Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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A long time ago, in a shop far far away… …a discovery was made that made a lot of fine folks raise their eyebrows in skepticism and nervous wonder. This was no ordinary shop mind you. Normally the realm of wine snobs and geeks, where $1,000 bottles glistened in the soft glow of candles next to inexpensive wines so obscure that the locals thought the owner was more than just a little off. On one particular day leaning towards the Thanksgiving week, in the window were cases of Pasek Cellars Cranberry Wine stacked 12 high with a neon green sig...
Brine your Thanksgiving Bird for an amazing moist meal. We all enjoy thinking about those things that we have to give thanks for at this time of year. I am thankful that I was turned on to brining turkey many years ago by the great chef Bruce Naftaly of Seattle’s le Gourmand fame. Some of you may have used the brining technique but many have not. Why? I don’t have a clue, but it is an amazing and easy process for that perfect bird. I can personally attest that I have never had turkey or goose, duck, pheasant, grouse or chicken any better tha...
Squinting into a late September sun and sucking the juice out of some remarkably sweet and juicy chardonnay grapes last week, I pondered the past couple of vintages that Washington had to endure. Mother Nature has not been overly generous the past couple of years towards the wine industry. Both grape growers and winemakers in Washington had to contend with back to back harvests - 2010 and 2011 - that were difficult for the growers and challenging for the vintners to make good wine with what was salvaged off the vines. Some vineyards lost up to...
Build it and they will come - Grapes in the Touchet Valley. Land in the Touchet valley has long been worked as prime wheat growing acreage and with good reason. The loess soils, long growing days and softly undulating hills are perfect for grain - and for the ease of harvest that the gentle slopes of the rolling hills afford. Those same attributes make for perfect vineyard conditions too, so it came as a surprise to me that more vineyards are not planted out north of Walla Walla. I discovered there is a good news/bad news paradox here in the To...
Mole - the great sauce of Mexico M ole (pronounced moh-LAY) is one of those flavors that once you've tasted you never forget. For those of us north of the U.S./Mexican border, the deep red/brown sauce is known predominately as mole poblano, which tra- ditionally hails from the Puebla region of Mexico. Known as the national dish of Mexico, this deli- cious rich sauce is historically served over roasted turkey though with variations you will also find it dressing pork, chicken, goat and even red snapper. One of the difficulties of nailing down a...
Because we've discussed pork here, one of my favorite pairings for everything except the hams and BBQ'd pork dishes is pi- not noir. This beautiful and aromatic red wine pairs well with the subtle flavors and textures of pork tenderloins, chops and shoulder roasts - the predominant cuts of the pig. First a short history of the queen of grapes: Pinot Noir has been grown in France - its homeland - for ap- proximately 2,000 years beginning prior to the Roman invasion of the Gaul's fiefdoms. The careful record-keeping of the monks who man- aged...
Welcome to my food column where anything goes. Here we'll explore the history of how we arrived where we are today through food and the ingredients that we commonly use and take for granted all the time. To understand where your food came from is akin to knowing where we came from and the common bond that the family farm and table provides. This installment explores the noble pig -- though it just scratches the surface. I sat down the other day with Eric Seo- ane of the Weinhard Café in Dayton, one of the best young chefs in the region, to...
