On April 30, 2012, the Portland Culinary Alliance hosted a finger-lickin’ dinner extravaganza to welcome our guest-of-honor, the award-winning author, journalist, cooking teacher, and TV personality, Steven Raichlen. We gathered a large crowd of 60 BBQ enthusiasts at Irving Street Kitchen for a multi-course tasting menu of various styles of ribs from around the world.

Hosting chef Sarah Shafer teamed up with B.J. Smith of Smokehouse 21 to take on the world of ribs. Their offerings included beef, pork, and lamb ribs done in a variety of preparations that exemplified how this beloved cut of meat is prepared in countries across the globe—Mexico, India, Morocco, Thailand, and the American south. Each chef prepared two recipes from Raichlen’s latest book, Best Ribs Ever, as well as one style of their own creation. Yep, six varieties of ribs, plus their accompanying side dishes, delivered to the table on large platters for passing.

The evening began with a book signing and cocktail party—this was our attendees’ chance to talk ‘cue with the master himself. Bull Run Distillery, Chehalem Winery, and BridgePort Brewery all generously sponsored this event with BBQ-friendly beverages, including two special cocktails created by the Irving Street Kitchen bar staff in honor of our event—one made with Bull Run Distillery’s newly-released Pacific Rum and another with their Temperance Trader Bourbon Whiskey.

When we sat for dinner, Raichlen chatted a bit about his prolific career as a BBQ and grilling aficionado, but as the meat was delivered to the table, no one could resist digging in, including Raichlen, who said that this Portland Culinary Alliance dinner was one of his best book tour events that he can recall.

For our March program, The Raw Truth About Oysters, we gathered at Portland’s best spot for enjoying fresh Northwest oysters—EaT: An Oyster Bar. Owners Ethan Powell and Tobias Hogan source directly from the folks who harvest the oysters and are experts on the subject. They shared their extensive knowledge of oyster biology, history, farming, appearance, and flavor as we compared a dozen different varieties from across the country. As the tasting progressed, John House from Chehalem Winery paired 4 different whites with our oysters-on-the-half-shell.

After a primer on oyster anatomy and the 5 varieties, slurping ensued. We began with mild and creamy Petit Pacifics—their plump shape is good for frying, baking, and in stews. On to well-branded Kumamotos—their size and flavor are great for beginner oyster eaters. The tiny Olympia oysters were firm with a briny finish, followed by one of my favorites of the day—the Belon. These flat oysters from Maine were crisp and salty. Another favorite was the salty, sweet Chelsea Gems from Eld Inlet, Washington. Raised in a buoy bag system, these oysters form a uniform shape with a deep cup that holds extra liquor! The tasting moved on to the briny Hama Hama oysters grown on rocky beaches, then to Blue Pool. Tasting those two side by side was a testament to the effect of the growing method—Blue Pool are the same species as Hama Hama and also from the Hood Canal, but take on entirely different shape and flavor profiles.

Next, we tasted the briny, fruity sweetness of Hog Island oysters from Northern California, then Kusshi- considered a “designer oyster” thanks to their unique growing process. Followed by the salty and briny Pleasant Bay oyster from Massachusetts on the ocean side of Cape Cod. Tip: oysters with more contact to open ocean are brinier! The Caraquet from New Brunswick was, in a word, savory. Seaweed salad-esque. And for our last little bivalve, Bluepoint from Long Island Sound. This oyster was creamy and salty with a subtle sweet aftertaste.

Curious students asked Ethan and Tobias about the issue of wild versus farmed oysters and in fact, oyster farming is very beneficial to the environment (unlike a lot of other aquaculture). Oysters serve as a natural filtration system in the waters, which keeps water clear and allows sunlight to penetrate to the bottom, which encourages sea grasses to grow and provide cover for other fish, mollusks, and marine life, ultimately increasing ocean biodiversity and lowering nitrogen levels in the surrounding atmosphere. So order another dozen! Eating oysters is as sustainable as it is delicious.

—Caroline Ford

What a great evening at Yakuza Lounge! In addition to providing a wonderful networking opportunity, this month’s PCA social hour had a special focus, thanks in large part to Yakuza’s manager, Kyle Lovell.

