You’ve been asked to bring a little something to a gathering. Maybe an appetizer, something easy to pick up and pop in your mouth, nothing too complicated, nothing too expensive and nothing that requires a road map for reading instructions.

How does a crispy phyllo cup filled with goat cheese and a little savory topping? Easy. Three ingredients. That’s it.

Buy a box of 15 Apollo’s Phyllo Shells, ready to be baked. About $3.00 in the freezer section of the market, next to the puff pastry sheets.

From Plated Palate

Next, get yourself to Costco and see if they have Saveur brand goat cheese bites. About 15 per package, 2 packages per box. If you can’t find these little morsels, buy a 4 ounce log of goat cheese and cut into bite sized pieces, small enough to fit into each shell.

From Plated Palate

Place the cheese in the shells, place the shells on a baking sheet, top with a small dollop of a savory of some kind. Olive tapenade. Italian eggplant caponata. Chopped artichoke hearts. Strips of roasted red pepper. Pesto. Bake in 375o oven for 6-8 minutes just until the cheese warms and the shells are crispy. Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme, basil, rosemary, or chopped Italian parsley. Serve at once. It’s that easy. Makes 15 (if using one box of shells).

From Plated Palate

While in Portland, Oregon, I never fail to find a few special little trinkets to enhance my decor, my tabletops. and my personal style. One store that is always a must stop for me is Oblation in the Pearl District.

Oblation is housed in an historic printing press building, with original wooden floors, printing presses and the best aroma of ink! It is known by those in the know as a “European paper boutique”. When you first enter this magical location you are greeted by rows and rows of sheeted wrapping paper. Not your ordinary wrapping paper, mind you, so be prepared to shell out $5 and up per sheet. For people who will appreciate the unique style and prints such as maps and cupcakes.

Along with the papers, stationery and cards, there are the ribbons. Oh the ribbons you will find!
Name the occasion and there is an appropriate ribbon. Again, for a price. For people who will appreciate the uniqueness. I found a yard of “cooking” themed ribbon for $8. It will be used with discretion. Maybe just wrapped around a cake stand or on a wreath on my front door. As you can see, it was not a ribbon you will find just anywhere.

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Oblation is a store that you will find yourself immersed in the details for each product offered. Order your wedding invitations, business cards, your holiday greetings. It will be hand crafted with love and attention to detail. You can spend endless hours perusing the rows of papers, little gifts for the traveler, the new bride, the new parents, the graduate, and clever greeting cards.
And the staff is most friendly and knowledgeable. It’s a gem of a shop in the Pearl.

After returning from America’s burgeoning food mecca, Portland, Oregon, I was revitalized. It’s a town exploding with the latest food trends and farmer’s markets, shops selling the latest salts, pastry shops with artful pieces of sweets, and bakeries with crusty, flavorful breads. Throw in wines from Willamette Valley, seafood from the Pacific coast, and produce from nearby farms, you have the perfect mix and match of food nirvana. And don’t forget coffees and teas. It is now surpassing Seattle as the java capital of the Northwest. Roasters are flocking to this city to make a name for themselves as the next Howard Schultz.

And don’t forget food carts. Portland boasts the honor of having more than 400 carts around the city selling everything from cupcakes to Thai chicken over rice, to Greek souvlaki to Mexican lamb tacos. Going hungry in this town is just not possible. And food is reasonably priced. Food carts selling lunches for $6, and restaurants sell dinner for under $20 per entree. Glasses of wine are under $8 and the new wildly popular weekday Happy Hour rage from 4-6 pm allows you to have a glass of locally produced wine and 2 appetizers for under $12.00 found in most restaurants downtown, the Pearl and in the Southeast areas.

Restaurants are packed nightly, especially the more trendy spots. Breweries in the Pearl District are always a hot spot for late night bites and beers, along with doughnut shops open late where one stops for a thick ooey gooey cake or yeast delicacy.

