Culinary Delights of the Northwest
Quote of the week:
"Our definition of a good wine is a wine that tastes good to you. And no one can tell you what that tastes like in your own mouth, so we like to empower people to try every wine that they come across and find what they like and not to be afraid of it."
~ Dorothy J. Gaiter, Co-Author, Wine For Every Day and Every Occasion during an interview with Tony Cox on NPR
Around midnight last night, I said farewell to the last of seven guests who had come to Astoria from Manhattan, Brooklyn and New Jersey to enjoy a bounty of good wine and artisanal cheese from the far reaches of Oregon and Washington. I looked at the remnants of the feast on the serving platters and the drained wine glasses and was overwhelmed with feelings of fortune and love. And, it wasn't the wine, or rather, it wasn't just the wine. It was the company, the food, the conversation and the shared passions for eating and life.
Is that, pardon the pun, cheesy? Well, maybe so, but important none the less.
You might ask how one decides to theme a party around the Pacific Northwest. Last week, my visiting friend CM left me several bottles of wine and a few chunks of hand-crafted cheese from Oregon and Washington. I took the excuse to have friends over and ran. And you know what? The Northwest is a region that produces superbly delicious and rich culinary delights. Who knew? And it isn't just the wine and cheese. The pears are excellent as well.
I had been contemplating a wine-and-cheese gathering for awhile. My brother K. recently gave me a book called Wine for Every Day and Every Occasion by Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, authors of the Wall Street Journal's "Tastings" column. The book has inspiring yet practical information. I was trying to formulate a plan when one fell half-formed into my lap.
The wines from CM were the 2006 Pinot Noir Estate Selection, Dundee Hills and the 2007 Pinot Gris Oregon from Erath winery in Dundee, Oregon. I picked up two more regional bottles from Trader Joe's wine store: a 2006 Oregon Pinot Noir from Firesteed in Rickreall, OR and a Vintage 2007 Pinot Gris from Chateau Ste. Michelle in the Columbia Valley, WA.
The Erath pinot noir was absolutely delicious. I can't describe all the subtleties in taste. I chose this week's quote from Dorothy Gaiter because, quite frankly, I can't yet distinguish one flavor from another in a glass of wine. I can only tell you what I enjoy.
I am only just beginning to explore white wines. The Erath pinot gris was quite good, very flavorful and seemingly more complex than other whites I have tried.
What's a good wine without a good, strong flavored cheese? The cheese varieties were: Rogue River Blue and Smokey Blue from Rogue Creamery in Oregon and Flagship Reserve from Beecher's Handmade Cheese in Seattle. I served them on a cake stand with D. Anjou pears in the center of the table.
To fill out the offerings, I visited East Village Cheese on 3rd Avenue near 10th Street, which has a reputation for their weekly specials and fine selection. The cheese master, or maître fromager if one insists on being French, suggested a Morbier (more-bee-AY) and a triple-cream brie to complement the blues. I also picked out a slice of Barlauchrebell, which is a German cheese with wild garlic, and a vegetable havarti.
The cheese master told me that one should serve two-and-a-half pounds to accommodate 10 people. I had only eight people and approximately four pounds of cheese, but I always plan excessively. The brie turned out to be moldy, which was disappointing, but it brought me closer to the appropriate ratio of cheese to guests.
One cannot eat cheese by itself. Well, one could, but it's not as much fun. The spread became quite international when I added dried apricots from Turkey, marcona almonds from Spain and fig paste, roasted red peppers and olives from Greece.
In addition, I made a vegetarian pâté and mini empanadas with curried squash and potato. The recipe for the pâté is from The Angelica Home Kitchen, a cookbook produced by the vegan restaurant Angelica Kitchen. It's a wonderful book that profiles local farmers and discusses the restaurant's philosophy in addition to providing recipes. The recipes, however, do tend to be complicated.
The pâté calls for miso, mirin and umeboshi paste. Mirin is a cooking wine, and umeboshi paste is made from pickled plums. Both are used as seasoning agents in Japanese cooking. It is not an inexpensive recipe to make if you don't already have and use some of these ingredients. The pâté is very flavorful, though, and complemented the cheese nicely.
The recipe for the curried empanadas is from Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons. I left the currants and pine nuts out of half the recipe and added Field Roast Apple Sage vegetarian sausage instead. Because it wouldn't be a true feast without something green, I also served a spinach salad with roasted beets and red onion.
