The Flying Dutchman

Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman) is an opera, with music and libretto by Richard Wagner. The story comes from the legend of the Flying Dutchman, about a ship captain condemned to sail until Judgment Day. It's also a new/old cocktail on our cocktail list, made with:
.....
2oz of our house infused Tangerine Gin
1/4 of an orange
1/4 of a lemon
3 drops of angostura bitters
and a aquavit wash for caraway, anise, fennel flavors.
Shaken and served up in a cocktail glass

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And now a science lesson!

Molecular gastronomy is a scientific discipline involving the study of physical and chemical processes that occur in cooking. It pertains to the mechanisms behind the transformation of ingredients in cooking and the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in general (from a scientific point of view). Now, you might be wondering what kind of food comes out of this school of thought, but you might be surprised to know that all cooking involves some sort of chemical reaction. That's really what cooking is. For example, adding gelatin to a dish creates a thickening reaction, and voila, science! Another example is our Chitarra pasta with oven roasted wild mushrooms, charred corn, chili flakes, extra virgin olive oil and crunchy bread crumbs topped with pecorino romano and a 2-hour egg. The 2-hour egg is what we're looking at here. It is cooked with a constant temperature and time, at 140 degrees for 2 hours. The result is a very creamy egg that creates an instant sauce for your pasta. I had the pleasure of eating this dish last weekend and it was fantastic!

To drink with your pasta I recommend the 08 Argiolas Rose from Italy. "The 2008 Argiolas SerraLori has a light semblance of effervescence. Made from Cannonau grapes, the Argiolas is a simple and straightforward Rose that is quite quaffable." quote via

Lastly, Benedictine, a liquor invented by a Venetian monk, using 27 plants and spices from the four corners of the globe. Produced by Benedictine monks until the late 1700's, the recipe was almost lost during the French Revolution, but was found in a manuscript in 1863 by Alexandre le Grand. He modernized the recipe and named it 'Benedictine.' It tastes of spice, honey, and citrus. It smells of arnica, vanilla, sandalwood, lemon, and incense. Fun Fact: the recipe is a secret and is therefore closely guarded. As a result the monks have created a "Hall of Counterfeits" to display others' failed attempts at cracking the recipe for their concoction.

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Great American Distillers Fest Mixmaster Competition

Who starts a bartenders competition at 11 in the morning? The answer is no one. We felt a little guilty about being 20 minutes late until we found out that the key note speaker didn't show until almost an hour later. (DOH!) Things definitely got going though and everyone brought their game!
Joe Turner made a well balanced cocktail with Portland made Martin Ryan Vodka.
1 1/2 ounces Vodka (Martin Ryan is distilled from grapes)
1/2 ounce Krupnik Honey liquor......
teaspoon Amer
Wash the glass with the juice from pressed syrah grapes, stir and serve up in a cocktail glass.

Allison Made a "water for chocolate"

1 1/4 of House Spirits "Krogstad" Aquavit (Water of life)
1/2 Mezcal
fresh lemon
egg whites
and a house made gran marnier, chocolate bitters "coulis"
Shaken, strained and servered in a cocktail glass with a peychaud bitters garnish

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Did someone say dessert?

photo via

I'm going to keep this short and sweet today with a little post about dessert. What could be more dessert-y than Joe's Maplebar with Bacon drink "a' la voodoo". Maple syrup rim with bacon, bourbon with a splash of syrup and Godiva liquor. Think of a Manhattan with the Godiva playing the role of vermouth and the syrup as bitters. This cocktail was inspired by the delicious and decadent Voodoo Donuts Bacon Maple Bar, pictured above.

If that cocktail has just whet your appetite for the sweeter side of life, then how about dipping your spoon into pistachio gelato, with forgotten cookies, and a roasted fig? Our gelato is made in house using a pistachio paste produced specifically for gelato makers. The pistachios are hand selected in Sicily and produce a vibrant green color only found in that region of the world. The forgotten cookies are a crisp meringue cookie with nuts and chocolate. The name is explained by it's cooking method, where they are left in the oven (after being shut off) overnight.

A lovely dessert wine that pairs nicely with the gelato and cookies is the Andrew Rich Late Harvest Gewurztraminer. Wine Spectator rating 92 points for 2003 vintage.

According to Northwest Wine:

Andrew says: "Seduction in a bottle. Give in. You know you want to. Just give in."

"I hadn't tasted this wine much since it was bottled last spring, so when I brought a sip of it to my nose the other day I was astounded. Pure old-fashioned roses, just like the books say. Litchis? Perhaps, but certainly pineapple, guava, apricot, honey...The flavors are just as complex, the balance chronometer precise, the finish nearly endless. The eleventh(!) vintage of this wine may well be the best yet.

