With a series of slides, starting with “Chocolate: Because we need to be serious about good health,” Dr. Hassel delivered a fascinating talk on chocolate, its history, how it works in the human body, and its many health benefits. These include positive effects on diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. My favorite was the study on happy babies. It appears that Finnish babies, whose mothers eat more chocolate, smile and laugh more often!

We didn’t need much convincing but Dr. Hassel recommended eating chocolate, especially dark chocolate, on a regular basis. The caveat, to be sure, was not to overeat, and to be mindful of the calories.

The menu prepared by David Briggs of Xocolatl de David produced a lot of smiles as well. “I love cooking savory foods with chocolate and salt,” he said. Using the cacao bean in many forms, Briggs came up with a series of courses from a terrine of chocolate with foie gras to roasted pork with “Xoxolatl” sauce. The crab bisque with a preserved Meyer lemon garnish was emulsified with a roux made with cocoa. Vinaigrette made with cocoa nibs was lovely and intriguing over a blood orange and chicory salad.

Our chocolate evening ended on a sweet note with Raleigh Cake, an extraordinary confection of chocolate, pecans, and caramel sauce.. We all agreed: this was a delicious, informative, and memorable evening for PCA.

-Mary Bartlett

After educating himself using antique spirits books and rare cocktail tomes (and, we imagine, a bit of trial and error), Eisenhart began making some of the ingredients that go into the bar’s cocktails. Last night, a group of spirit-loving members had the pleasure of discovering what he’d learned.

We started with the classic Italian digestif known as limoncello. The chef promised it was “criminally easy” to make, and he was right. We simply placed the peels from four lemons into a mason jar that Eisenhart had filled with grain alcohol before we arrived. The hard part is waiting: we have to let those peels seep for 3 months before we can strain them off and add a simple syrup mixture to finish the liqueur. To tide us over, Eisenhart poured us a sample of his limoncello and passed around polenta cakes that he brushed with the liqueur the night before.

Our last task was making bitters using orange and grapefruit peels, juniper berries, tamarind seeds and coriander seeds. We added these ingredients to a tiny jar filled with vodka, which we’ll shake every few days for the next 12 weeks until it’s done. We did get to sample bitters though - twice in fact. When we arrived, we were greeted with a champagne cocktail “garnished” with a bitter-soaked sugar cube; just before leaving, our PCA President Lota LaMontagne served us a gin and grapefruit cocktail with a dash of bitters that we declared refreshing at first sip.

 

The Firehouse was the destination for our Annual PCA Dinner and its history, warmth and good food made a befitting setting.

The evening was dedicated to visiting with old friends and new, thanking our governing members who have contributed so much, ushering in a new group of leaders and of course, sharing in the incredible food the chefs prepared for us.  A warm thanks was given to Susan Hauser for her enthusiasm and dedication to leading the PCA as President.  And an equally warm welcome was given to Lota LaMontagne for stepping  up to be our new President.

To start us off, plump house cured sardines were passed around the table, accompanied by perfectly roasted beets with almonds and buffala ricotta salata, crisp fried cauliflower with capers and braised kale and pecorino on crostini.  Montinore Estate graciously supplied their wines to complement the meal.  The Firehouse has a hand crafted wood oven in the center of the restaurant where much of their food is cooked.  I was ecstatic about the beautifully executed iron skillet mussels that were luscious in their drawn butter and the Neapolitan style pizza that has certainly wedged a spot for itself next to Ken’s, Nostrana’s and Apizza Scholl’s divine pies. 

Firehouse makes a point to truly cook throughout the seasons and each dish was a testament to this simple philosophy.  The genius is always in the chef’s ability to preserve the inherent flavors, coax even the subtleties, compliment ingredients through simplicity and bring the food to an even higher representation of its self.  Their simple salad of Simington Farm lettuces with Humboldt Fog cheese, filberts and red wine vinaigrette did carry through on that promise.  So did the rotisserie chicken with crispy pumpkin, sage, and chicories.  Dessert from the very talented Gretchen Glatte ended our meal.  They were the perfect foil for the good food, warm surrounding and wonderful company.  

