May 11, 2012 1:30 p.m. - Updated: 3:48 p.m.

Chef Adam Hegsted is practicing for his upcoming dinner at the James Beard House in New York City.

Hegsted, who is the executive chef at the Coeur d'Alene Resort and Casino, and a team of chefs and servers presented the meal he's planning to make for the venerable venue at the resort last night.

Inspired by the food of this area, Hegsted's dinner opened with an appetizer plate featuring “Idaho Sushi,” a small roasted potato topped with Waygu beef “sashimi”. There was also roasted quail with a rhubarb barbecue sauce and cold smoked Columbia River sturgeon.

He also served a dish of morel mushrooms buried in edible forest floor along with fiddlehead ferns, among the courses.

There were dry aged lamb chops with potato gnocchi, served with nettle pesto, an Inland Northwest cheese plate and an array of berries - serviceberries, huckleberries and elderberries - with a wild rose whipped cream.

And I'm going to tell you all about the meal and Hegsted's plans for the June dinner at the Beard House in an upcoming feature story for The Spokesman-Review food page. Stay tuned.

May 8, 2012 12:26 p.m. - Updated: 12:55 p.m.

Spokane area wineries will host a weekend of wine tasting starting Friday at noon for the annual Mother's Day Spring Release Weekend.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, members of the Spokane Winery Association will offer samples of new wines, tastes of wines still in the barrel and food to complement the offereings.

This year's event has new hours. The wineries will be open noon to 6 p.m. each day.

Spring traditionally marks the end of winemaking season and represents the beginning of a new wine year. Tasting fees may apply. Download a map at www.spokanewineries.net or click on the document below for details on participating wineries and their locations.

Posted by Lorie

May 2, 2012 1:14 p.m. - Updated: 10:32 p.m.

My former colleague Jamie Neely, who is now an assistant journalism professor at Eastern Washington University, sent along some links to some videos her students have been producing for the student newspaper.

“Dorm Gourmet,”  she said, is an “authentic student perspective on dorm cooking, and our students are having a riot producing them. Perhaps even a sophisticated foodie like you would get a kick out of them, too.”

I did. And I can't resist sharing them here.

They are clever and a little goofy at times. I love the unflinching look at what is really being eaten in Eastern Washington University dorms punctuated by trendy descriptions. Notice how few pots and pans there are to wash.

My favorite scene? When cook Josh Friesen can't find any place to drain the bacon, so he just dumps it all right into the dish.

Friesen tackles some complex dishes in the videos which feature Tuna Ramen Casserole, Easy Cheesy Beef and Bean Burritos, Chili Mac with Bacon and Bag Omelets. (And by complex, I mean there is more than one can and/or bag to open).

Here is the link to the Easterner and the Dorm Gourmet videos.

Posted by Lorie

April 24, 2012 10:13 a.m. - Updated: 1:07 p.m.

The Greenwalt family of Ritzville is growing little-known camelina.

They planted the oil seed and first pressed it in May 2011 and are now selling oil from the crop as Camelina Gold. My story about them will be in Wednesday's Food section, including details on the health benefits of the oil and where it is sold.

Here is the recipe I promised from Lynn Greenwalt.

Camelina Pumpkin Bread

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon vital wheat gluten

2 cups organic sugar cane

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup camelina oil

4 eggs, slightly beaten

2 cups solid pack pumpkin puree

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 bread pans. Sift together flours, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves nutmeg and salt into a large bowl. Make well in center; pour in eggs and oil. Beat on low speed until well blended. Add pumpkin; continue beating until well blended. Turn batter into prepared pans.

Bake at 350 degrees in oven for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in pans on wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn out onto wire rack; invert. Cool.

Yield: 2 loves pumpkin bread

Posted by Lorie

April 17, 2012 1:03 p.m. - Updated: 5:30 p.m.

The members of Highland Park United Methodist church worked hard for two days last week on traditional Japanese senbei crackers for an upcoming fundraiser as part of Japan Week festivities.

Church members, many of them Japanese-Americans, make the crunchy, salty and sweet rice crackers for the bake sale held each year during the Sukiyaki Dinner during Japan Week. This year marks the 63rd annual dinner.

Making the crackers is a time consuming process that takes the help of many congregation members. The church uses a recipe for the crackers was first made by the issei, or first generation Japanese-Americans.