If you are unfamiliar with Yakuza Lounge, you only need to know three things. (1) Yakuza Lounge brings the Japanese izakaya tradition to Portland, where small plates and sake are shared between diners. (2) The food is delicious. And (3) the Zen-like ambiance and knowledgeable staff make spending time here a pleasure.

Back to Kyle, who arranged to have Briana Seeley (of Young’s Market Company) conduct an introductory tasting for our gathering. Briana did much more than pour three different kinds of sake. She explained some of sake’s appeal to modern drinkers. (Did you know that it is naturally gluten and sulfite free?) And she gave us the key to judging a sake’s quality—polish ratio!

The polish ratio refers to the amount of rice left after the grain has been milled: the lower the ratio, the higher the quality. Of course, none of this insider knowledge does you any good if you don’t recognize the Japanese terms that you’ll find on a sake bottle. But with patience and humor, Briana walked us through the (arcane to American ears) terminology; where different grade levels intersect with various sake styles. So now, we have a shot at deciphering the label on a bottle of premium sake when we encounter terms like:

• Genshu: undiluted
• Nigori: unpressed, cloudy with rice sediment
• Junmai: rice only
• Ginjo: 60% polish ratio
• Daiginjo: 50% polish ratio

Briana and Kyle served us three wildly different sakes that really helped us to understand how much there is to learn about this amazing libation. The Taiheikai Tokubetsu Junmai,  Kannihonkai “Ring of Fire” Junmai Genshu, and Murai Family Nigori Genshu ran the gamut from floral to earthy to slightly sweet. In each case, we had a chance to correlate what our taste buds were experiencing with the facts we had just learned.

Of course, the evening was even more enjoyable because we paired our sake with Yakuza’s tasty small plates. The hamburger was especially popular, but my personal vote goes to the Black Cod on Parsnip Purée…yum!

All in all, not a bad way to spend a Thursday night.

—Luisa Simone, Web Designer at Tadpole Graphics

I feel very lucky to have spent the rainy Sunday afternoon of February 12, 2012 at the Oregon Culinary Institute, sipping perfectly executed cocktails while listening to esteemed bartender, blogger, and cocktail innovator Jeffery Morgenthaler discuss the history of carbonation and the pioneers behind effervescence.

For bartenders, there is a growing interest in fully-carbonating cocktails, rather than just adding a carbonated soda to the other “flat” ingredients for effervescence. One of carbonation’s biggest fans is Jeffery Morenthaler, bar manager of the Clyde Common. Jeff recently started bottling and serving fully-carbonated cocktails in split-sized Champagne bottles. They are the lateset addition to his bar program.

We started the day with his new take on a classic, a fully-carbonated Tom Collins: Hayman’s Old Tom gin, lemon, sugar, and soda. We gathered and nibbled on cheese, which paired perfectly with the tart and refreshing Collins. This drink embodies the art of simplicity.

We all took our seats and attention was directed to the center of the room while Jeff began his presentation, discussing the solubility of carbon dioxide in water. We learned that carbon dioxide is more soluble in cold water than warm, and to prove this fact, a warm bottle of seltzer was shaken and then opened, exploding for all to witness. I had always wondered why my seltzer detonated only half the time. After a washcloth and another round of drinks were procured, we continued our journey into the history of carbonation.

The next drink we were served was the classic French 75. While most of us have ordered this delightful and easy-to-drink carbonated gem, this particular rendition, comprised of Beefeater gin, lemon, sugar, and Cremant de Loire, stole the show. The fully-carbonated version was sleek and sexy. It was a flavor explosion as every bead of carbonation slowly enveloped our tastebuds.

Our group was particularly interested in how the size of the bubbles are “created” in carbonated waters and beverages. Many of us admitted to shopping for a particular type of mineral water purely based on bubble size. Jeff explained the size of the actual bubble was the result of nucleation sites, a term used to describe localized budding of a specific thermodynamic phase. In science, bubbles of carbon dioxide nucleate after the pressure is released from a container of carbonated liquid. Nucleation can vary by glass, particle, and environment.

Lastly we enjoyed our final carbonated libation, the Americano: Campari, Cinzano Rosso vermouth, and water. The Americano is a classic café cocktail served in Italy. We watched as Jeff made the drink, step-by-step, using the iSi Twist and Sparkle, an easy to use, affordable home carbonation system. It’s a perfect balance of bitter and sweet, a perfect way to end an afternoon of low-alcohol refreshers created with this new technique for carbonation.

