The Portland Pickle

Click above to take a peek at my summer kids and adult hands-on cooking classes!

This eye catching piece was featured recently on my friend Fred Bierman’s blog.  Extreme fast food makeovers!

‘Yeah, it’s still bad for you. But see how good it can look!’ Some of the transformations are convincing (see Popeye’s Chicken sushi above). You’re probably thinking: There’s only so much a shiny white plate and a sprig of parsley can do for a White Castle slider, right? You’ll have second thoughts after taking a look at the Tapas de Castillo Blanco. And don’t forget to wash it all down with a refreshing beverage:

Separate the ice from the soft drinks and let it melt to water; then pour the pink lemonade into three wine glasses. Add enough Coke in each glass to darken the color enough to make it look like a nice rosé wine.

New food cart alert! What I love about the newest food cart at 10th and Alder is its simplicity.  Nong’s Khao Man Gai cart does one thing and does it well: Chicken and Rice. Pronounced “cow-mon guy,” it’s one of the most common street foods in Thailand. Tender chicken, fragrant rice, a few slices of cucumber and garlic and ginger sauce are wrapped in paper and tied with a rubber band all for $6.  Bad planning on my part landed me at the cart the day after Nong was featured in the Oregonian, so there was a longer than usual wait.  Nong came from the Pok Pok kitchen, you know her food is going to be tasty!

Cookie geeks of the world rejoice! Two bags of impossibly thick and chewing cookies appeared on our doorstep Friday afternoon from New York’s famous award winning Levain Bakery. They weren’t meant for me but as a gift for John’s birthday. You’ll be glad to know that didn’t stop me from sampling every single one. For the record, oatmeal raisin and the dark chocolate peanut butter chip were my favorites. (Thanks MJ and KJ!) Who makes your most favorite cookie?

Yesterday I learned the green tea that I drink most mornings isn’t all that. About 8 of us took part in a tea tasting put on by our friend Sascha Matuszak who just returned from a tea scouting trip to China.  We sipped several green teas – much more fresh and clean tasting than the ground up stuff in a bag which I’m used to. Some green teas need to be ‘awakened’ with a little cold water first.  Whole leaf and straight from the source, a few green teas should be stored in the fridge to keep fresh. Oolong, yellow and rose teas followed in sequence.  The rose tea was the most visually impressive.  Hot water – not boiling – was poured over the top and the tiny rose buds started to loose their color. The tasting took place at Paul Rosenberg’s Sacred Tea School where he teaches classes and holds rare tea tastings.  Check out his class schedule.  Sascha, who keeps a blog called Chachin Ain’t Easy, plans to open a tea house in Portland soon…the next big thing?

* Update: Check out Sascha’s post about the tasting including a complete list of the teas tasted.

You may know that I dig Mark Bittman’s simple recipes. I should clarify: some of his recipes I love, some I dismiss right away and others reside somewhere between very strange and brilliant, which was the case with his featured recipe in the New York Times several weeks ago: Mexican Chocolate Tofu Pudding.

I know. You’re thinking this sounds disgusting, right? It’s anything but. The timing was perfect since we were having friends for dinner that week, one of whom maintains a vegan-gluten-free diet.  I was desperate for a dessert we could all enjoy. Despite my overwhelming skepticism, the pudding was a smashing success.  The silken tofu lends a perfect creamy texture to the pudding.  Topped with a strawberry, shaved chocolate and a pinch of chili powder, not one person at the dinner party guessed it was made with tofu!!!

I’m dying for someone else to try this. Are you up for it?

Mexican Chocolate Tofu Pudding 

3/4 cup sugar
1 pound silken tofu
8 ounces high-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or more to taste
Chocolate shavings (optional)

 

1. In a small pot, combine sugar with 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil and cook until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly.

2. Put all ingredients except for chocolate shavings in a blender and purée until completely smooth, stopping machine to scrape down its sides if necessary. Divide among 4 to 6 ramekins and chill for at least 30 minutes. If you like, garnish with chocolate shavings before serving.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Wednesday marked the end of In Good Taste’s 6 week hands-on advanced cooking series.  I co-taught the series with chef extraordinaire Jeremy Niehuss.  One of the many highlights – besides learning how to make homemade sausages and bacon, bechamel sauce and creme angalise, chicken stock, beef stock and fumet, and profiteroles with hazelnut gelato – was undoubtedly the flavored pastas.  

No matter how many times I make pasta, I’m always amazed by the power of eggs and flour! Spinach and beet flavored pasta ruled class two weeks ago.  It doesn’t take much to make fresh pasta glow.  Simple brown butter, sage and parmesan are are tried and true toppings.  In class, we made egg and spinach-ricotta ravioli from these doughs. 

The Storyteller Wine Company is not your grandmother’s wine shop.  In fact, it’s not really a traditional shop at all. Tucked away on the South waterfront in Johns Landing, Storyteller Wine is housed in a small unassuming building that most people whiz right by on Macadam Avenue.  Chief Storyteller and Owner Michael Alberty hunts for great wines around the world that have a story to tell.  Many of these wines are made in small quantities and don’t spend long on his shelf.  He’s particularly adept in seeking out the best of the best in the prestigious Oregon and Washington wine countries.  His funny and informative electronic newsletters keep his audience coming back for more.

* Swing by Storyteller Wine for a taste:
Fridays (4pm – 9pm) and Saturdays (10 – 9pm).

Ok.  It’s now official: They’re here and I’ve wasted no time using them. Here’s what’s left after making jam and sorbet.  Can you tell that I like strawberries?

Strawberry Jam

• 3 pound ripe strawberries (4 1/2 pints), rinsed and hulled
  

• 4 cups sugar (I used half the sugar because the berries were so sweet)
  

• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (a little zest too)
  

• Special equipment: 4 half-pint canning jars with lids
  

Crush strawberries lightly with a potato masher in a 7- to 9-qt. heavy nonreactive pot.

Simmer berries with sugar and lemon juice, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Bring to a full boil and cook, stirring frequently (be careful not to let bottom scorch) and skimming off any foam. It’s done when it becomes slightly thickened and a teaspoon of jam begins to gel when dropped on a chilled plate, after about 30 minutes of boiling. Stir in zest. Ladle hot jam into jars*, filling to within 1/4 inch of top. Wipe rims with a dampened cloth and seal jars in boiling water.

Put jars in a water-bath canner or on a rack set in a deep pot. Add enough hot water to cover jars by 2 inches and bring to a boil. Boil jars, covered, 15 minutes, and transfer with tongs to a rack. While the jars cool you should hear the tell tale “pop” that means the jar is completely sealed.  Store in a cool, dark place.

* Be sure to steralize the jars before using.  

Strange potato faces. The original Mr. Potato?