The signs are all around you, parking lots are filled with fresh-cut trees, “Let it Snow”, and “Winter Wonderland” seem to be playing in every store, and those holiday extremists down the block have already turned their yard into Santa’s workshop. It’s inevitable; you are going to have to start thinking about holiday gift giving soon. If you are one of the many Americans whose stomach churns at the thought of venturing into overly-decked halls with the overwhelming scent of cinnamon around every corner then you probably aren’t going to be braving the shopping wars that accompany Black Friday.  Perhaps you should think about staying in and making your gifts this year.  Your family and friends will cherish the time and energy you put in these thoughtful gifts and you will maintain sanity!  Below are five great culinary gift ideas from the GP staff. In case you run out of time, we've provided some ideas available through our store.

1. Herb-Infused Olive Oils –Combine about 1 cup of olive oil and 6-10 sprigs of your favorite fresh herbs in a saucepan and stir over low heat.  Once temperature reaches about 180 degrees, remove from heat and let cool.  Once cool, use a funnel to pour oil into bottles. Quick Fix: O BLood Orange Infused Olive Oil $16.95
2. Seasoning Packets- You know that specialty dish that you make that all your friends are “dying to get the recipe for”; why not give it to them?  In your best writing, jot down the cooking instructions and staple a hand-made seasoning packet with all of the dry ingredients already measured out. Quick Fix: Garlic Salt Sensations $7.95
3. Hot Buttered Rum Mix- This mix is easy to make: Soften 2 sticks of unsalted sweet cream butter, mix in 1 cup brown sugar, 1 TBSP each cinnamon and nutmeg and 1 tsp ground cloves.  Freeze mixture in a hand-decorated container.   Include instructions to pour 1 (or more!) shots of rum per drink and about ½ cup of boiling water into each cup. Yield- 8 Hot Buttered Rums.  You can give the mixture along with a bottle of spiced rum, cinnamon sticks to use as stirrers/straws, or by itself. Quick Fix: Steve Smith BrahminTea $10.95 
4. Infused Vodka-  Pick an ingredient to infuse into your vodka.  We suggest vanilla beans, jalapeños, or ginger, but herbs work really well too. Simply place the ingredients in your bottles of vodka and let them sit for several days (3-5). Taste to make sure it is at peak flavor and remove the infusing ingredients. Quick Fix: Domaine Rosier Sparkling Wine $13.50
5. Homemade Biscotti- Bake your favorite biscotti recipe and fill festive mugs.  Wrap in clear cellophane and tie with a colorful bow. Quick Fix: BomBon White Chcolate Almonds $9.95

Last year Bon Appetit announced Portland would host the first annual FEAST food festival in September 2012. The decision to select Portland for FEAST came from the growing appreciation of the cities top-notch foodies and the Chefs that compete to impress them. Additionally, Bon Appetite recognizes that Oregon soil produces amazing fruits and vegetables and wanted to highlight the region for the high standard of quality food. The vineyards grow grapes that make award-winning wines, and hops are the reason Portland has more enthusiastic craftsmen and breweries than any other city in the world. With our position on the west coast, Oregon waters are abundant with the best salmon, Dungeness crab and tuna. Ranches all across the state raise cattle, pigs and chickens organically and treat them with a great amount of respect. Portland Chefs wake up everyday excited to take the freshest of ingredients and transform them into unforgettable bites, and a meal filled with memories.

What events are catching our eye? The FEAST Sandwich Invitational hosted by Widmer Brothers Brewing, featuring a range of local and international sandwich favorites including Ken Gordon of Kenny and Zukes in Portland, Duff Goldman of Charm City Cakes in Baltimore and LA and Austin Franklin of Franklin BBQ in Austin, Texas. These three chefs are among the 15 that will compete to see who can make the best sandwich at FEAST. Looking for something a bit more intellectual? The Market Speaker Series is hosting Mark Bittman, one of America’s best-known and widely respected food writers. He is a regular food correspondent on the Today Show, has authored over a dozen cookbooks and is an opinion columnist and blogger for the New York Times.

What we LOVE most about FEAST is the sense of camaraderie it brings between well-known Chefs from around the world. They will unite in our indie city of Portland for this weekend long event and serve some of the most impressive dishes Oregon or even the U.S. has ever seen. YUM.