The edible hit of the evening was the Rogue River Blue. The cheese is aged for over a year in special rooms designed to mimic the caves in Roquefort France. Like wine, it seems a region's natural elements can imbibe a specific flavor to cheese. Rogue Creamery indicates on their web site that the naturally occurring molds in their Rogue River Blue impart regional flavors of pine, hazelnut, wild berries, morel and pear. The wheels are wrapped in grape leaves which have been macerated in Clear Creek's Pear Brandy. A bite becomes a small nugget of Oregonian heaven that melts away to nothing but deliciousness in your mouth.
The Flagship Reserve with fig paste and the morbier were also praised highly. The smokey blue received compliments as well. The Barlauchrebell was not as popular. It's pungent flavor did, however, spark some interesting commentary.
After we had our fill of cheese, we indulged in locally crafted dark chocolates brought by guests. M. brought a delicious Woodlands Bark from Pure Dark in the West Village. The bark is made of semisweet chocolate with dried blueberries and cranberries, roasted walnuts and caramelized nibs. The sweetness of the fruit and the bitter crunchiness of the nibs is a terrific combination.
CK and VS brought another equally delightful treat: a dark chocolate bar from Mast Brother's Chocolate in Brooklyn. According to their web site, the Mast Brothers are the "only bean to bar chocolate maker" in New York. Their 60% cacao dark chocolate is very smooth, creamy and rich with a wonderful flavor.
Friends Jennifer and Kendall, who write the fabulous and funny blog about their quest for the perfect piece of Jersey Pie, brought a loaf of banana bread handcrafted locally in their very own kitchen. This particular treat was meant for me to enjoy for breakfast, which I thoroughly did! It was moist and sweet with a perfect brown crust.
The entire experience was superb. The conversation flowed as freely as the wine. Today my apartment is still resonating with the warmth and good vibes from an evening of fabulous food, drink and company.
Stay tuned! Who knows what next week will hold? Perhaps some mac and cheese made from leftovers paired with the Goats Do Roam red wine from South Africa which LB and EB brought and which I am excited to try!
Quote of the week:
"Our definition of a good wine is a wine that tastes good to you. And no one can tell you what that tastes like in your own mouth, so we like to empower people to try every wine that they come across and find what they like and not to be afraid of it."
~ Dorothy J. Gaiter, Co-Author, Wine For Every Day and Every Occasion during an interview with Tony Cox on NPR
Around midnight last night, I said farewell to the last of seven guests who had come to Astoria from Manhattan, Brooklyn and New Jersey to enjoy a bounty of good wine and artisanal cheese from the far reaches of Oregon and Washington. I looked at the remnants of the feast on the serving platters and the drained wine glasses and was overwhelmed with feelings of fortune and love. And, it wasn't the wine, or rather, it wasn't just the wine. It was the company, the food, the conversation and the shared passions for eating and life.
Is that, pardon the pun, cheesy? Well, maybe so, but important none the less.
You might ask how one decides to theme a party around the Pacific Northwest. Last week, my visiting friend CM left me several bottles of wine and a few chunks of hand-crafted cheese from Oregon and Washington. I took the excuse to have friends over and ran. And you know what? The Northwest is a region that produces superbly delicious and rich culinary delights. Who knew? And it isn't just the wine and cheese. The pears are excellent as well.
I had been contemplating a wine-and-cheese gathering for awhile. My brother K. recently gave me a book called Wine for Every Day and Every Occasion by Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, authors of the Wall Street Journal's "Tastings" column. The book has inspiring yet practical information. I was trying to formulate a plan when one fell half-formed into my lap.
The wines from CM were the 2006 Pinot Noir Estate Selection, Dundee Hills and the 2007 Pinot Gris Oregon from Erath winery in Dundee, Oregon. I picked up two more regional bottles from Trader Joe's wine store: a 2006 Oregon Pinot Noir from Firesteed in Rickreall, OR and a Vintage 2007 Pinot Gris from Chateau Ste. Michelle in the Columbia Valley, WA.
The Erath pinot noir was absolutely delicious. I can't describe all the subtleties in taste. I chose this week's quote from Dorothy Gaiter because, quite frankly, I can't yet distinguish one flavor from another in a glass of wine. I can only tell you what I enjoy.
I am only just beginning to explore white wines. The Erath pinot gris was quite good, very flavorful and seemingly more complex than other whites I have tried.