It’s a dizzying array of ethnic cuisines. Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Italian, Cuban, Peruvian. It’s all here. All the time. And nowhere can you find the essence of Pacific Northwest cuisine and wines than in Portland’s finest eateries such as Higgins, The Heathman, Paley’s Place and Wildwood. A walk down NW 21st street is a maze of bakeries, pasta shops, breweries, coffee shops, and eateries. Twenty minute gentrified neighborhoods are popping up all over the four quadrants of the city. Twenty minute neighborhoods mean they are only 20 minutes from downtown, on a good day. Mississippi, Alameda, Belmont, Laurelhurst all boast their own prime restaurants, food carts and street markets.

And the farm to table concept is strong in this city. Restaurants that raise their own crops, restaurants that have a strong relationship with their growers and purveyors ask to have certain fruits and vegetables raised for their menus. It’s a close, symbiotic bonding for the farmer and the chef.

One such place is Ned Ludd’s. Simple decor. Simple menu. Simply prepared with their own produce and locally raised seafood and meats.

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It was a delightful afternoon of house made charcuterie, mixed greens and radishes from the back door garden,

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wood fired oven roasted pink trout with fresh fennel and leeks, and rhubarb cake.

Here is my version of the seafood with fennel and leeks. I made this dish with halibut this week, since fresh halibut is in season. It was ethereal. The light sauteeing of fish with the sauteed leeks and fennel created a dish ideal for spring entertaining. Easy, quick and can be made with a variety of fish - halibut, salmon, cod, sea bass. It’s a bit of the northwest on your plate.

From blog

SEARED HALIBUT FILLETS WITH LEEKS AND FENNEL

1 pound halibut fillet, cut into 4 ounce servings
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teapsoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh fronds from fennel bulb
1 lemon, thinly sliced and then cut into quarters

Place the halibut fillets on work surface. In a bowl, combine the salt, pepper, oil, lemon juice and zest, and the fennel fronds.
Rub both sides of the halibut in the herb mixture. (Can be done hours ahead, then refrigerated.) Heat a large, nonstick skillet.
Place the halibut in the pan and sear both sides of fish for about 4-5 minutes per side. After turning the first time, top with the lemon slices and cover the skillet .
Serve at once with the vegetables on the bottom. Serves 4.
Note: Cook fish fillets for 8-10 minutes per 1″ thickness of each fillet. So a 1″ thick piece of fish takes about 8 minutes…don’t overcook.

VEGETABLES

2 tablespoons butter
2 leeks, white part only, cleaned and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 bulb fresh fennel, core removed and thinly sliced, fronds reserved
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

In a medium skillet, heat the butter. Saute the leeks, fennel, garlic, salt and pepper over low heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring often.
Vegetables should be soft. Serve the vegetables as a “bed” for the fish. Serves 4.

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Sitting on the bus with 40 other foodies from IACP last week, I embarked on a culinary journey to some of the best entrepreneurial establishments in Portland, Oregon.

The tour began at 7:15 in the morning, boarding the bus to head to our first stop at Cacao,

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a haven with chocolates from around the world, from assorted bars to hot chocolate. A cup of a rich, creamy, steamy chocolate, warm from the oven miniature croissants, and a sample of sea salt caramel awaited each participant.

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A welcome treat at such an early and cold morning. Even a cocoa based perfume

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and body lotion can be found at CACAO www.cacaodrinkchocolate.com 414 SW 13th Avenue. The two owners consider themselves “chocolate curators”, preserving the legacy of fine chocolates.

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A satellite store is housed in The Heathman Hotel if you are walking down Broadway and need a cup of cocoa, quick!

Smith Teaworks, www.smithtea.com, a new venture by “serial” entrepreneur Steve Smith,

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features small batch loose and ready-to-drink tea. Smith began his tea companies with Stash Teas, moved on to TAZO teas -subsequently sold to Starbucks - and now, Steve Smith Teaworks. All the teas are hand mixed and packed, from tea leaves from around the globe.

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Black teas, green teas, white teas, herbal teas. All beautifully packed. All sold at this northwest location.