-Brenda Crow

October’s first Saturday brought blustery fall weather but PCA members and guests stayed cozy inside the beautiful Hotel deLuxe as six esteemed authors read us their deliciously inspiring words.  The literary symposium featured writers of food fiction and food memoir.  The novelists included:

Jennie Shortridge, Eating Heaven and Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe

Erica Bauermeister, The School of Essential Ingredients

Diana Abu-Jaber, Crescent and The Language of Baklava

These authors are passionate about food and cooking in their personal lives, and the plots and characters in their novels are intricately connected to food as well.  All three women reminisced about their characters like old friends, and proved to us how deeply emotional food experiences can be. The featured memoirists were:

Matthew Amster-Burton, Hungry Monkey

Shauna James Ahern, Gluten-Free Girl

Molly Wizenberg, A Homemade Life

This dynamic, Seattle-based trio happens to be great friends, and they all have popular blogs. As Matthew joked, if you want to get published, know one of them! Their books and blogs capture how food is woven into their careers, relationships, families, and daily living. The stories bring tears, joy, and laughter; it was interesting to hear how they each balance sharing their personal journeys with the world. 

There were many other food writers in attendance curious about how writing fits into the schedules of the six talented authors. During a panel discussion with each group, the audience posed insightful questions to the authors. The presenters all quickly dispelled any glamorous notions of being able to delve into the world of their work for long stretches at a time. They have busy lives with other jobs, children, and chores, but writing was clearly a joy and passion for all of them.

Stomachs were growling as we listened to each mouth-watering story. Fortunately, our bellies were filled with delicious food from the chefs of six Portland restaurants. Each chef created a menu item inspired by one author and their work, and they took a moment to share how the food in each story spoke to them and why they created their dish.  From breakfast to dessert, every bite had a story. Flaky plum jammer scones, silky mushroom soup with delicate olive oil lemon cookies, hearty Wagyu brisket sliders, creamy butternut squash cannelloni, tender braised lamb shoulder, and crunchy, sweet baklava.

A feast to celebrate our love of food!

Thank you to all the chefs for a memorable meal and the authors for sharing their appetizing prose.

-Caroline Ford

In a flash, Dustin loaded the lunches and (more important) the beer and we were off for a day of fun. The Rogue Hop Farm is on the Willamette River, south of Independence, Oregon on the former John Haas Alluvial Hop Farm. On our way to the farm, we passed many Oregon Duck fans heading south to the kick off game of the season. Passing through Independence, one of the gang saw the sign for a farmers market in downtown Independence. We all cheered when our driver stopped and gave us a little time to see what the market had. With bags of fresh produce and other items of interest, we climbed back in the van to continue on to the farm.

Arriving at the Rogue Hop Farm we learned they lease 45 acres to grow hops. They are the first brewery to have their own hop fields. Dustin parked the van and invited us into the show room.  The show room has a beautiful deck where we were served a tasty lunch. While we dined, Dustin poured welcome glasses of ice cold Rogue beer and described the part hops play in brewing beer.

After lunch we walked to the Hop Kiln. On our walk to the Hop Kiln building, we passed by the workers having lunch. Being a foodie in the true sense of the word, I couldn’t help but be lured by the aroma of toasting tortillas. I had to see what they were having for lunch. A small burner with what appeared to be a metal plate, held tortillas while they browned. Containers of homemade chicken and salsa were on the grass close by.  When the tortillas were slightly charred, chicken and salsa were added. The mouth watering appearance certainly made me envious of their meal. 

But back to the hops. From the fields, the trucks arrive at the unloading area of the hop kiln. Workers unload the hops onto hooks that carry the hops into the processing building a via a conveyor belt. Up the belt they go with hooks pulling the vines along while rotating knives cut the hops off the vine. After the hops are removed from the vine they are blown into a drying area that heats them to 145 degrees.

The hops are held at this temperature until the hops are ‘cooked.’ They are scientifically measured for ‘doneness’. The manager scoops out a handful using a large sieve that has been duct taped to a long broom handle like stick. He squeezes the hops and knows whether they have ‘cooked’ long enough. When the hops are ‘done,’ they are moved to a cooling area.

From the cooling area the hops go to the storage area, where they are held until ready to be bagged and shipped. A quick estimate of how many bottles could be made from this bale of hops suggested 45,000 depending on the beer recipe. Arising out of high tech methods of producing hops all the way down to home made scoops, shovels and hand sewn bag closing comes some the finest brew on the planet.

They say you bring your own party to the party and this rang true with everyone who attended. A convivial group, excellent tour guide and best beer was the perfect combination for a good time.

-Sheila Hanson

Anthony and his wife, Carol, moved to Oregon from Massachusetts so the Yale-trained forester could work for 1000 Friends of Oregon. They got hooked on gardening with a small community garden plot in Portland. Later they moved to Gaston, where they started their large, organic farm. The Boutards supply some of the top restaurants in Portland with produce and grains. From July on, you’ll find them every Sunday at the Hillsdale Farmers Market.

