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Supplement to the May 25, 2011 issue of the Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader Coastal Cuisine An Olympic Peninsula Edible Adventure The joys of eating outdoors Shelton’s superb syrah Packing an Olympic picnic

Coastal Cuisine - Summer 2011

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Page 1: Coastal Cuisine - Summer 2011

Supplement to the May 25, 2011 issue of the Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader

Coastal Cuisine –

An Olympic Peninsula Edible Adventure

The joys of eating outdoors

Shelton’s superb syrah

Packing an Olympic picnic

Page 2: Coastal Cuisine - Summer 2011

2 ❘ May 2011 ❘ COASTAL CUISINE: AN OLYMPIC PENINSULA EDIBLE ADVENTURE The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader

Coastal Cuisine An

An Olympic Peninsula Edible Adventure

May 25, 2011

2 EDITOR’S NOTE

Epiphanies, picnics and ... Washington syrah.

4 THE JOYS OF EATING OUTDOORS

Jan Halliday takes us on a gastronomic walkabout.

6 PROVISIONS FOR AN OLYMPIC PICNIC

From oysters, to wine, to produce and cheeses, these peninsula purveyors offer plenty of local fare to fi ll your picnic basket.

8 TASTING NOTES

Walter Dacon Wines: Shelton winemaker’s superb syrah.

10 MISE EN PLACE

How to pack for the peninsula picnic – recipes for marinated chicken skewers and a salad of potatoes, artichoke hearts and red peppers from Catherine Kapp.

≈Coastal Cuisine:

An Olympic Peninsula Edible Adventure

PUBLISHERScott Wilson

[email protected]

ON THE COVER:Lake Crescent with picnic accoutrements courtesy

of What’s Cookin in Port Townsend.

Photo by James Robinson

EDITORJames Robinson

[email protected]

DESIGN & LAYOUTMarian Roh

[email protected]

ADVERTISING DIRECTORSara Radka

[email protected]

PHOTOGRAPHERSAllison Arthur

Catherine KappJames Robinson

WRITERSAllison ArthurJan Halliday

Catherine KappJames Robinson

COPY EDITORSLynn Nowak

Sunny ParsonsRenae Reed

CONTACTThe Port Townsend &

Jefferson County Leader226 Adams St.

Port Townsend, WA 98368

360.385.2900ptleader.com

editor’s note

Epiphanies. My own epiphany with Washington syrah came in 2008 when I returned home to Seattle to attend my sister’s wedding.

The whirlwind, three-day visit included a trip to Café Campagne on the eve of the big event, which led to too much steak tartare, way too much cabernet franc, too little time for wine shopping and a bride exasperated with her hungover brothers – but that’s another story.

Just before my return fl ight, looking haggard after the marathon wedding weekend, I ducked into Vino Volo at Sea-Tac airport, and with just a few minutes to spare before boarding, asked the clerk for something stunning – but not a cabernet – that hummed with terroir and was true to Washington state.

“Do you like Côte-Rôtie?” she asked. “I do.” “Then you’ll love this.”

And she handed me a bottle of the Bunnell Family Cellar’s 2005 syrah from its Yakima Valley Boushey-McPherson Vineyard. Knowing nothing about the wine, I paid and scurried off to the gate. In retrospect, I should have bought a case.

I opened the bottle two weeks later, and after a few swirls and sips, realized that Washington wines had evolved during the 20 years I’d been away. Velvety smooth and underscored with layers of smoke, black fruits and pepper, the Bunnell syrah was polished, evocative – transcendent. We drank it in front of a crackling fi re while devouring a rack of Colorado lamb. That syrah sparked a search for excellence that set my life on a trajectory that eventually would lead me to Shelton to fi nd Lloyd Anderson and his Walter Dacon wines. And it was an epiphany while sipping a glass of 1995 E. Guigal Hermitage that crystallized Lloyd Anderson’s vision and drove him to craft world-class syrah from Washington grapes.

And luckily, the epiphanies keep coming.

Leaving the offi ce one drizzly March day and driving down along Hood Canal – far away from Google searches, emails, the clatter of keyboards and phone calls – reminded me that, in a world where productivity is measured in gigahertz, pausing for a moment can be the most important part of a journey. Stop for a bit – and better yet, step outside your comfort zone – and the world unfolds before you. You may be surprised by whom you’ll meet and what you’ll fi nd.