After six cups of tea, we headed across the Willamette River to the gentrified Mississippi neighborhood. Located in a parking lot next to a brewery and across the street from Pastaworks
sits a cottoncandy pink food cart called The Sugar Cube,

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located at 4237 North Mississippi Avenue. Kir Jensen

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has transformed a very organized and tidy permanent fixture cart into a miniature bakery. She produces all her goodies from this cart, with a menu fit for any fine dining restaurant. Samples of almond paste based cake with fresh rhubarb and lemon cream were handed out to each one of us, all served on antique china cake plates. Lovely.

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Back on the bus to another Mississippi Avenue staple for the gourmands in the area.

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The Meadow www.atthemeadow.com at 3731 N. Mississippi Avenue is an emporium that would be my choice of neighborhood haunts. Shelves lined with 300 types of chocolate, 90 salts from around the world, salt blocks,

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fresh flowers that exemplify the word “beauty” and another wall lined with bottles of fine wines.

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Chocolate, salts, flowers, wine.

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Can you imagine working here? Mark Bitterman and his wife, Reed College graduates, began selling flowers and a few chocolates years ago to a world-wide known establishment for the finest in salts, which are shipped to all corners of the globe.

Now we are getting a little hungry. Just a little. So, next stop on the eastside of the river is the innovative kitchen of Chef Jason French - Ned Ludd’s Located at 3925 NE MLK Jr. Blvd, this bistro is the wave of the future in neighborhood eating establishments.

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A garden, tended by a professional farmer, produces enough product to provide seasonal fresh ingredients for the restaurant from mixed greens to broccoli rabe to rhubarb. A wood-fired oven cooks a majority of the food served - not only pizza, but roasted trout, vegetables and pork loins. It is a “handcrafted” bistro. Almost everything is grown, cooked and/or baked on premise. Delightfully decorated with eclectic lighting, tables and wall art, Ned Ludd’s is refreshingly non-pretentious.

Our lunch of hand crafted charcuterie,

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mixed greens with radishes

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roasted pink trout with leeks and fennel

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and an apple/rhubarb cobbler made for a relaxing 2 hour lunch with appropriate local wines.

Back on the bus to our next location - Ristretto Roasters located at 3808 North Williams, again in the NW area of the city. Specialty coffee roasters Dins and Nancy greet their customers at this “coffee lab”, a neighborhood gem where customers relax with laptops, sip on their freshly roasted coffee and nibble on locally baked pastries.

Across the street is Pix Patisserie , a Portland fixture. Known for its eccentric and distinctive European flare pastries, Pix has transformed pastry chef Cheryl Wakerhauser into a celebrity in her field.

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Our last stop was the New Old Lompac Brewery/Side Bar located two doors down from Pix, across the street from Ristretto Roasters at 3901-A North Williams Avenue. Known for its handcrafted ales and lagers, Lompoc is one of the dozens of breweries that make Portland the city with the highest number of breweries per capita than any other city.

An enlightening tour, to say the least. From chocolates to salt to gardens to coffee and pastries. These establishments are the heart of the culinary scene in this gorgeously green city.
It is why people are here to savor the wines, the beers, the farm-to-table cuisine and and of course, to enjoy the amazing scenery of the Pacific Northwest.

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LEMON MERINGUE TART WITH BERRY COMPOTE OVER BUTTERMILK ICE CREAM FROM BLUEHOUR

Up here in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, food is king. I mean people eat, drink and live for their daily cup of java, the latest sustainable seafood creation, the first growth of fiddlehead ferns, the latest harvest of baby greens and of course, the release of the best Pinot Noirs.

It’s a passion - food and wine and coffee and tea and everything that goes into the creation of such.

For the past 3 days I have learned more about coffee beans, the hundreds of salts on the market,
the growth and sustainability of bivalves and the love of the earth from so many local vendors, chefs and farmers.