Well known and always highly rated, this is one of the Northwest's best dessert wines. Every vintage." - Jean

Read more about this sweet nectar here!

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Wonderful World Of Bourbon

Just south of Louisville, in Clermont, Kentucky, we congregated outside the worlds largest bourbon distillery to start the first of our in depth tours on the creation of America's Native Spirit..... The Jim Beam Distillery is a far cry from the Old Tub Distillery th at Jacob Beam first started s elling his Kentucky straight bourbon from in 1795; the current location was established after prohibition by Col. James Beam renaming it at the same time. Not long after our arrival Linda whisked us into the belly of the beast through the giant bottling plant. We watched as hundreds of bottles per minute were cleaned, filled, capped, ..... labeled, boxed, wrapped and set up for distribution.

Leaving the most important part to do by hand, each new charred white oak barrel is inspected for possible leaks before filling and the bun g tapped down with a mallet before the 500lb barrel is rolled onto a truck and taken to one of the many rack houses where it will age no less then 4 years befo re bottling. There are 1.8 million barrels aging at any given time and the sheer volume of each house, 50 and 20 thousand barrel capacity, makes it impossible to rotate, instead the barrels fr om different floors are blended together to make a more complex flavor. After getting our bottles of Jim Beam black signed by the 7th generation Beam, Fred Noe, we headed back to the hotel to get cleaned up for cocktails with Bill Samuels Jr, President of Makers Mark.

As we pulled up to the estate we were greeted warmly by Bill and Nancy Samuels on the front walk."First thing's first," as Nancyushered us in, filling our hands with drinks. We strolled out on to the back pati o sipping on Maker s and ginger and taking in the expansive view of the rolling hills and barges heading down the O hio River. After the sun dipped behind the trees Bill took us on a tour of the house telling us stories about the pre-civil war furniture handed down in his family for generations. Ea ch story started out with "you wont be interested but ...", or "this is a piece of junk but....." and " all the crazy stuff well you can tell what's Nancy's..." before another unbelievable but totally true story would start. We left for dinner with hugs and offers of return visits anytime we were in Kentucky.

After dinner we went for cocktails at 732 Social, 732social.com, arguably the best bar in Kentucky where we were treated to anything and everything our hearts desired. The bar manager, Jared, had a liquor selection that would impress and please any bartender including a limited release oak aged Citadelle Reserve Gin that found its way into all of our drinks. He made us Alaskas, Martinez, Last Words and my personal favorite a Ramos Gin Fizz . With the amount of work it takes to produce its a treat to have one made for you! As much as I would like to give you the recipe for a Ramos the egg whites are a trick it takes an experienced bartender more then a little time to master. So I think you would enjoy the equally delicious Alaska Cocktail simple and complex all in one glass.

Alaska
2 dashes orange bitters
1 1/2 oz gin ( We used the Citadelle Reserve but Martin Millers or the original Citadelle work well too)
3/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse

Mix in a shaker and use 2 or 3 large ice cubes to shake with, gets it cold and keeps the flavors strong, strain into a glass and garnish with a lemon peal.

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Harkening Back to Prohibition...

Good afternoon!

Is it time for cocktails yet? How about something distinctly classic? We have three Prohibition Era cocktails our list that practically scream classic cocktail.
If you're a fan of gin, lavendar, and honey, then the Bee's Knees is the drink for you! We use Martin Miller's Gin, which is distilled in the Rolls Royce for pot stills, designed by John Dore & Company in 1903 and called "Grandma." Batch-distilled like malt whiskey, Grandma aromatizes the small batches of distillate with a proprietary mix of the finest botanicals and aromatics.

The Brooklyn originated around 1910 in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and is a variation of it's more famous cousin, The Manhattan. The Brooklyn is a cocktail that lets the rye whiskey do all the ground work. Whereas in a Manhattan the sweet vermouth is fairly prominent, especially when using something like Antica Formula, here the dry vermouth takes a more subtle role behind the dominant rye flavours. The maraschino and amer roll in after the initial spice of the rye, and provide a lovely mixture of aromatics, orange and that unmistakable cherry funk.




Lastly, Blood and Sand, a cocktail named for the Rudolph Valentino film of the same name. It was the role he wished to be remembered for, but sadly the role, and the cocktail have largely been forgotten. It has an odd assortment of ingredients that will convince you to never judge a drink without tasting it first. Ours is made with scotch, fresh squeezed orange juice, cherry-flavored brandy and sweet vermouth. The key is to have equal amounts of all ingredients except the scotch which is doubled, lest it become overwhelming sweet.