What I discovered that day was a hidden waterfall tucked off the roadside near Brinnon, an unusual and exciting wine selection inside the Hama Hama Company store, fresh oysters at Potlatch State Park, and news that chanterelles and Pacifi c blackberries could be had at the Hoquiam Farmers Market. Many of these places are described in this issue’s pages.

Jan Halliday’s essay on eating outdoors – also in this issue – begins with an “aha” moment in childhood

and reminds us that the most memorable meals are often the simplest, enjoyed al fresco, with rudimentary utensils and close friends.

And we’ve all had these surprising moments, such as when something simple like forgotten matches led to new friends and a spontaneous shared picnic at North Beach County Park, where we gorged ourselves on toasted bread slathered with creamy blue cheese and black cod cooked over coals.

And like epiphanies, the best picnics are spontaneous affairs.

With the long, warm days of summer upon us, it’s time to grab a pack or picnic basket, raid the cupboards, load up, get outside and explore.

Stop for a moment this summer while exploring the peninsula’s back roads, byways and beaches, and you may be surprised by what you fi nd.

Happy summer and bon appétit.

Jam� Robinson

Epiphanies, picnics and ... Washington syrah

Marymere Falls, Olympic National Park. Photo by James Robinson

Page 3: Coastal Cuisine - Summer 2011

The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader Coastal Cuisine: An OLymPiC PeninsuLA edibLe AdvenTure ❘ May 2011 ❘ 3

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sandwiches & delicious cinnamon rolls

(All breads & pastires baked on site.)

For Lunch – our famous Stromboli is hot out of the oven

at noon each day! And much more.

Page 4: Coastal Cuisine - Summer 2011

4 ❘ May 2011 ❘ COASTAL CUISINE: AN OLYMPIC PENINSULA EDIBLE ADVENTURE The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader

The baker, 10 years old, stands on a stool sifting white fl our on wax paper.

The kitchen is cramped, built into a nook on the second fl oor. She has thrown open the windows and looks into the ivy-covered trunks of 300-year-old fi r trees, where migratory cedar waxwings rest, and down into the garden, where the hens are tearing up the ground after bugs. Her mother’s old mixer sparks when she turns it on, the wood stove is crackling, and she can hear the river and her father’s chainsaw growling in the distance when she turns the mixer off. She wanders outside, licking batter off the spoon. This is how it starts.

From the beginning of my culinary life, cooking was less about appliances, granite countertops and fancy pots and more about presence of mind, a sensory awareness that becomes even more acute when cooking in a makeshift kitchen, say, on a single burner in the tight galley of a sailboat with no sink, or more often, outdoors next to a fi re pit. Of all the meals cooked in well-appointed kitchens I remember few, but can recount the smallest details of dozens of camp kitchens: a thick cut of tenderloin on a wilderness river, lamb ragoût on a sandstone escarpment; salad niçoise in the desert, strawberries dipped in chocolate fondue on a ridge top in the Olympic Mountains.

This journeying with food began when I was 11 years old and left my mother’s cramped kitchen for the woods with one of her sterling silver spoons, her only saucepan, a can of Campbell’s tomato soup, a pint of milk in a glass jar, newspaper and a pocketful of matches.

My destination was a hunter’s fi re pit, the ash wet and pocked from rain. It was a small rock circle under two maple trees weeping with yellow blossoms. I sat on a rock and reread the newspaper comics and “Dear Abby” before crumpling it up and striking a match, then sat back on my haunches in the wet leaves, letting the fi re burn down to coals, put the soup on to cook and watched black soot streak up

the sides of my mother’s pan, an intriguing development. I hadn’t thought to bring a bowl, so ate it out of the saucepan with the silver spoon. It rained; I painted a rock with a stick and soot from the pan, welcoming the company of noisy crows looking for a handout.