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Portland is food heaven. Food nirvana. Food reigns supreme, along with beverages to accompany breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything inbetween. Teas. Coffee beans. Chocolates. Salt. Beers. Mussels. Crab. Mixed greens. Herbs. Hazelnuts. Pork bellies. Pork rillettes. Breads.
Scones. Oysters. And…wines. From the Willamette Valley. I’ve eaten more sustainable products than I can imagine. I have tasted more local wines from Erath to King Estates to Penner Ash in three days than I care to admit. I have dined on duck, fennel, pink trout, fennel, rhubarb, rillettes, French macaroons, Dungeness crab, Oregon blue cheese, Oregon rhubarb, Oregon spinach, Oregon eggs, etc. You name it. It grows, is raised or is bred here in this state.

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I love it here. I love the enthusiasm for the cuisine this area produces. I love the ever-evolving climate of change for the food industry. It is never stagnant. The energy that this town has for its products is evident in the young chefs and wine makers and brewers. In the up and coming coffee producers. The bakers. The butchers. It’s everywhere. And it’s contagious. Food is king. Food reigns supreme. I am energized.

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Lunch at Bluehour on my first day here. Duck salad. Cauliflower Soup with fennel. Rhubarb tart with pistachio ice cream. Amazing.

Dinner at Clyde Common on my first night here. Duck rillettes. Tagliarini pasta with calamari. Oven roasted sunchokes with sea salt. Beet salad with hazelnut dressing.

Lunch at Ned Ludd’s on my second day here. Assorted charcuterie. Mixed greens with chives and farm grown radishes. Oven roasted pink trout with fennel and leeks. Apple rhubarb crumble.

Dinner at The Nines Hotel with assorted local chefs and restaurants in town. From oysters from Taylor Seafood (from Washington State) to Bunk sandwiches. Food cart crab cocktails. Moonstruck chocolates. Oregon cheeses. Local brews (there are more breweries in Oregon per capita than any other state.) And on and on. Even locally distilled absinthe. It’s all here. Anything you could imagine in any category of food and beverage.

And for a mid-afternoon happy hour treat, a stop at South Park Cafe this afternoon for a glass of their happy hour discounted wine ($4) - an Argentinian blend, a plate of calamari ($4) and a bowl of mint and lemon coated chick peas ($3). Yes, for $11 a rare mid-afternoon respite, reasonable and sufficient for a meal at any price. But for $11 - a steal. As I said, I love it here.

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Noodles & Co. donated their restaurant and 50% of their profits today at the 2100 South and 13th East, Salt Lake City location to Slow Food Utah. It was a fundraiser for Glendale School Yard Gardens, to raise money for plants, soil, and lumber for the raising of vegetables.

I spent two hours talking about the benefit of children raising their own vegetables, learning the hows and whys of gardening, and then harvesting their plantings in the fall. Customers were more than willing to listen and for a bit of good will, packets of seeds for mixed greens, carrots and beefsteak tomatoes were offered.

Nothing extra was required from diners other than ordering their normal food from Noodles & Co., knowing that half of the tab was going to a good cause.

And every bit counts. Children in the garden. It’s a good thing. And come late summer and early fall, the fruits of their labor will definitely be evident on plates for tasting. Think tomatoes, carrots, beets, eggplants, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins, and a medley of herbs. It will be a glorious harvest. Thanks, folks.

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Every April and May, the price of fresh artichokes seems to drop dramatically. Last month I bought six for a class at the outrageous price of $3.50 each. Twenty dollars for six uncooked, raw, not cleaned beauties.

Yesterday, the same store had these giant edible thistles for $1.00 each, 10/$10.00.
Now that’s a deal! Castroville, California is the artichoke capital of the world, and if you ever have the opportunity to drive through this area at the peak of harvest, it is a sight to behold.
April and May - artichokes are plentiful, inexpensive and so delicious.

Farm stands up and down the roads. Artichoke dips, fried artichoke hearts, anything that can be made with an artichoke is offered. A feast for the eyes and taste buds.