Many of our favorite wines come from just around the corner, so to speak, in the Willamette Valley vineyards. Fun Fact: the Willamette Valley is located at the 45th Parallel, just like the Burgundy region in France. Pinot Noir has become the foremost grape of the Willamette Valley, and many of those grapes come from Burgundy.
Here are the Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs we carry:

'07 Elk Cove Willamette Pinot Noir, Willamette OR $42.00
'06 Andrew Rich Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, Willamette OR $55.00
‘06 Torii Mor “Deux Verres” Pinot Noir, Willamette OR $69.00
'06 Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir, Willamette OR $80.00


One of the best things to do with bacon is to wrap it around a date, especially if that date has been stuffed with Marcona almonds and Fourme d'Ambert Bleu cheese. We use Medjool dates from California, known as "The diamonds of dates." Dates have been cultivated since ancient times from Mesopotamia to prehistoric Egypt, possibly as early as 4000 BCE. Thousands of years of date lovers can't be wrong! The Fourme d'Ambert also comes to us with some history: legend says that it was already made at the time of the Druids and the Gauls. After the cheese is injected with penicillin roqueforti, it is aged for 28 days, during which time it is also injected with sweet white wine at one week intervals.

Stuffed Dates
One serving

2 medjool dates
½ oz fourme d’ ambert
2 thin slices of house cured bacon
2 marcona almonds
fleur de sel
fresh cracked pepper
extra virgin olive oil

pit the date carefully stuff each date with ¼ oz of fourme d’ ambert, place the almond in the middle of the stuffed date… then wrap with bacon. Grill on slowly until cheese is molten in the center… finish with fleur de sel, fresh cracked pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

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Kentucky is home to many things the Kentucky Derby, the Louisville slugger, The Seelbach Hotel and the cocktail by the same name, and most importantly for you and me bourbon county and all that it holds. . . The purpose of this trip is take eleven hand picked bartenders from Oregon and give them an in depth and personal relationship with the Jim Beam and Makers Mark distilleries!

After checking into The Brown hotel we headed down to the Brown Bar for our first sip of bourbon. Mine was a classic Manhattan with Sam Houston Kentucky straight bourbon then off to dinner at the Makers Mark Lounge. All of us tried different bourbons Old Pogue, Pappy Van Winkel 12, 20 and 23 and my personal favorite Bernhiem Original Wheat Whiskey currently the only one in production http://www.bourbon-central.com/other-whiskey-reviews/bernheim-wheat/ It has such a different flavor its hot but not harsh and a rich sweetness with a balanced oak finish.

On the way back to the hotel we stopped into the Seelbach hotel to experience both the drink and the birth place of the Seelbach cocktail. Originally created in 1917 the recipe was lost during the prohibition until a hotel manager rediscovered it in 1995.The Seelbach is mentioned in the Great Gatsby as F. Scott Fitzgerald apparently haunted the establishment before he gained notoriety as an author. Though the bar was remodeled after the prohibition you can still enjoy the history of such a grand hotel. The next few days will include in depth tours of both the Jim Beam and Makers mark distilleries dinners and drinks at some of Louisville finest restaurants and cocktails with the owner of Makers Mark Bill Samuels Jr. at his country estate.



The Seelbach
3/4oz bourbon
1/2 cointreau
7 dashes angostura bitters
7 dashes peychauds bitters
4 oz chilled brut champagne
served in a flute with an orange twist

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Hello!

It's friday so let's get straight to what everyone's thinking about right now: cocktails! Today's cocktail was a favorite cocktail in Hollywood in 1942, The Moscow Mule. It was created in Manhattan in 1941 and originally was a combination of Smirnoff Vodka, Cock 'n' Bull Ginger Beer, and a squeeze of lime. Ours is slightly different with house made ginger beer, freshly grated ginger, and we don't use Smirnoff Vodka. If this classic mixture doesn't appeal to you, then check out some of these variations:

Mules Kick: made with bourbon
Manuka Mule: made with honey vodka
George Special: substitute orange for the lime
Three-Legged Mule: made with Jameson's
Vanilla Mule: made with vanilla vodka and mint leaves
Garden Mule: muddled melon and cucumber are added


Now, let's talk about pork belly! Specifically our 18 hour Dr. Pepper pork belly with mint oil, groundwork farms watermelon and herb salad appetizer, $10. The pork comes from the hazelnut-fed pigs at Tails & Trotters. The belly is delivered partially butchered and we finish it up in-house. The 23 flavors in Dr. Pepper help brine the pork belly which then caramelizes during the braise. Combine that tasty pork with local watermelon, mint oil, and herbs and you've got a lovely start to a great meal.