On a hot July afternoon, in central Oregon’s high desert, two of us crossed Lake Simtustus in a small boat and nosed into the cool shadows of the Deschutes River Canyon. A thick cut of tenderloin steak, wrapped in foil, stayed cool on ice in the 100-degree heat. Near dusk, the air was heady with the scent of brown trout, kokanee salmon, sagebrush and searing steak. A grouse thumped in the rimrock, swallows swept across the river after mayfl ies, and wild yellow iris fl agged the river’s edge as the shadows moved up the canyon walls. I hadn’t thought to bring

plates, but had brought a head of garlic, which I slivered with my

Swiss Army knife onto the meat. We picked up

chunks of sizzling steak, ate with our hands, and then

washed up and cast for trout.

Steens Mountain, on the Nevada/Oregon border, is uninhabited. Old mining roads wind high above the cracked lakebed that is now the Alvord Desert, and that’s where we made camp – on the edge of a precipice with an unimpeded view across the plain into a nearby

mountain range. A cooler contained everything needed to make a ragoût — fresh chunks of lamb stew meat, rosemary twigs wrapped in a dish towel, a sack of ripe tomatoes, onions, garlic, pasta bows and a bottle of red wine. The trick to this stew is day-long, slow cooking in a cast-iron pot, and so I spent the early morning gathering and snapping fallen juniper limbs and built a small fortress of bleached white sticks for my fi re.

Juniper burns hot and quick, and so all day I fed the fi re and stirred the pot, visited in turn by a herd of white-tailed deer, shy antelope, a wild mare and her foal, and a bobcat – all on their way to a small watering hole cached in a small basin in the bedrock behind the camp.

Lemon curd made in a double boiler on an electric stove is a dull experience, watching the coil redden without sound, but still redeemable when the dark yellow egg yolks are separated from the whites, the curd miraculously thickening as it heats. And so this became

a favorite camp dessert, enriched with tiny wild strawberries found nodding at the edge of a dirt road, sweet blackberries picked from a clearcut, high mountain huckleberries or raspberries from a U-pick farm, poured over the tart lemon sauce in a tin cup.

A few years ago, I lost the house on purpose, bored with housekeeping. I sold it and most of my belongings, bought an18-foot camper and meandered down the West Coast, my kitchen composed of a sauté pan, steamer,

large bowl and an electric hot plate, and proceeded to cook meals in the most scenic of places: Cannon Beach, the Redwoods, the Napa Valley, the Southwestern desert. A favorite camp meal: salad niçoise.

Hard-boil the eggs and set them aside, then boil red potatoes in the bottom of the steamer and steam green beans on top. Open a can of tuna, arrange

cherry tomatoes on fresh greens with the piles of potatoes, sliced eggs and beans, and drench the works with balsamic vinaigrette.

During an infestation of “Mexican generals” in Arizona’s borderlands, these huge red and green grasshoppers landed on my shoulders and Velcro-ed themselves to my wooden spoon. When you cook outdoors, you are never alone.

When cooking in makeshift kitchens, time slows and expands. The cook sees shadows in the

green fl owerettes of broccoli, concentric shades of orange and yellow in a carrot, an onion’s layered transparency. All senses are engaged in the crackling, glow and heat of the fi re, the tactile gathering and breaking of twigs, the crumple of newspaper. A drop of rain that leaves its mark on a stone, the smoke shifts with each breath of wind. Flavor is enhanced by acute attention, all the synapses fi ring, and remains locked in the memory, a saturation of intertwined experience.

One last thing. For years, people who love the woods and good food have gathered for “gourmet hikes” into the Olympic Mountains. The chosen destination is often a secret, the food always a secret. One June, I picked 3 quarts of ripe strawberries, wrapped them between towels and nestled them into an empty pack. Our hike was high above the Elwha River, and the food: Greek avgolemono, fresh cold asparagus, smoked salmon quiche, croissants with thinly sliced turkey and chutney, spicy hazelnuts and pecans. I opened a jar of homemade hot fudge, reheated it carefully over a gas fl ame in a metal cup used to steam milk, unrolled the berries and passed out toothpicks to my friends.

After our meal, others packed out the dishes. Some of us lingered for the remainder of the day on the riverbank, sitting side by side on a cedar log, dangling our legs over the water. After a while, hungry again, I retrieved the sauce. Because we couldn’t reach the bottom of the jar with our fi ngertips and had no spoons, we cut twigs, peeled back the bark and used them as spoons.

≈By Jan Halliday

The joys of eating outdoors

sensory awareness that becomes

single burner in the tight galley of

the early morning gathering and snapping fallen juniper limbs and built a small fortress of bleached white sticks for my fi re.