—Elizabeth McElligott

A review in images and Tweets of our weekend foraging with Hank Shaw, author of Hunt, Gather, Cook: Finding the Forgotten Feast (Rodale, 2011), and feasting on wild foods prepared by Chef Matt Lightner of Castagna.

Saturday, June 25, 2011:
@Hank_Shaw Hank Shaw
“Great foraging trip in Washougal, WA w/chef Matt lightner, the (Portland) culinary alliance and lots of new friends. Found all kinds of stuff!”

Sunday, June 26, 2011:
@Hank_Shaw Hank Shaw
“Setting up @castagnapdx for our book dinner – beautiful restaurant, and a sold-out house. Super excited!”

@GoodStuffNW Kathleen Bauer
“At Castagna dinner for @Hank_Shaw‘s Hunt Gather Cook…Lightner’s pulling out all the stops…so lucky to be here!”

@JoanCirillo joan cirillo
“Foraged Oregon grape flowers with Hank shaw and chef matt lightner yesterday and here they r atop rye flour cracker with liver mousse”

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-Photographs by Holly A. Heyser
© Holly A. Heyser 2011: www.heyserphoto.com

“Sour beer? You must be kidding,” so said a good friend when I told him about the most recent event hosted by Portland Culinary Alliance. While sour beer may not seem like an ideal beverage to many, to those of us who know and love it, this category is sipping nirvana.

On Thursday, May 26, those enamored with sour beer, and the simply curious, had an opportunity to try five different sour beers at the PCA event “Pucker Up for Sour Beers” held at KitchenCru (337 NW Broadway, Portland). Portland brewer Van Havig shared his absolute, hands-down passion for sour beers. His 16 years experience as former head brewer of Rock Bottom Brewery was the perfect background for Van to go deep into how sour beer is made. And it belies the fact that he was once a PhD candidate in Economics. Who hasn’t studied in one discipline only to find their true path in a completely different field?

Tasty morsels were paired with the beers, and kudos to former PCA Programming Chair, Sasha Kaplan, at KitchenCru for an outstanding job of matching the bites with the beers. Attendees were greeted with a glass of the first beer, a Cherry Kriek made by our own local Cascade Brewing. This is a wonderful example of red sour ale that uses fresh Northwest, whole Bing and sour cherries. Of the five beers, three were made on the West Coast:  Cascade Brewing’s Cherry Kriek, The Bruery’s (Orange County, CA) Hottenroth Berliner Weissbier (German-style wheat beer), and Russian River Brewing Company’s (Santa Rosa, CA) Supplication (brown ale aged in French oak Pinot Noir barrels with yeast, two bacteria strains, and cherries). The remaining two beers were from Belgium:  Lindemans Gueuze Cuvee Rene (fruit lambic) and Brouwerij Verhaeghe’s Duchesse De Bourgogne (red ale matured in oak casks).

Van encouraged us to think out of the box as we tasted the beers, digging deep into the flavors spilling across our palates. The taste and odor flavor wheel provided was a handy assist. And the shared process of tasting was even more helpful as many had that “aha” moment when someone else spoke up about a particular flavor profile. In addition, we learned about the history of beer, that it was actually a sour drink until specific yeasts were isolated by the Carlsberg Brewery in the early 1840s. We learned, as well, that many young women in Portland have taken a fancy to sour beers. Van was a terrific instructor, mixing facts and science equally. You might even call him the Alton Brown of the beer world.

It was certainly a successful event for by the end of the evening there were new converts to sour beer, and established sour beer aficionados reaffirmed their love and appreciation of this delicious beverage. Everyone seemed to have a tart and tangy favorite, but the top three were the Russian River Supplication, Lindemans Gueuze Cuvee Rene, and the Duchesse de Bourgogne. The last two make for particularly good sipping beers with dessert or a cheese course in the same manner as a fine port. All beers sampled can be purchased at Belmont Station (4500 SE Start Street) that has an excellent selection of sour beers. For great tap and bottle selections be sure to stop in at Victory Bar (37^th and SE Division).

