Deschutes Brewery: Exciting Update

Maybe you are aware, or maybe you're not, but I have a tracker on my blog, so I can get a general idea of who has been reading it. Well, not just once, but twice this morning someone at Deschutes Brewing (in Bend, the headquarters, no less) viewed my blog! This is the kind of thing I've always hoped for. Maybe the stale bread issue will now be rectified, and I can go back and write a 100% glowing review.

Deschutes Brewery

Yesterday my friend Liz and I finally made it to the brand new Deschutes Brewery, which is a couple blocks from where I work.

The beer was really, really good. At the pub they have some special offerings that they don't sell at the grocery store: I had a Belgian style ale, and Liz had a vanilla porter. She didn't say much about it, but seemed to like it. It was quite light-colored for a porter. More medium brown rather than the usual dark brown. I almost got that, but I've been on a Belgian kick lately. They also had a barley wine, which sounded old-fashioned and intriguing. Maybe I'll try it next time.

The place was packed! Lots of middle-aged people though; not really my scene. I'm guessing it's a big draw for the retired contingent that resides in this neighborhood.

The food was only so-so though. We got some sort of jalapeno-cheese dip, which was good, but the slices of bread it came with were stale, like they had been sliced that morning and sat out all day. We also had a mushroom pizza; it was pretty good. Sort of a crackery-style crust, rather than the floppy New York style that I usually prefer, but good for what it was. I guess really, the problem was the stale bread. Our server did comp us our beer due to the crazy crowd though, so that was very nice.

I would try it again. My friend is a prep cook there, so maybe I will have a little talk with him about the bread.

Here's the info:

Deschutes Brewery & Public House

210 NW 11th Avenue

(503) 296-4906
Open Daily

Lunch Hours: 11:00 to 5:00 PM

Dinner Hours: 5:00 PM to 12:00 AM

Waffles--The Next Big Thing

Cupcakes are so last year. My prediction for the next food fad: waffles. Yup. Waffles.
A waffle shop, complete with happy hour just opened up in SE Portland, and I think it's the harbinger of trends to come. I haven't actually been there yet, but click here if you want to check out their website: Jace Gace.
I made waffles this morning (photo above), and decided to try out a new recipe: oatmeal waffles. They were delicious, and different from the usual waffle: very delicate, crispy outside, soft like a bowl of oatmeal on the inside.
Here's the recipe:

Oatmeal Waffles
1 egg, separated, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. brown sugar
3/4 cup milk
4 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled

Beat egg white in a small bowl until stiff and set aside. Mix together the dry ingredients and set aside. Combine egg yolk, milk and melted butter. Add to dry ingredients, mixing only until large lumps disappear. Fold in beaten egg white until just blended. Do not over beat batter.

My Notes: Batter will look runny and wrong, but trust it, it works. Also, I added a drop of vanilla, because I roll that way. Finally, when they are ready, tip them out of waffle iron onto plate, don't try to pick them up. They are very delicate and will break.

--From the VillaWare Uno Series waffle maker instruction manual. (Yes, really.)

Chemeketan Pie--Finally

Chemeketan Pie
Crust:
9 whole graham crackers, crushed
1/2 cup suger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened

Combine all (I whirl it in a food processor until it's like crumbs), reserve 1/8 cup, pat remainder into pie plate.

Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tbl cornstarch
Pinch of salt
2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla

Cook first 4 ingredients until thick, then add egg yolks. Cook 3-5 minutes more, then stir in vanilla. Set aside to cool a bit.

Meringue:
3 egg whites
6 tbl sugar

Beat until stiff, but not dry.

Assembly:
Put filling into pie shell and top with meringue. Sprinkle with 2-3 tbl chopped walnuts and reserved crumbs. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.

Mmm, pie.

Pie Party!

In belated celebration of her graduation, Bruno's roommate Bri threw a pie party over the weekend. The entire dinner was composed of pies. I was a bit skeptical, envisioning fifteen apple pies for dinner, but it turned out fantastic; I might want to throw a pie party of my own sometime. Surprisingly, there were more savory pies than sweet, and almost all of the pies were delicious. There was even a contest: best savory, best sweet, best presentation, and most creative. I won best sweet pie, yay!
Here are some pics:

Best savory, a quiche:

Best sweet, my very own pie:Best presentation, a strawberry pizza pie:
Most creative, a vegan apple-coffee pie:My personal favorite:
And here are the rest, I enjoyed them all:Special thanks to Brian Mazzola, for letting me use his camera and emailing the results so promptly. I forgot to bring mine.

Some More Recognition for Portland

As you all know, I've had my gripes with Stumptown--not the beans mind you, those are always great, but some of the baristas in certain locations are lacking in skill--but I am pleased to report that Stumptown's owner, Duane Sorenson, was interviewed in the June 2008 issue of Bon Appetit. I find this very exciting! I love it that Portland's food scene is gaining on the national radar. Here's the article. Click on image to enlarge, and therefore make readable. Enjoy!

Could My Doughnut Plan be Working?

You know how much I love doughnuts? You know how I've been trying to repopularize them in the face of cupcake shops multiplying like rabbits? I think it might actually be working. Yahoo's start page always has some sort of ever-changing list of national best-ofs (usually inaccurate, but, whatever). Today, for a moment, it was best doughnut shops! Yes, I think I'm making progress....