Juniper burns hot and quick, and so all day I fed the fi re and stirred the pot, visited in turn by a herd of white-tailed deer, shy antelope, a wild mare and her foal, and a bobcat – all on their way to a small watering hole cached in a small basin in the bedrock behind the camp.

Lemon curd made in a double boiler on an electric stove is a dull experience, watching the coil redden without sound, but still redeemable when the dark yellow egg yolks are separated

newspaper and a pocketful of

It was a small rock circle under two maple trees weeping with

walls. I hadn’t thought to bring plates, but had brought a head of

garlic, which I slivered with my

chunks of sizzling steak, ate with our hands, and then

washed up and cast for trout.

The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader

By Jan Halliday

Page 5: Coastal Cuisine - Summer 2011

The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader COASTAL CUISINE: AN OLYMPIC PENINSULA EDIBLE ADVENTURE ❘ May 2011 ❘ 5

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Page 6: Coastal Cuisine - Summer 2011
Page 7: Coastal Cuisine - Summer 2011
Page 8: Coastal Cuisine - Summer 2011

8 ❘ May 2011 ❘ COASTAL CUISINE: AN OLYMPIC PENINSULA EDIBLE ADVENTURE The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader

Inspired by a glass of 1995 E. Guigal Hermitage, Shelton’s Lloyd and Ann Anderson

set out in 2003 to create a syrah that captured the essence of the great northern Rhônes, embodied Washington’s unique terroir, and balanced the grape’s signature power and grace. By 2005, and after years of home winemaking and coursework at University of California, Davis, and Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Ore., the Andersons released the fi rst public vintages of Walter Dacon wines. The wine media took notice.

Scoring high marks in Wine Spectator the following year for their C’est Syrah Belle, C’est Syrah Beaux and C’est Syrah Magnifi que, the Andersons forged ahead. By September 2010, the Walter Dacon wine triumvirate had scored 90 points and above, and received accolades from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, Wine Enthusiast, The Seattle Times and Seattle Met magazine – the latter naming the winery’s 2007 Appanage one of the top 100 Washington wines.

“Ann and I went over to Eastern Washington and took a typical tourist winery tour with Scott Williams at Kiona, and I was just enthralled with the whole thing,” Lloyd said. “So I asked Scott, ‘Hey, I think I’d like to try to make some wine.’ And he said, ‘I’ll sell you some grapes.’ So that was the beginning. It was just homemade wine for three years, and 2000 actually was the fi rst year. We did that for three vintages, and it all turned out pretty good. At about the same time, the timber industry was tanking, so we thought, let’s not do this anymore with the timber.”

Lloyd holds a degree in forest management from the University of California, Berkeley, and between 1974 and 2002, he worked for Weyerhaeuser and then as a private forestry consultant and contractor.

“We sold all the forestry equipment

and invested the money – and a lot more – in the winery,” Ann said. “The way it turned out was perfect. This is a whole lot more fun than forestry.”

While the trip to Kiona Vineyards may have sparked the Andersons’ interest, it was a single glass of Hermitage that crystallized Lloyd’s vision and set the course for the Andersons’ – and Walter Dacon’s – future. (The winery is named for Lloyd’s grandfather.)

When Lloyd talks about that glass, a smile creeps over his face and his eyes gleam.

“I was taking classes at UC Davis and one evening after class I went over to the local wine bar, which was known as the Wine Lush. They had a bottle of ’95 E. Guigal Hermitage that they were tasting that evening, and so I bought a glass of it,” Lloyd said. “Gosh, it was really expensive. I don’t remember what it cost.”

“I do,” Ann said. “Twenty-fi ve bucks.”

“I was sitting there and swirling it. It was just phenomenally good,” Lloyd said. “That was the epiphany.”

Although Lloyd acknowledges he has not yet matched the ’95 E. Guigal, he remains undaunted

tasting notes

Shelton winemaker’s superb syrah

Aged in French oak and using grapes sourced from some of Washington’s premier AVAs, the 2007 C’est Syrah Belle offers lovely notes of plum, red currant and toasty cocoa up front, followed by earthy, leathery notes on the fi nish.

