly sliced breast of squab. A simple leek and potato soup with chunks of Gruyère was served at the start of every family dinner cooked by Aunt Melanie.

GRILLED QUAIL WITH OREGON HAZELNUTS, WILD HUCKLEBERRIES AND APRICOT CURRY SAUCE
From Dale Rasmussen, Chef, The Resort at the Mountain
Serves 6

Apricot Curry Sauce
1 cup dried apricots, diced
2 shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tsp canola oil
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp paprika
1 cup Willamette Valley Riesling
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup butter, softened

Place apricots, shallots, garlic and oil in a small pan and sauté for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add curry powder, paprika, Riesling and cider and cook for 15 minutes over medium heat. Let cool and add butter, then purée in a blender. Keep warm until needed.

Grilled Quail
12 semi-boneless quail
1 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
3 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped

Marinate the quail in olive oil, thyme and sage for at least 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat a grill. Remove the quail from the marinade and season with salt and pepper. Place the quail, breast side up, on a medium-hot grill. Cook for 3 minutes, and then turn over so the breast side is down and cook for 2 more minutes. Lift and adjust position on the grill to create an “x” mark on the breast. Finish cooking for about 4 minutes.

Wild Huckleberry Coulis
1 lb huckleberries
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp cloves, ground
1 tsp ginger, ground
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Place all ingredients in a non-reactive saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook until the huckleberries have softened, about 20 minutes, then transfer to a blender. Blend until smooth.

To Serve
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup Oregon hazelnuts, roasted and chopped

Divide the warm apricot curry sauce between 6 plates, about 2 ounces per plate. Place 2 grilled quail on top of the sauce on each plate. Drizzle the quail with the huckleberry coulis and garnish with roasted and chopped Oregon hazelnuts.

Have you ever wondered what it might feel like to eat supper prepared by Grandma, in a Grange Hall in the countryside? Why not satisfy that craving close to home, and soon.

This fall Ecotrust hosts an urban Grange Hall Supper, a family-style meal like Grandma might have served. The evening's chef, Robert Reynolds of The Chef Studio, will showcase local ingredients from that magical moment when seasons overlap. Susan and Kyle Chaney of The Busy Corner Café will pour Owen Roe and O'Reilly's wines against a background of live guitar music.

We invite you to join us to share food and stories and to live, if only for an evening, in the warmth and community of the Grange Hall.

When
Thursday, October 4th, 2007
7:00pm prompt

Where
Billy Frank Jr. Conference Center
721 NW 9th Ave, 2nd Floor
Portland, Oregon

Tickets and Reservations
This five course meal and wine to compliment it is $55.
Seating is limited.

RSVP to lalena@ecotrust.org or by calling 503.467.0764.

I’d never heard of "wet hops" beers before reading Kevin Allman’s article in this season’s issue of Edible Portland. And if Kevin is right, my window of opportunity for trying them is narrowing.

Tonight, on September 26th, BridgePort Brewing Co. joins the other breweries Kevin mentions below and introduces its first ever wet hops beer, the Hop Harvest Ale. There's a public tasting at BridgePort (1313 NW Marshall), 7-9pm.

Gotta run, I’ve got a wet hops beer to chase down before they disappear.

–Deborah Kane

AT THE HOP: FRESH BREWS TASTE OF THE SEASON
Written by Kevin Allman
For Fall 2007

Winemakers have Beaujolais Nouveau—the fruity, barely fermented red wines sold in November six weeks after harvest. And Northwest brewers have fresh or “wet” hops beers, made from hops picked straight off the vine and added immediately to the mash. The result is a light, fruity brew that aficionados describe as “green,” “grassy,” and “chlorophyll-y,” and it’s made in small batches each autumn in Oregon, Washington, and Northern California.

Wet hops are prized for their floral, piney qualities, according to Brian Butenschoen, executive director of the Oregon Brewers Guild. “If you drink a freshhop beer,” Butenschoen says, “you would notice it had more of the aroma and flavors of the wide variety of hops in Oregon, from citrusy (tangerine to grapefruit to orange scents) to more resiny (or floral, piney, and earthy) aromas.”