Many of the people working to make the crackers are in their 60s, 70s, and 80s. Even a few 90-year-old members join the volunteers. They worked from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday last week.

Church member Margie Myoshi invited me to come see the process.

After the wheat and rice flour dough mixed, it is cut into small pieces and then rolled out into thin sheets using a pasta roller. Keiji Shimizu was one of the rollers flattening the dough into sheets.

Then, he passed the dough to other church members who cut it into bite-sized pieces.

Then the dough pieces were tossed with a bit more rice flour to keep them from sticking together. From there baskets of crackers were passed to the frying station.

Chris Newton was among those tending the the frying crackers on Thursday.

The fried rice crackers were piled into bins while they waited for a dunk into a soy, sugar and ginger sauce. Church members tossed the crackers in the coating.

After the senbei are coated, the crackers must be dried in one of large ovens at the church.

The crew passed the crackers to Dorothy Hashimoto who turned and tending them while they dried on Thursday.

Once dry, the finished crackers were passed to a “quality control” crew, including Hisako Akiyama, 89, Emi Suemori, 90, and Charlotte Tetsuka, 86. (They are pictured at the top of this post.) They checked the final product and packaged the crackers into 4-ounce bags.

Senbei are sold for $5 per bag during the Sukiyaki Dinner.

The 63rd Annual Sukiyaki Dinner will be held noon to 6 p.m. Highland Park United Methodist Church at 611 S. Garfield St. on April 28.  Tickets are $12.50 and may be reserved by calling 928-9459, 624-6892, 534-7994 or the church at 535-2687. 

Also on sale are baked goods, (including senbei), inarizushi, crafts, church cookbook.

The senbei can also be pre-ordered by calling the church.

Posted by Lorie

April 4, 2012 11:57 a.m. - Updated: 2:27 p.m.

Dysphagia is a disorder that makes it difficult for people chew and swallow.

Students in the joint Washington State University and Eastern Washington University  communications disorders program held a special potluck as part of a class assignment to share recipes for easy-to-swallow foods for fictional patients. The project was part of assistant professor Amy Meredith's class and the recipes were later compiled into an online cookbook.

The cookbook was published on the school's website here. There are photos and a story from the potluck here.

Meredith said dysphagia is often caused by neurological problems resulting from stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's Disease, Lou Gehrig's disease, multiple sclerosis and other problems.

If you, or someone you know, could use more recipes or ideas for an easy-to-swallow diet, click on the links above.

Here's a recipe that sounds delicious for anyone (and it looks beautiful). The recipe was voted “best liquid,” “most appealing to the senses” and “most creative.”

Samoan Sunset Smoothie

From Terri Runquist
For the first layer:
2 ripe bananas
1 ½ cups of yogurt (vanilla)
½ cup milk
6 ice cubes
Blend well and pour into decorative goblet.
For the second layer:
1 cup of cubed mango
½ cup cubed fresh pineapple
1 1/2 cups yogurt (vanilla)
½ cup milk
6 ice cubes
Blend well and pour over banana mixture.
For the third layer:
2 cups slided fresh strawberries
1 ½ cups of yogurt (vanilla)
½ cup milk
6 ice cubes
Blend well and pour over layers – almost to top of glass.
Optional: Garnish with whipped cream and fresh fruit.

March 28, 2012 7:02 a.m. - Updated: 10:03 a.m.

The Wandering Table will meet the James Beard House this summer.

Chef Adam Hegsted and sous chef Ryan Stoy will be cooking at the James Beard House in New York in June. 

The honor is something Hegsted has dreamed of since he started cooking. The story from this morning's food section is here.

Here are the links that I promised:

We featured Hegsted's traveling feast in this story about other mobile menus.

This is the link to the Northwest Profiles show about The Wandering Table by KSPS.

Makes me hungry just thinking about Hegsted's dinners.

Both chefs have day jobs. Hegsted is the executive chef at The Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort and Stoy is executive chef at Downriver Grill.

Posted by Lorie

March 21, 2012 12:07 p.m. - Updated: 12:21 p.m.

Aack!

I almost forgot about my promise to share the food and wine pairings planned for Hospice of Spokane's benefit “Taste of Life.”

The event will be held on March 30. There is more information and tickets for sale here.