Photo by James Robinson

May 2011 ❘ COASTAL CUISINE: AN OLYMPIC PENINSULA EDIBLE ADVENTURE

food for thought

Candace Hulbert came to Port Townsend in 1977. During her more than three decades on the Olympic Peninsula, she cofounded the

Uptown Pub – a Port Townsend institution – started Uptown Custom Catering, and hobnobbed with many of the chefs and players in the Port Townsend restaurant scene. In 1990, she launched Candace’s Cookies and never looked back – well, maybe just a few times.

You have been involved in the food business for years in Port Townsend. Were you involved in restaurants before? My dad was in the restaurant business, and I was – of course – never going to do that. Before I became fascinated with cooking, and when I moved to Port Townsend, I was an outreach worker. I worked for the county. I didn’t have anything to do with food.

So what got you out of that and into making cookies? I worked for Sally Boyer, who had the deli at Aldrich’s; I worked for Ev Dennison, who had Bread and Roses at that time, and those were the two places to be. And my dear friend Lonnie Ritter was a chef, so I had all these people who cooked around me, and I just watched them, and it didn’t seem like work. So my husband and I started the Uptown Pub in 1981. We ran it for 15 years and we sold it in 1995. I had a kitchen there and I sold all kinds of food. We had never poured a beer. There had never been alcohol up there [in Uptown] in the history of the town. Then I built another kitchen next door, in the present-day 1012 Coffee Bar, and I was there for eight years. I sort of was the mayor of Uptown. So then I got the nerve to move here once the [Food] Co-op moved over to this neighborhood, and I decided well, here’s my chance, and Ray said, “Come on now, let’s do it.” This [the kitchen on Kearny] was a moldering pit. It was horrifying. We spent every dime on it and thought, “Uh-oh, we fi nally bit off more than we could chew.” But no, it was good, it was a beautiful thing to do.

How many years have you made your cookies? About 20 now, 21 years. I’ve paid for a house, I’ve raised two children, I’ve paid billions of dollars in taxes ... unlike Bank of America.

All on cookies? All on cookies. I get up really early in the morning, well, not so much these days, but for many years, to make things that cost less than $2 – you’ve got to be on it. You’ve got to be careful with your costs. Slowly I started getting

more accounts, branching out within the county, and then into Clallam County.

Do you go all the way to Forks and the West End? Port Angeles is about the end of my distribution out west, but I’m just now getting started on doing a Web page to sell cookies online, which is huge – I don’t even have a cell phone.

I have to tell you, I was shocked to see you sit down at the computer and work that mouse. You don’t strike me as a computer person. You’re very hands on. You’re a smart boy, yes you are. You’re exactly right.

So, you’ve come into the digital age with your website. Do you have a cell phone now? Not really. I have one, but I don’t give anybody the number. I don’t want it to ring. When you call me, I’m actually sitting down in a chair at home.

I’ve been involved in many facets of the food business, but I’ve never been a baker, because I can’t get up in the morning. What time do you get up? I used to get up very early. It was quite sickening actually.

How sickening? Four [a.m.] at least. Sometimes, when we had the pub, and I was in the little kitchen right next to it, Ray would get off work and I would

come to work. He would be leaving at 3 and I would be getting there. But that was good, and those were happy years for us. We made money and raised our daughter, and then we raised our granddaughter.

I notice a little twang in your voice. Where are you from? Georgia. But it’s not my fault. My

parents lived there. I’m only half Southern.

Was this in Candace’s 20-year plan? No. But I don’t like to plan too

much. An un-aimed arrow never

A conversation with Candace Hulbert

Continued on page 11▼

Page 9: Coastal Cuisine - Summer 2011

The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader COASTAL CUISINE: AN OLYMPIC PENINSULA EDIBLE ADVENTURE ❘ May 2011 ❘ 9

T’s Restaurant at Point Hudson

www.ts-restaurant.com141 Hudson, Port Townsend

360-385-0700 Closed Tuesdays

Check out the best happy hour in town!

• Happy Hour 4-6pm• Lunch 11am-3pm

• Dinner 4pm ‘til close• 1/2 price Wine Nights mon./Wed.

Northwest Cuisine at its FinestThe View, The Flavor

Join us as we explore the many and varied foods and wines of the Mediterranean.

Buen Provecho!