An artichoke is a vegetable that intimidates the novice cook, and some experienced ones, too.
The prickly leaves, the center of cottony purple fuzz, and the time it takes to cook one, all seem to put off many wanna-be cooks. But once you get the first one cleaned, the remaining ‘chokes seem to go much more smoothly.

The joy of eating an artichoke is that it forces you to eat slowly. Picking off the leaves, scraping the “meat” of the leaf with your teeth, and then creating a decorative display of used leaves around the artichoke. Then, the mother of all things good…the heart and bottom of the artichoke.

It’s a civilized way to eat. We used to have an artichoke for a first course, stuffed with a seasoned breadcrumb mixture, almost every Sunday when they were in season.

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My mother would make them on Saturday night, refrigerate, then reheat in oven in a large baking dish the next day.

If you think an artichoke comes from a can or from a jar in that overly seasoned marinade, then you need to experiment with fresh artichokes. Start with 2 or 3. Then you will be hooked.

May. Artichokes. Stuffed. Or with an aioli. Deliciousness on a plate.

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SICILIAN STUFFED ARTICHOKES

6 large artichokes
1 lemon, cut in half
4 tablespoons butter
½ cup olive oil + 4 more T. olive oil (for topping)
4 large cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
3 cups seasoned breadcrumbs
¼ cup minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 cup grated Romano cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon kosher salt
water

Cut off stems and slice off a thin layer from bottom of each artichoke so they can stand upright. With a sharp knife, cut off ½” from the top of each artichoke.

With kitchen shears, cut off pointy tips around each artichoke. Remove tough bottom layer of leaves. Pound each choke upside down on table to spread leaves. With a sharp knife or a grapefruit spoon, remove the choke from center of each artichoke (the purple spiny stuff).

Place artichokes in a bowl with enough water to cover and the lemon that has been squeezed into the water (acidulated water). This keeps the artichokes from turning brown while you are cleaning the remaining artichokes.

In a medium sauté pan heat the butter and ½ cup olive oil. Add garlic and sauté until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add breadcrumbs, parsley, oregano and cook on low heat until golden brown, stirring often (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat, add grated cheese and salt and pepper to taste. (Cheese is salty, so don’t add too much salt!).

Take an artichoke from water bath and bang upside on table to remove water. With a teaspoon, carefully fill the choke and leaves with about ½ cup crumb mixture per artichoke. Place each one in a pot large enough to hold all 6 upright. Add 2” water and the 1 tablespoon salt to water. Cover; bring to boil; THEN reduce heat to low. Cook for 50-60 minutes (covered), depending on size of artichokes. Check to make sure water is not evaporating during the cooking process. Serve artichokes at room temperature. Can be made a day ahead and then reheat in oven with a little water in baking pan covered with foil.

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Orange Flan with Caramel Sauce

I’ve been to Spain, decades ago. It was a most memorable excursion, landing in Madrid, taking a 5 day tour of Andalucia by bus, staying in some fine hotels and then finishing up the 2 weeks in Barcelona.

Fond memories of scenery. Of the azure blue Mediterranean, and the white, white buildings, void of any graffiti or marks of destruction. But my fondest memory is of the wines and food, of course.

Sipping a sherry in a tapas bar in Madrid, sharing plates of incredible “finger foods”, from calamari to almonds to dried cod croquettes. I want to go back someday and relive those memories.

But the closest I can duplicate an evening of such fine wines and foods is to host a Spanish Wine Tasting and Tapas in my home, which I did last night.

To start the evening a large platter containing a bowl of toasted Marcona almonds, warmed slightly in olive oil, roasted garlic, chopped herbs and coarse salt. Then thinly sliced Jamon Serrano. At $35 per pound, a thin sliver of ham is about $1.00, so 1/4 of a pound was sufficient. A wedge of Manchego cheese sat next to cubes of quince paste (membrillo or dulce de membrillo), and thin wedges of Spanish nut and dried fruit bread. A bowl of cumin scented olives finished off the initial offering. We sipped a light Emilio Lustau Fino Sherry Jarana with the first round of tapas.