FEAST begins September 20th, 2012, for tickets and more information check out the website: https://www.feastportland.com/

For the last several weeks, the heat has driven most of the country to cook meals outside in an effort to keep the house cool, but suddenly it's late summer and if you are like most of us, you have had your fill of traditional barbecue food.  Just the thought of consuming another burger or hot dog sends my tummy in an uproar!  Below are five great grilling items that will keep the heat outside and your tastebuds asking for more:

1.) Elotes- This is a delicious mexican twist to grilled corn on the cobb!  Soak kabob sticks in water for at least 30 minutes.  Grill the corn in the husk.  Take it off of the grill and husk it.  Stab a skewer stick in the end to be used as a handle (because food on sticks is just more fun). Brush the corn with Mayonnaise, sprinkle chile powder, and throw it on the grill for a few more minutes.  Pull the corn from grill, squeeze lime juice over top and sprinkle cotija cheese and chopped cilantro.   

2.) Bird of Paradise-  Slice a chicken breast down the middle leaving it connected on one side.  Pound it thin (the thinner the better, but don't let it fall apart).  Season with salt, pepper, and thyme.  Thin slice pineapple, ham, and swiss cheese and place inside the chicken breast. Fold the top half over and secure with toothpicks.  Brush olive oil on the grill before throwing the chicken on.  Flip it half way through. Grilling time will vary depending on you particular grill.  

3.) Drunken' Clams-  Make a foil packet and place steamer (or razor) clams in with white wine, butter, minced garlic, pepper, and cream.  Leave the top of the packet open and place on grill.  When clams open up, they are done.  Serve them in their shell as an appetizer or over pasta.

4.)  Grilled Caesar Salad-  Quarter a head of romaine lengthwise, brush with olive oil and place on the grill.  Once the lettuce has grill marks, shave parmesan over top and drizzle with your favorite caesar dressing and croutons (did you know Gourmet Productions sells our house-made dressings and rosemary croutons).   

5.) Rosemary Coriander Pork Tenderloin.  Crush coriander and rosemary together with salt and pepper, rub all over pork tenderloin giving it a crust.  Brush olive oil on the grill and throw the pork on.  Cooking times will vary so use a meat thermometer to test. Pull from the grill and let sit for 5 minutes before thin slicing at an angle.  

Summer Solstice is just around the corner, the smell of grills is wafting through neighborhoods, and local gardens are well on their way to abundance.  For food aficionados this is an exciting time of year!  It means farmers markets, fresh flavorful ingredients, and grilling.

I serve garden greens with almost every summer meal and its not rare to find zucchini with olive oil and garlic on my grill. I will be hosting several parties this summer and my guests can't survive on zucchini and greens alone so I set out to determine the tastiest summer foods to serve at a party.  I asked our staff what they considered the best summer fare and this is what they said:

Vicky-A Summer Salad of Watermelon, Feta, and Oil Cured Olives

Brenda- Homeade Huckleberry Ice Cream

Jim- Sun-warmed Tomatoes with Sea Salt

Mandy- Grilled Pound Cake with Apricots, Peaches, and Ginger Ice Cream

Antonio- French Carrot Salad

Jeremy- Elotes (Grilled Mexican-style Corn)

Roberto- Baby Back Ribs

Jorge- Strawberry Short Cake 

Bobby- Seafood Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Steve- Fresh Garden Salsa 

Throughout the United States Cinco de Mayo is celebrated by tossing back shots of tequilla and blended margaritas.  Many celebrate simply for the sake of having a party without really understanding what Cinco de Mayo is truly about.  Although many Americans believe otherwise, it is not Mexico's Independence Day (which is actually in September).  It is, however, a day to commemorate a victorious battle against the French army, who had invaded Mexico less than a year earlier.  So now that you know the true reason for this holiday, break out the blender and the tequila and throw a fiesta grande complete with homemade authentic taquitos.  Chef Felipe was hesitant, but kind enough to share a bit of family tradition with his grandmothers recipe. 

TAQUITOS DE POLLO

2 chicken breasts

2 tomatoes peeled and chopped

2 onion finely chopped

1 minced garlic clove

20 corn tortillas

oil for frying

Bake  chicken in oven.  Let cool and shred.  In pan saute garlic and onion for a couple of minutes until onion is soft, add chicken and cook for a few more minutes.  Place a small amount of the chicken mixture in the tortillas and roll. 