842 Washington Street, Port Townsend, WA (360) 385-5225 ~ www.alchemyPT.com

823 Water Street, Port Townsend, WA (360) 379-1100 ~ www.sirenspub.com

Pane d’AmoreArtisan Bakery

Award-winning BreadAvailable at your favorite restaurants

and grocery stores around the peninsula617 Tyler St.

Port Townsend360.385.1199

150 South 5th Ave.Sequim

360.681.3280

4569 Lynwood Ctr Rd.Bainbridge Is.206.780.1902

www.panedamore.com

and focused on producing some of the fi nest syrah available in Washington. Using fruit sourced from some of the state’s most formidable American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), including Rattlesnake Hills, Red Mountain and Horse Heaven Hills, and vineyards, such as Boushey Vineyards, the Andersons have established Walter Dacon as a major player on the Washington wine scene. The winery is a required stop for oenophiles traveling north or south on U.S. Highway 101 through Shelton.

2008 Appanage, $50

Syrah (100 percent), sourced from Boushey Vineyards

Aged in French oak, the 2008 Appanage is Walter Dacon’s premier offering. A barrel sample showed notes of eucalyptus, licorice and red raspberry all wrapped around a dense core of dark chocolate. Although not available for sale at press time, the wine should be released by the end of summer.

2007 C’est Syrah Beaux, $38

Syrah (100 percent)

Aged in American oak, the 2007 C’est Syrah Beaux is muscular and bold, with black cherry and pomegranate aromas coupled with notes of cedar and spicy oak. Hints of vanilla and caramel round out the core. A bold, commanding texture and fi rm tannins make the Syrah Beaux a perfect companion for grilled or roasted meats and game. Drink now or cellar.

2007 C’est Syrah Belle, $30

Syrah (96 percent), viognier (4 percent)

Aged in French oak, the 2007 C’est Syrah Belle offers lovely notes of plum, red currant and toasty cocoa up front, followed by earthy, leathery notes on the fi nish. Pretty, delicate and approachable – drink now or cellar.

2010 Viognier, $22

Viognier (100 percent)

Notes of honeysuckle, fresh almonds, peach blossom and citrus make this a solid summer quencher and the perfect match for Asian cuisine, Indian spices and shellfi sh.

Page 10: Coastal Cuisine - Summer 2011

10 ❘ May 2011 ❘ Coastal Cuisine: An Olympic peninsulA edible Adventure the port townsend & Jefferson county leader

mise en place

“There is no jollier way to spend a summer day than picnicking, even if you do not always have the time for long, involved preparations.”

Ida Bailey Allen, When You Entertain: What to Do and How, 1932

“The color and charm of the countryside can make the most modest meal superb. Have a picnic at the slightest excuse.”

– James Beard

Three cheers for Ida Allen and the wonderful James Beard! No matter what the weather, no matter the occasion, no matter the budget, there’s something about a picnic that lifts all but the sourest spirits. And

as these experts well knew, it doesn’t have to be an elaborate or expensive affair for everyone to have a great time – in fact, with picnics, often the more spontaneous, the better.

It wasn’t always so. People have always eaten outdoors, of course, but movable feasts – involving huge haunches of roasted meat and dozens of retainers – seem to have originated in the Middle Ages as part of hunting parties for the nobility. By the 18th century, with the vogue for picturesque landscapes and the charms of the pastoral life, elaborate meals al fresco with linen and crystal and liveried servants had become popular — at least for the wealthy. A century later, people of all classes were enjoying the pleasures of outdoor dining, and the picnic as we know it came into fashion, though even then, the menu often included prodigious amounts of food. A typical menu for a Victorian Sunday-school outing might include fried chicken, potato salad, homemade biscuits, four kinds of sandwiches, pickles and preserves, “Saratoga chips,” several cakes, gallons of ice cream, and gallons of lemonade, coffee and tea. Ginger beer was optional.

But for our picnic, let’s get back to basics: The two picnic items that follow are easy to prepare ahead of time, travel well and require basic equipment to prepare and serve. They can be adapted for vegetarians or meat eaters, are relatively healthy and can be made from local foods; they’re superb but not snobby, and most importantly, they’re delicious.