Next, a toasted slice of baguette, topped with warm sliced crimini mushrooms sauteed in olive oil, garlic and onions with shredded Manchego on top. With this course, another Emilio Lustau, but this time, the darker, caramel hued Rare Ammontillado Escuadrilla Sherry, which a few tablespoons was also added to the sauteed mushrooms just before piled onto the toasted bread. Perfect pairing.

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Moving onto an intense white wine, Celler El Masroig Les Sorts Blanc 2007, the tapas served with this crisp citrus selection was an asparagus-potato tortilla,

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an egg based dish similar to a frittata and another tapas of a bowl of spicy habanero infused sausage with manila clams, simmered baby pear-shaped tomatoes and leeks.

Several more courses, wines and desserts later, the evening was a tour of Spain, with a Monte Alina 2006 Toro served with a piperade with anchovies and capers covering grilled jumbo shrimp which had been marinating for hours in cumin, ground coriander, paprika, garlic and olive oil. The piperade with a rainbow of bell peppers and onions had been roasting in the oven for several hours to achieve a soft, almost caramelized texture.

Pork and Beef Meatballs (Albondigas), in a spicy tomato sauce over saffron rice was the perfect accompaniment to the Barahonda Monastrell 2005 Yecla.

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With lamb kebobs and stuffed tomatoes, an Alehandro Frernandez dehesa La Granja 2002, Castilla y Leon. A cherry-raisin deep claret hued wine. Fantastic.

We finished the meal with the Bodegas Toro Albala Pedro Ximenez Gran Reserva 1972. Orange flan and chocolate orange Kahlua cake as desserts matched with the rich, almost syrupy chocolate color sweetness. A perfect finale.

Here are a few recipes for your tapas party. Toasted Marcona Almonds. Orange Flan. You have the beginnings of an evening of Spanish flavors.

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TOASTED MARCONA ALMONDS

2 tablespoons olive oil (a rich Spanish oil, if you have it)
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 1/2 cups Marcona almonds
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning or herbs de Provence
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
zest of 1 lemon

In a small skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and almonds. Toss for 2 minutes over low heat. Add the dried herbs, salt and lemon zest. Toss over low heat for another 1-2 minutes just until the almonds are turning a light brown. Serve warm.

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ORANGE FLAN

1 cup sugar

1 cup heavy cream
2 cups half and half
zest of 1 orange zest
2 tablespoons sugar

6 large egg yolks
4 large whole eggs

12 4-ounce ramekins or 8 6-ounce ramekins

In a medium saucepan, heat the sugar over low heat, not stirring for 1-2 minutes, then stir with a wooden spoon or heat-resistant spatula, every few minutes, until sugar melts and turns an amber color. There will be little bits of sugar that will eventually melt. Don’t panic. It will happen, and as soon as the caramel turns a dark golden brown, remove off heat. Pour the sugar into the ramekins to coat the bottom of each evenly. Place the ramekins in a baking pan deep enough to add water to reach 1/2 way up the sides of the ramekins.

In the same saucepan you cooked the caramel, add the cream, half and half, orange zest and sugar. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and whole eggs until frothy. Add 1/2 of the hot cream to the eggs and beat well (this is tempering the eggs), then add remaining hot cream. Beat well.

Divide the mixture among the ramekins, filling almost to the top. Heat the oven to 325o.
Place enough hot water in the baking pan (this is called a “bain Marie”) so that the ramekins are sitting in the water 1/2 way up the sides. Cover the pan loosely with foil. Place the pan on the middle shelf of the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until it is set up. Remove from oven. Cool slightly before removing the ramekins from the pan and chill for at least 8 hours. When ready to serve, take a knife and run it around the edge of the ramekins and turn over onto a plate. Serve with the caramel sauce over the top. Can be garnished with orange zest, sliced strawberries, raspberries, and/or sliced peaches. Serves 8-12.

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