We have a few wines that go nicely with the pork belly:

'08 Dona Paula Malbec, Arg $8.5
Bold and rich with chocolate and plums

For a bottle
‘01 Vignalta “Gemola” Merlot/Cabernet Franc, Collio IT $56
Red currants, herbs, flowers and cinnamon - Generous wood & full body

’04 Masi “Costa Sera” Amarone, Veneto IT $90
Black cherries, hints of raisins and coffee with richness and complexity

‘05 Vietti Barbera “ Scarrone” Piedmont, IT $75
Floral, earth, underbrush, licorice and black fruit flavors and aromas
Or
1/2 Bottle
‘04 Marchesi di Gresy Martinenga Barbaresco/Nebbiolo, Piedmont IT $49
Cedar spice with figs and a smoky deep tannin in the finish

Once you've tried the pork belly you'll want it over and over again. If you're feeling really adventurous you can try to make it at home:

Dr. Pepper pork belly

Dry Cure

2 T ground black Pepper
½ tsp. ground allspice
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ T ground coriander
4 bay leaves crumbled
1 bunch of thyme
3 oz of kosher salt
1 tsp. curing salt


5 ½ # pork belly
24 oz Dr. Pepper
2 qt. Pork Stock, or chicken stock
10 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of thyme
1 sprig of parsley


Combine dry cure ingredients in a bowl mix well. Toss the pork belly in the dry cure coat evenly. Then place in a large zip lock bag or plastic container and let cure for 24 to 36 hours. Pull the pork belly pat dry with paper towel then place into vacuum sealer bag with 12 oz of dr. pepper, one cup of pork stock, peppercorns, bay leaf, thyme, and parsley. Cook for 18 hours at 161 degrees. Pull pork belly then cut from the bag saving the liquid. Skim the fat from the braising liquid then add the remaining dr. pepper, and pork stock reduce until it coats the back of a spoon. Crisp pork belly in duck fat or butter then top with Dr. Pepper sauce and fleur de sel. Serve with watermelon, herb salad, and mint oil. Enjoy.

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Our Mortadella recipe

INGREDIENTS

3½ pounds rabbit
2 pounds pork fat
68 grams salt
6 grams Insta Cure #1 curing salt
18 grams fresh garlic paste
30 grams granulated sugar
4 grams ground mace
.....

2 grams ground coriander
2 grams ground cinnamon
2 grams ground cayenne
624 grams crushed ice
75 grams blanched cottage bacon, pork fat or pancetta, diced into 3/8-inch cubes
61 grams shelled unsalted pistachios
4 grams coarsely cracked peppercorns
1 beef bung
METHOD

Chill the rabbit, fat, grinder parts, and food processor to 32ºF or less. Grind the shoulder through a small die into the chilled food processor bowl. Grind the fat into a separate chilled bowl and refrigerate.
Add the salt, curing salt, garlic paste, dextrose, mace, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne, and half of the ice to the meat. Blend the meat in the food processor to a smooth pink paste with a temperature of 42-45ºF. Push down the meat on the sides of bowl until fully incorporated and continue processing. Do not let the temperature of the mixture exceed 45ºF.
Once the meat is smooth add the remaining ice and the chilled ground fat to the food processor bowl. Blend the fat into the meat until a smooth paste is formed, pushing down the sides from time to time. Stop the machine when the paste reaches 58˚F-62˚F and transfer to a bowl. Add the meat mixture and fold in the pork jowl, pistachios, and peppercorns. Stuff the meat into a clean beef bung and pack it tightly so that there are no air pockets. Secure the end with a strong knot and create a loop.
Place the mortadella in a large pot and cover with cold water. Lay a plate over the mortadella to keep it submerged while cooking. Slowly heat the water to 160ºF and hold it there for the duration of the cooking. Cook for 4 hours or until the mortadella reaches an internal temperature of 155 ºF. Check the temperature every 45 minutes to monitor the cooking. When the mortadella reaches 155ºF, immediately plunge into an ice bath. Transfer to a refrigerator and serve after 2 days.

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How to get an interview here!

Our recent craigslist ad for a dishwasher got the following epic response!

Ahoy Citizens of Gilt Club,

I humbly offer, in consideration for the roll of Dishwasher, my talents as an adaptable and tenacious young gent with the qualities to to be a devastatingly skilled scourer of dishware.

When you lock cold gaze on the aspiring young cubs who come throwing down their charters of apprenticeship before you, upon what axis are you evaluating their fitness for the cleansing of cutlery? It is written (it is now) that the courage beating in the ribs of the true soap-thegn comes from the treacherous road of surfactants of stubbornness. What glyphs are spelled by the surprise on those faces when they go untouched by rain? They say: This person was not born to the crash of tin and blasting purification of glass; no, this one has earned it through hell-bent audacity.