≈By Catherine Kapp

there’s just something about a picnic

ReCiPes

Grilled Chicken Skewersserves 4 to 6

prep time: 10 minutes to grill, plus at least 8 hours to marinate

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast (or equivalent amount of firm tofu or a combination of the two) cut into 1-inch pieces

marinade:

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth

1/2 cup fruity olive oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons dried mediterranean oregano

1 tablespoon minced parsley

grated zest of 1 lemon

Freshly ground black pepper

1. combine marinade ingredients in a glass or nonreactive baking dish. Add chicken or tofu squares and toss to coat. cover and marinate at least 8 hours or overnight.

2. if using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for at least an hour before grilling the meat. thread about 6 pieces of chicken/tofu on each skewer.

3. to cook: Grill, preferably over wood or charcoal, turning frequently and watching carefully so they do not burn. the meat is done when it is brown on the outside and firm to the touch. tofu will take less time.

either serve immediately or allow to cool, wrap in foil, refrigerate and serve at room temperature.

A safety note: if you are planning to cook the chicken at the picnic site, be sure to pack the raw chicken carefully and keep it very cold with ice packs.

Potato, Artichoke Heart & Red Pepper Saladserves 4 to 6

prep time: about 30 minutes

2 large red sweet peppers

6 medium “boiling” potatoes, such as yukon gold

8 ounces artichoke hearts (thawed if frozen, drained if canned)

1 cup kalamata olives (or substitute manzanilla or niçoise)

2 tablespoons dry white wine or dry vermouth

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

4 tablespoons finely minced fresh herbs such as basil, thyme, fennel, tarragon, chives – either a single herb

or a mixture of two or three

1/4 cup vinaigrette (see below for recipe)

Freshly ground black pepper

1. place the whole red peppers on a charcoal grill or directly on the gas flame of a regular stove. cook, turning three or four times, until well charred on all sides. remove, wrap in a clean kitchen towel, and allow to cook through in their own heat, about 30 minutes.

2. meanwhile, cut the potatoes into 1-inch chunks. (it is not necessary to peel them, but rinse them thoroughly and remove any unsightly blemishes.) cook in salted water until just fork tender. drain and place in a large bowl. sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of white wine or vermouth and allow to cool.

3. When the peppers are soft, peel them by rubbing them under cold running water, removing the core and seeds. pat dry and cut into bite-sized slices.

4. Add peppers, artichokes, red onion and olives to the potatoes.

5. sprinkle on the chopped herbs and a few grindings of black pepper and toss lightly with vinaigrette until vegetables are well coated but not drenched (start with less than 1/4 cup). Adjust seasonings to taste.

serve chilled or at room temperature.

this salad goes well with any grilled meat or fish. it stands up well to travel – no wilted lettuce and no threat of salmonella from mayonnaise.

Dijon Vinaigrettemakes about 1/2 cup

Whisk together:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)

Freshly ground black pepper

Page 11: Coastal Cuisine - Summer 2011

The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader COASTAL CUISINE: AN OLYMPIC PENINSULA EDIBLE ADVENTURE ❘ May 2011 ❘ 11

pe

ninsula

cidery loop

alpenfire cider360.379.8915alpen� recider.comalpen� recider.com

eaglemountwinery & cidery

360.732.4084eaglemountwinery.com

finnriver farm & cidery

360.732.6822� nnriver.com

Authenic Indian CuisineLunch Buffet$8.95

Muskan IndianRESTAURANT & BAR

2330 Washington St. • Port Townsend, WA(across from Aladdin Motor Inn) 360-379-9275

Vegan, Vegetarian options

SPEC

IALS

EVEN

TSV I D E O S

REVIEWS

MEN

U

Authenic Indian Cuisine

Be Our Guest ...You’ll feel like familyGreat Daily Specials • Fabulous Fish & Chips

Beer • Wine • Cocktails

Open daily 11:30 am ‘til close 1038 Water Street, Port Townsend • 360-385-9708

www.thepublichouse.com

OYSTERS • CLAMS • MUSSELSQuality shellfi sh since 1978.

Orders by phone only; same day orders by 10:00 a.m. Pick up at farm.