–Mora Chartrand

Afternoon tea is a daily ritual for millions of people, but most tea breaks don’t come with the chance to create your own customized blend. Last Saturday afternoon, a lucky group of PCA members and guests had the unique chance to go behind the scenes of tea blending with legendary teamaker, Steven Smith, at his charming shop in Northwest Portland.

We were greeted with a warm cup of Mao Feng Shui green tea and led to the blending room for an introductory lesson in tea. A colorful and aromatic array of teas and botanicals covered the tables as we huddled around to listen. We learned about the four categories of tea – their origin, how they’re picked and processed, and their flavor profiles – as Steve poured us samples to better understand the elemental differences of each.

From there, we discussed the playground of dried teas and botanicals to choose from. Green tea has notes of sticky rice, vegetation, chestnuts, and a certain sweetness, while Assam (black tea) is chewy, dense, and fully caramelized with hints of dark berries, leather and spice. There was a floral Darjeeling, a toasty and nutty Darjeeling, Clove, Cassia, Ginger, Sarsparilla, Oregon Spearmint, white Chamomile buds from an oasis in Cairo, fruity and tart Hibiscus, Safflower for golden color, fragrant Jasmine, and the list went on. The room hesitated as we pondered our perfect tea, but it didn’t take long for us to circle the tables, scooping and blending. With our blends mixed up in little trays, we had the option to add essential oils before bagging and sealing our tea.

While we crafted our blends, Steve encouraged us to enjoy our tea drinking experiences any way we please, and explained “tea has too many rules that get in the way of it being appreciated.” For example, a box of tea may instruct you to steep for three minutes, but try sipping the tea occasionally within those three minutes to experience subtle changes as the tea evolves in the cup.

We snacked on cheeses and bread as we chatted with friends and sipped on more tea before the afternoon ended. It was a special treat to leave the teaworks with a little bag of our own creation and a whole box of Steve’s. Saturday’s program opened our senses to the exciting and complex world of tea harvesting, processing, selecting, blending, and most importantly, drinking.

—Caroline Ford

The Portland Culinary Alliance was privileged to be a part of Elizabeth Andoh’s most recent trip to the U.S. from her home in Japan (Tokyo and Osaka). She spent almost three hours with our group, demonstrating cooking methods, ingredients and concepts from her latest book, KANSHA: Celebrating Japanese Vegan and Vegetarian Traditions.

The book’s theme was conceived prior to Andoh’s seminal tome Washoku, but is incredibly timely in 2011, from both health and sustainability standpoints. In the kansha kitchen, nothing is wasted, and all meals are comprised of plant products.

Andoh began with a tasting of various dashi (broths), made simply by soaking kombu (seaweed), dried squash, and dried daikon radish in separate containers filled with water. The natural glutamates from these foods create a broth that enhances the flavor of anything cooked in it. The potency of this flavored water was striking. In the economical sprit of kansha, the soaked seaweed and daikon leftover from the soaking were made into a pickle to be eaten with rice. We tasted these incredibly delicious little morsels.

The group was then led through a tasting of four different types of miso and a demonstration of miso soup making. It was surprising to the group to taste the differing miso types, and to see that Andoh used all four misos and three types of dashi to create one soup. She emphasized that when cooking only with plants, a focus must be set on maximum extraction of flavor.

From the cooking demonstration and tasting in the kitchen at The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Portland, Andoh then presented a PowerPoint to illustrate additional concepts from her book. One of these was using a vegetable creatively in two ways. As an example, she showed us cubed steamed eggplant, served with the eggplant peel, which was sliced and marinated in soy and sugar. Earlier that day, we sampled carrot tops, blanched and served with a tofu and sesame sauce. She explained that the carrot tops could be blanched and served with a sauce made from the pureed carrot itself, to illustrate the “two ways” concept.

The afternoon was extremely enlightening, exposing the PCA to Japanese techniques and cooking philosophy. Elizabeth Andoh introduced us to Japanese ingredients (such as gardenia buds to give pickles a yellow color), only a few of which we would not be able to find in Portland. It was a rare opportunity to learn from Andoh, and I know that I am not the only one who came away inspired to apply these techniques at home.