We are past that age when lead and calcium warred for the sanity of emperors, yet amongst ten thousand sweltering armies of pans and ladles live the waiting spirits of submerged Theran amphoras, born in ancient ablutions of lye and saltwater. There is no doubt in our minds. Some are not meant for the scalding mists of this place--then to some others are given the hearts to see past the bleached wastes of feast-bowls to the gleam as of those Zagros-glazed Babylonian gates, to subsist on the ambient nutrition of kitchen din and gallows humor.

I mean to say: I can wash dishes. A year ago I went to visit my old school pals. .....I did not warn them ahead of time. I arrived on the outskirts of the town, threw most of my luggage into a dry creek and walked to campus, a ghost in the sunset. I had come unprepared--I was vain of this fact, probably for the sake of impressing a woman.
I knew little and less.

I stumbled at last upon the apartment where I expected to find a few old comrades, details of address slyly (I thought) pilfered from old unsecured records. None were home. Around, the wheatlands rustled warm and humid and dark. The rain woke, slow and thick, and I went back to this deserted house and leaned against the doorframe. Behind me the unlatched portal swung open slowly beneath the idle push of my elbow. I entered, announcing myself hesitantly. No one. The signs did not match my expectations. Placards with feminine names adorned some of the hallway doors. I had been too long without sleep to care. I settled on the couch and waited, dozing in and out of waking.

I stirred to the sounds of the rain outside intensifying and dim memory of half-heard unfamiliar voices that must have passed earlier. Dawn imminent, I was then nearly sure that my information was obsolete and my pals since moved out. I remained uncertain whether any who abided there had failed to interrupt my rest through ignorance or gentleness, but I felt grateful for their hospitality, even if it was accidental. I tarried for the house to awaken, hoping the current residents could offer some direction as to where my friends had moved on to. In the kitchen sinks I went to work, meditating over the cleansing of a young household's long accumulated store of dirtied and abandoned diningware.

Murky daylight and the yawn-filled greeting of a confused resident saw me almost finished with the task, dripping bowls stacked high, sponge molded to my grasp. Some few minutes later I was faced with the other housemates to whom I explained my circumstance. They were very understanding and accommodating, offering details to the new lodgings of the comrades in question. Know: This is hospitality.
The wandering into mistaken houses has not (alas) quite become habit, but skirmishes with cauldron and goblet have. Those trespassers who fell beneath onslaught of Telemakhean dart might have learned a lesson from stint at basin and bristle. We did not come here to do small things: To rinse a bowl is a gateway offering, a shout of claim over a new castle, a last quiet farewell to fading valley pass. Glacial melt, silty eddy, soaked clay, tidal foam--the hand knows all these and would know them again.

I mean to say! I want to wash dishes for you folk. You need someone to sanctify sullied serving ware-- Who goes into the forest of silver and baked clay? Whose hands are sped, strengthened by daydreams, coiled unto precision in that fog where eyes fail? I would be that dishwasher.

I am available to work any days and hours. I can be reached at any time, (503) xxx-xxxx or by this email address. Thank you for your consideration.

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Mmm... Mortadella!

Hello and welcome to our weekly food postings!

This week's menu highlight focuses on one of our small plates: The Rabbit and Pork Mortadella with toasted Pecans and Figs.

Mortadella is a sausage that originated in Bologna, Italy. Not so coincidentally it resembles bologna (the lunchmeat) in size and appearance. This Italian cured sausage is made of rabbit, pork, nuts, coriander and other spices, and, most importantly, fat from the throat of the pig. It is, in fact, 15% fat. After everything is mashed into a paste it is cooked for several hours at a low temperature. Fun Fact: it gets its name from the Roman word for 'mortar.'

A lovely wine that pairs nicely with the mortadella is the California Le Cigare Volant "Red Wine of the Earth." It is "clean dark garnet in color, and very southern Rhone-ish in style, with earthy forest floor, beet root, black plum and blackberry character shaded with hints of coffee, cola nut and more and more briar bramble as it opens." via here.

Lastly, let's talk about The Bloody Martini. This is a twist on the classic Bloody Mary, enjoyed by many. Ours has the standard ingredients, with a few surprises thrown in: tomato juice, onion, Worcestershire Sauce, celery, celery salt, lemon, lime, black pepper, A1, chipotle peppers, and one can of Guinness! And to answer your next question, no, you cannot get a virgin Bloody Martini...

Check back here every friday for a new food posting!

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