Closed Wednesdays, Sundays & Holidays360-385-4312

Closed Wednesdays, Sundays & HolidaysClosed Wednesdays,

Bernie W. Mueller5073 Flagler Rd, Nordland, WA

Tasting Room Hours:

March - November Fri, Sat, Sun 12-5

June - Mid September 7 days a week 12 - 5

360-379-6416www.sorensencellars.com

274 Otto Street #SPort Townsend

Enjoy alfresco dining on our summer patio!

Sweet Laurette Café & Bistro

Breakfast & Lunch: Wed/Thur/Fri: 8 am-2:30 pm

Brunch: Sat. 8 am - 2:30 pm, Sun. 8 am - 2 pm

Dinner: Fri/Sat & Sun: 5-9pm

Closed Mondays & Tuesdays

1029 Lawrence St. • 360-385-4886

www.sweetlaurette.com

misses. No, really, goals are highly overrated. I plan out a little bit, but I lost my husband two years ago. He was a great part of this community and that’s just like yesterday to me. So now, I’m right here in the bubble. I just want to make good cookies and I’m trying to stay happy.

You mentioned your dad was in the food business. What did he do? He had two or three restaurants – Southern food – running at the same time. He wouldn’t really tell us what he did. He told us he was a businessman. Back then, parents ruled. It’s different now. Children rule their parents. He’s turning 90 this June, so I’m going to go see him. He’s still unbelievably handsome. He’s just a madman.

It’s hard work, but the restaurant business keeps you alive. It keeps you moving. You never sit down. When I sit down, the girls say, “Are you OK? We’ve never seen you sit down.” I wore a pedometer in here once, and it was fi ve miles a day – just back and forth, back and forth.

Any great mishaps or catastrophes in your career? Oh god, yes. Hideous ones. You know, I didn’t go to baking school, I didn’t go to chef’s school. Sometimes I’d open that oven door and go, ‘Oh my god. What happened?’ My mom always said, “Don’t tell them that you don’t know how to make something but you’ll learn. Tell them you already know and then fi gure it out on the spot.” And that’s what I’ve always done.

So you’re a real seat-of-the-pants type? That’s exactly right. It’s worked and not worked – you know it.

What’s your favorite food? I’m a meat eater, so I like lamb. I like duck, too. Duck confi t. Duck fat ... we used to have duck fat in here all the time; we’d fry our french fries in it. That was so good ... that was just delicious. I love to fry things. But I’m not proud, I’ll eat a corndog. I mean a good fried corndog with kiddie mustard and a real Coke – delicious. I’m not that fussy.

And for dessert? Crème brûlée. If it’s on the menu, I’ve got to try it. And I still feel the same about tired old tiramisu; I will eat it every time. It is cake, it is coffee, it is liquor, it is cheese, it is chocolate. It is everything you could want.

≈Interviewed by James Robinson

Candace▼Continued from page 8

Page 12: Coastal Cuisine - Summer 2011

12 ❘ May 2011 ❘ Coastal Cuisine: An Olympic peninsulA edible Adventure the port townsend & Jefferson county leader

foodTHE

CO-OPPort Townsend

414 Kearney 360 385-2883

Fresh daily from our co-op kitchen

organic salads, soups, entrees, desserts, smoothies, nitrate & hormone free meats, gourmet cheeses, live foods, juice bar & organic coffee open everyday everyone welcome!

www.foodcoop.coop

foofoof THE

CO-OPPort Townsend

414 Kearney 360 385-2883

everyone welcome! welcome! welcome! welcome!

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Espresso

Free WiFi

GlutenFree

Open 7 Days 6 am-7 pm1046 Water Street

We deliver to downtown locations!360-385-1151

www.waterstreetcreperie.com

The Olympic Peninsula’s“Crepe Escape!”

Breakfast • Sweet & Savory

Crepes

Brandon & Jimowners

Now serving Gelatoin 10 unique � avors!

Schott Zwiesel WineglassesLead Free, Scratch and Break Resistant,

Dishwasher Safe. $11.85 - $12.95

The Original Rabbit CorkscrewFoil Cutter and Extra Spiral by Metrokone.

10 year warranty. $56.50We carry wine, beer and cocktail glassware and accessories.

THE GREEN EYESHADE720 Water St., Port Townsend • 360-385-3838 Hours: 9:30 - 6 pm Daily, Open Friday ‘til 8 pm

www.thegreeneyeshade.com