This is the menu chef Urs Moser from The Spokane Club has planned:

Caterina Winery Chardonnay

Dungeness Crab Cakes with Mango Salsa

Lone Canary Syrah

Confit Duck spring roll, plum sauce

Liberty Lake Wine Cellars Syrah

Braised lamb cassoulet

Barili Cellars

Chicken terrine

Latah Creek Winer Cellars NV Monarch Red Blend

Pulled pork slider, balsamic straw berry jam

Townshend Cellars T3

Salmon cake, tomato jam

Emvy Cellars Devotion

Polenta wild mushroom ragout

Robert Karl Claret

House cured gravlax, mustard sauce

Bridge Press Cellars Merlot

Eggplant Goat cheese invotini

Arbor Crest Wine Cellars Malbec

Smoked brisket, horseradish sauce

Grand Ronde Cellars Cabernet

Pear and blue cheese flat bread, onion jam

Barrister Winery Cabernet Franc

Red wine braised short ribs

Knipprath Cellars Spanish Nudge Coffee Bean Cinnamon Port

Petit Fours

March 16, 2012 9:20 a.m. - Updated: 9:54 a.m.

Spokane cook Nancy Patrykus was awarded a blue ribbon in the Just a Pinch recipe contest for her authentic recipe.

Just a Pinch is a new online social site for American cooks. Food editor Janet Tharpe chose Patrykus' Irish Boxty because it is “a full-flavored festive dish” that is both tasty and easy to prepare.

“[This recipe is] from my Irish friend Coleen. She has given me some really great authentic [recipes] over the years. She left Ireland in 1940,” Patrykus told Just a Pinch editors.

Just a Pinch allows cooks access to thousands of recipes shared by members. Known as “America's Great Recipe Swap,” members can post their own family tested and approved recipes, try recipes submitted by others and enter contests. The site also lets members use an online recipe box and chat online about recipes and cooking tips.

Editors say less than 2 percent of the 80,000 recipes posted on the site have received a blue ribbon award. Congratulations Nancy!

Just a Pinch offers free and premium memberships.

Here's Patrykus' recipe, just in time for St. Patrick's Day.

Irish Boxty

These crispy fried potato cakes earned Spokane cook Nancy Patrykus a blue ribbon from the food editor of the Just a Pinch Recipe Club.

1 pound potatoes

1 onion, chopped fine

3/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Ste half of the potatoes aside for later. Peel and cut remaining potatoes into large chunks and place in a saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil ver high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain and place in a large bowl. Mash potatoes and set bowl aside.

Now peel and grate reserved potatoes and then stir into the mashed potatoes. Add onion, flour, salt and pepper; mix well. Stir in milk and egg to form a batter.

In a large skillet, heat oil over meidum heat. Drop batter from a tablespoon into the hot oil and cook 3-4 minutes on each side. Drain on a paper towel. Transfer to your serving dish. Serve with applesauce and sour cream.

Yield: 20 cakes

Posted by Lorie

March 13, 2012 12:03 p.m. - Updated: 1:17 p.m.

Spokane-area chefs featured in a new local cookbook will prepare the recipes they shared for “Signature Tastes of Spokane” at a fundraiser on Sunday at The Kitchen Engine.

The event will be held noon to 4 p.m. It is free and open to the public, but they are asking people to bring a non-perishable food item or cash donation for the Second Harvest Inland Northwest. A portion of book sales also will be donatd to the food bank.

The book, by Steven W. Siler and Nicole L. Manganaro, features 111 recipes from local chefs and kitchens. It is $22.

Here's the schedule for Sunday:

Noon-12:45 p.m.: Chef Nicholas Marinovich of Huckleberry's 9th Street Bistro will prepare White Cheddar Crab Bisque.

1 - 1:45 p.m.: Chef Bob Rogers of Masselow's Restaurant at the Northern Quest Casino and Resort will prepare Carnaroli Seared Scallops with Lemon Roasted Cauliflower Sauce.

2-2:45 p.m.: Baker/owner Deserae Cohrs of Maple Street Bistro will prepare Huckleberry Scones.

3-3:45 p.m.: Chefs/owners Erin Rauth and Marsha Loiacono of The Flying Pig will prepare Biscuits with Sausage Gravy

4-4:45 p.m.: Owner Susan Davis, of the Chocolate Apothecary, will prepare Citrus-Laced Hot Chocolate.

The Kitchen Engine is in the Flour Mill at 621 W. Mallon Ave.