What's a good wine without a good, strong flavored cheese? The cheese varieties were: Rogue River Blue and Smokey Blue from Rogue Creamery in Oregon and Flagship Reserve from Beecher's Handmade Cheese in Seattle. I served them on a cake stand with D. Anjou pears in the center of the table.
To fill out the offerings, I visited East Village Cheese on 3rd Avenue near 10th Street, which has a reputation for their weekly specials and fine selection. The cheese master, or maître fromager if one insists on being French, suggested a Morbier (more-bee-AY) and a triple-cream brie to complement the blues. I also picked out a slice of Barlauchrebell, which is a German cheese with wild garlic, and a vegetable havarti.
The cheese master told me that one should serve two-and-a-half pounds to accommodate 10 people. I had only eight people and approximately four pounds of cheese, but I always plan excessively. The brie turned out to be moldy, which was disappointing, but it brought me closer to the appropriate ratio of cheese to guests.
One cannot eat cheese by itself. Well, one could, but it's not as much fun. The spread became quite international when I added dried apricots from Turkey, marcona almonds from Spain and fig paste, roasted red peppers and olives from Greece.
In addition, I made a vegetarian pâté and mini empanadas with curried squash and potato. The recipe for the pâté is from The Angelica Home Kitchen, a cookbook produced by the vegan restaurant Angelica Kitchen. It's a wonderful book that profiles local farmers and discusses the restaurant's philosophy in addition to providing recipes. The recipes, however, do tend to be complicated.
The pâté calls for miso, mirin and umeboshi paste. Mirin is a cooking wine, and umeboshi paste is made from pickled plums. Both are used as seasoning agents in Japanese cooking. It is not an inexpensive recipe to make if you don't already have and use some of these ingredients. The pâté is very flavorful, though, and complemented the cheese nicely.
The recipe for the curried empanadas is from Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons. I left the currants and pine nuts out of half the recipe and added Field Roast Apple Sage vegetarian sausage instead. Because it wouldn't be a true feast without something green, I also served a spinach salad with roasted beets and red onion.
The edible hit of the evening was the Rogue River Blue. The cheese is aged for over a year in special rooms designed to mimic the caves in Roquefort France. Like wine, it seems a region's natural elements can imbibe a specific flavor to cheese. Rogue Creamery indicates on their web site that the naturally occurring molds in their Rogue River Blue impart regional flavors of pine, hazelnut, wild berries, morel and pear. The wheels are wrapped in grape leaves which have been macerated in Clear Creek's Pear Brandy. A bite becomes a small nugget of Oregonian heaven that melts away to nothing but deliciousness in your mouth.
The Flagship Reserve with fig paste and the morbier were also praised highly. The smokey blue received compliments as well. The Barlauchrebell was not as popular. It's pungent flavor did, however, spark some interesting commentary.
After we had our fill of cheese, we indulged in locally crafted dark chocolates brought by guests. M. brought a delicious Woodlands Bark from Pure Dark in the West Village. The bark is made of semisweet chocolate with dried blueberries and cranberries, roasted walnuts and caramelized nibs. The sweetness of the fruit and the bitter crunchiness of the nibs is a terrific combination.
CK and VS brought another equally delightful treat: a dark chocolate bar from Mast Brother's Chocolate in Brooklyn. According to their web site, the Mast Brothers are the "only bean to bar chocolate maker" in New York. Their 60% cacao dark chocolate is very smooth, creamy and rich with a wonderful flavor.
Friends Jennifer and Kendall, who write the fabulous and funny blog about their quest for the perfect piece of Jersey Pie, brought a loaf of banana bread handcrafted locally in their very own kitchen. This particular treat was meant for me to enjoy for breakfast, which I thoroughly did! It was moist and sweet with a perfect brown crust.
The entire experience was superb. The conversation flowed as freely as the wine. Today my apartment is still resonating with the warmth and good vibes from an evening of fabulous food, drink and company.
Stay tuned! Who knows what next week will hold? Perhaps some mac and cheese made from leftovers paired with the Goats Do Roam red wine from South Africa which LB and EB brought and which I am excited to try!
Did you notice that the Pinot Noir is described as having notes of "cherry pie"? Perhaps that's why Jennifer found it so agreeable. Of course, it would be a californiapie and not a jerseypie, but still... (this is Mia, but it somehow won't let me post as me)
ReplyDeleteAnd by "california" I, of course, meant "oregon." - M
ReplyDelete