Add more oil to frying pan.  When the oil is hot enough (you can place a corner of a tortilla in to see if bubbles form right away) place the rolled tortilla in and fry until golden and crispy. 

Serve with sides of guacamole, salsa, and sour cream.  Top with cilantro. 

I ventured out to the Farmer's Market last Saturday Morning and at the far end of the row, past the morrels and  chantrelles, beyond the local honey and farm fresh eggs, nestled in next to several lettuce varieties, there it was.....ASPARAGUS.  I couldn't have been happier.  I picked out about 20 of the most beautiful spears and headed home to fire up the grill!  I learned from the best (the best being GP's executive chef, Jim Joyce), that if you really want a flavor explosion, it's best to blanch the asparagus before throwing them on the grill.  Start by trimming the tough ends off, then bring a pot of salted water up to a boil, throw the spears in for about 1 minute.  Take them out and immediatly shock them in an ice water bath.  Pat them dry, brush with olive oil and place them on the outer edges of the grill (to avoid burning).  Turn them over after about 2 minute. After about 2 more minutes (depending on the temperature of your grill and thickness of the spears), they should be perfect.  I tossed mine with minced roasted garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and sea salt and served them alongside bleu cheese and bacon elk burgers!! 

In the spirit of asparagus season, Chef Jim has agreed to film a Youtube video on Wednesday, April 25th to demonstrate this grilled asparagus method.  You can check it out at our Youtube channel!  http://youtube.com/gourmetproductions

The chefs at Gourmet Productions and Gourmet Catering are busy in the kitchen prepping for our Thanksgiving orders.  The smells are wafting into the office, and I can barely contain myself.  I have convinced Executive Chef, Jim, to share his recipe for his apricot cranberry relish.  It is great served with the Thanksgiving feast, but I especially like it the day after, on a sandwich with the leftover turkey and a piece of provolone.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup raspberry vinegar

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup honey

3/4 cup minced red onion

1 1/2 TBSP minced garlic

3/4 TBSP minced ginger

1/2 cup minced red bell pepper

1/2 TBSP crushed coriander

1/2 tsp crushed red chili flakes

12 oz cranberries

4 oz diced dried apricots

Procedure:

In large pot, combine all ingredients except for cranberries and apricots.  Bring to gentle boil over medium heat.  Add cranberries and apricots.  Stir every 10 minutes, until desired thickness. 

*Be careful not to turn the heat up too high because it burns easily. 

I recently traveled to Peru and was in awe of every aspect of the country.  From the ancient ruins around every corner to the artwork, to the incredible flora and fauna, and of course, THE FOOD!

For the Quechuan people, food is not just a staple on which to survive; it is a way of connecting with the earth.  They present offerings of nuts, grains, and even alcohol to Pacha Mama (Mother Earth).  When I first saw people dumping their chicha (corn beer) on the floor of a restraunt, I wondered why they were being so rude and wasteful, but my new Peruvian friend explained to me that they were respecting their Pacha Mama by giving the first drink to her. 

Peruvians take great pride in their cuisine.  They boast of more than 2000 varieties of potatoes, promote quinoa, and show great excitement when trying to get tourists to try their native favorites of chicharones, ceviche, local trout, and even guinee pig. 

Before embarking on my journey to Peru, I set one rule for myself, which was to try everything that I had the opportunity to try.  I held myself to that rule and I had an incredible gastronomic adventure!

You can not have Mortadella without Bologna and vice versa.  it is part of Bolognese history and culture.  Andrea from Alcisa tells me it is part of his DNA.  You can catch the aroma as you walk down the porticos in the old city.  In my tour of their production facility I learned all about prosciutto and salame as well.  We followed it up with a tasting of their products and a spumante.   Interestingly, Salame is not aged as much as in the states.  

when you have gelato!  After nine days in Italy, I can truly say eating gelato was one of my favorite experiences.  We learned to look for signs indicating that it was made in house or "Artigiano".  From fior de latte, pistachio, deep dark chocolate, salted caramel, gianduja, grapefruit & mango, each flavor made for a refreshing break in the day.  At cioccolat I taliani in Milano there were white, milk & dark chocolate sauces continuously pouring out of spouts ready to top or fill a cone.  As I sat in the sun drenched piazza enjoying my scoop, I could see how this could become a daily habit.