–Lila Martin

Our ‘Demystifying Oregon Truffles’ program was a perfect antidote to a cold Wintery Sunday. The scent of truffles greeted us as we entered the historic and picturesque Joel Palmer House in downtown Dayton. And despite an ‘iffy’ weather forecast, 24 members and guests were rewarded with an afternoon of rich truffle infused foods and insights into the world of Oregon truffles, and even some sunshine.

While current Joel Palmer House owner and chef Chris Czarnecki worked truffle magic in the kitchen finishing preparation of our meal, his father and original Joel Palmer House owner Jack Czarnecki offered a ‘starter’ appetizer of truffle infused salami and gouda cheese slices, and later shared how to make them at home. After selecting a cozy table to sit at while we nibbled on our appetizers and chatted with table mates, we were directed to a self-serve lunch buffet featuring a creamy wild mushroom risotto drizzled with Jack’s Oregon white truffle oil (with a bottle of the truffle oil on the side to pour more over if desired); ‘faux gras’ chicken liver pate to spread on artisan bread, it’s smooth texture due to lots of butter, cream and a splash of bourbon used to preserve Oregon truffles; a wild mushroom tart, plated with sauce and then Jack circulated in the dining room, topping our tarts with shaved slices of fresh truffles, and for our sweet tooths, some bacon laced chocolate truffles.

Fully truffle sated we gave our attention to Jack’s presentation, and learned some interesting facts: The flavor of truffles comes from the volatile gases, which are drawn to and will infuse fats, therefore go wonderfully with fatty foods. There are about 40 compounds identified in a truffle, but most imported truffle oils and infused products only have one compound, which is why they can be overpowering and not have the subtle flavor that Oregon truffles have (or Jack’s Oregon white truffle oil).

Oregon truffles have gotten a bad reputation because they have been picked/sold under ripe, so chefs haven’t known their true flavor. If you buy fresh Oregon truffles, when ripe, they will become a golden color inside. Store truffles with high fat foods, ie cheese, bacon, or salami or butter in a plastic container for a week, and they will infuse the foods with truffle flavor. Storing truffles in rice is a myth and won’t preserve the truffles nor impart the flavors into the rice. Freezing truffles won’t work either, because the flavors are in the volatile gases. So if you have truffles that are ripe and you won’t be eating them all, the best way to capture the truffle flavor is to infuse butter with truffles, because you can then freeze the butter (or the cheese) after it is infused. One ounce of truffles will infuse a cube of butter, and approximately two ounces of truffles will infuse a half pound of cheese. You can also preserve truffles in alcohol. Jack prefers preserving Oregon truffles in bourbon (in France they use Cognac or brandy), which is what he uses in his signature ‘faux gras’.

If you want to harvest your own truffles, you should look for Douglas fir timber lots that are 10-20 years old, and ask owner permission. Look for evidence of animals digging, and chances are you will find truffles. It is okay to use a rake to harvest truffles, but just rake very gently in the top layers of leaves/pine needles.

The Joel Palmer House restaurant normally closes for the month of January, so the Portland Culinary Alliance extends a huge ‘thank you’ to Chris and Jack Czarnecki for welcoming us and sharing their delicious wild mushroom and truffle laced food and truffle lore with us.
-Laura Barton

Well worth the wait, our last program of 2010, on Food Styling and Photography, packed a full house at The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Portland on December 4th. Members and several non-members were eager to learn from legendary food stylist Delores Custer and Portland’s food photographer extraordinaire, John Valls.

The program began with Delores presenting a wealth of insider knowledge from a career spanning four decades in food styling for editorial and advertising clients. Her tool box revealed secrets to making food shine through the lens of a camera. Through a pictorial Power Point presentation, Delores explained how trends have changed over the years, from the perfection of the 70′s and 80′s to the messy look that is currently in vogue.

Next, John took a turn providing professional advice on shooting the beautifully-presented food that Delores mentioned using various angles and lighting. We learned that today you don’t need an expensive camera to capture blog-worthy images. Attendees were then invited to use the techniques we learned to compose a salad. First, we attempted to recall the tips that John shared to shoot the plate with our own cameras. Then, with John’s guidance, we were able to use his professional lighting and equipment to experiment with different angles to create images that were ready for print.

This information-packed program was an excellent finish to 2010, and provided sufficient momentum to propel the PCA into 2011.