Anthony had prepared a slide show and also brought along a tray whose many compartments were filled with some of the myriad varieties of legumes grown at the farm. He spoke about each one of the beans, offering cooking and growing suggestions. He also talked about the origins of each bean and its traditional uses. For example, fenugreek, sometimes called Greek hay, was once added to moldy hay in order to prolong its usefulness.

As the tray was passed around the OCI classroom, everyone was quite taken by the enticing fragrance emanating from the hard little kernels of fenugreek. After speaking, when Anthony allowed everyone to scoop up legumes for growing in their own gardens, nearly everyone took the fenugreek.

We also learned something about the physiological effects of legumes. Anthony told us that dried beans shouldn’t be eaten after a year, but after only six months the enzymes won’t break down properly, making them hard to digest. The result is flatulence. Solution: buy beans when relatively young, preferably from a reliable supplier — Ayers Creek Farm — at the Hillsdale Farmers Market.

On a Saturday afternoon in late April, a handful of PCA members and guests gathered for the alliance’s first-ever program by bike… a coffee crawl! The adventure began at Laurelwood Brewing where Pedal Bike Tours owner and operator Todd Roll overviewed the rules of the road and got the team up and rolling. Cruising at a leisurely pace, we rode up to Cellar Door Coffee Roasters for a quick tour of the year old neighborhood coffee house. Owner and roaster Jeremy Adams took us into the cellar to show off his newest roasting toys – a wetscrubber and an electrostatic precipitator, aka a “bug zapper.” The new machinery will not only increase Cellar Door’s production four fold, but the cutting edge, low energy equipment helps reduce roasting odors.

From there, we buzzed up to Stumptown Coffee on Belmont where we learned the science of a coffee cupping. Surrounded by glass beakers and vaporizing equipment reminiscent of a mad scientist’s laboratory, we sniffed, stewed and slurped our way through six single origin coffee varietals from around the globe. The experts at Stumptown thoroughly caffeinated and educated our group. For interesting bits of Stumptown trivia, see below.

Now fully energized, we pedaled our way to the site of Portland’s soon-to-open roaster and corner coffee house, Oblique. Housed in a historic mercantile building, owners John and Heather Chandler have thoughtfully renovated the original 1891 property, adding eco-friendly elements like water cisterns and a tankless water heater. But the real show stopper was “Bart,” the 1986 German built cast iron roasting drum, already seasoned to perfection (just like cast iron pans at home, roasters look for seasoned drums).

After Oblique, we could hardly wait for our fourth and final stop, Laurelwood Brewing. Brewer Chad Kennedy took us on a behind the scenes tour of the brewery, walking us through the cold water extraction process for making their Portland Roasting Espresso Stout. This creamy, chocolaty, black gold is the ultimate Portland beverage, blending local beer with locally roasted coffee beans. The perfect ending to a perfect PCA program.

Random Coffee Facts

• Ethiopia is recognized as the original coffee producing region.
• Ethiopian coffees are often called “field blends” because they are picked from whatever coffee trees are around.
• Peaberries – beans that are one whole, not two halves – occur 10 - 15% of the time.
•  The Kenyan SL28 varietal was genetically designed by Scott Laboratories in the 1950’s and remains to this day one of the most highly regarded beans.

It was a perfect night for chowder as PCA members and guests ducked the cold and drizzle for the warmth (and wine!) of the In Good Taste store. Before long, we were treated to a hot bowl of Chef Mike Downing’s award-winning New-England-style clam chowder, fresh sourdough from a Newport bakery, and a lovely salad with an impromptu vinnaigrette. While we ate, Chef Downing demonstrated how he builds the chowder’s flavors at Quimby’s Restaurant in Newport, from the making of the roux to the addition of the clams near the end of cooking (to avoid toughening them). 

Interspersed with the cooking demo, PCA’s Pansy Bray demonstrated razor-clam digging equipment and techniques. She shared local Native American clam-digging photos and clam lore, and taught us about the legality and safety of digging in Washington and Oregon. Two lucky raffle winners took home jars of razor clams dug and canned by Pansy herself. 

Finally, we were treated to a literary chowder reading from Moby Dick, delivered with dramatic flourish by PCA President Susan Hauser. While I doubt Nantucket’s Mrs. Hosea Hussey could compete with Chef Downing’s chowder skills, the reading left us laughing and looking forward to our next bowl of hot chowder.

-Hank Sawtelle