Early morning at Pacific Sourdough

It's 3:55 Saturday morning, dark and cold outside and pretty chilly inside the bakery too. I, with my first cup of coffee still steaming, come in and sleepily turn on the lights and the ovens. The sourdough loaves have been slowly proofing all night in the cool air and as the ovens heat up, the room warms and the loaves finish rising and are ready to be baked by the time the thermostat reaches 450degrees. The first batch gets tipped out of their baskets, slashed with a sharp razor and loaded into a steamy hot oven, 42 loaves to a batch. They quickly "spring" into perfect boules and baguettes; their slashes opening elegantly and in a few minutes begin to turn golden. 30 minutes later, I finish my coffee and it's time for the bread to come out. The loaves are now a dark golden brown and smell like toasted wheat, little blisters on the surface indicate perfect fermentation and I know the bread will taste great. As they cool on the rack they make a little crackling noise as the crust contracts slightly, it is a little chorus that says "breakfast"! Now the best part of the morning, the reward for yesterday's mixing and shaping and patience, a baker's privilege and of course, quality control. I get a fresh cup of coffee and tear off a chunk of warm baguette, the crust at it's crispiest, the crumb steaming and pungent, I butter it and take a bite, perfect! By now the bakery is warm and cozy and smells heavenly, the sun is rising as I load another batch into the oven and I am happy to know I will soon be sharing my delicious breakfast with lots of farmers market customers, smiles all around.

Market Starts in 10 days!

We are gearing up for another Winter market season here in Corvallis. Make sure you put us on your list of things to do next Saturday. With fresh  local fruits & veggies, local artisans, and yummy baked goods. You don't want to miss this! We will be posting vendor specials right here on our new blog site so stay tuned, and we will see you next week!

Wild Mushroom Sauce

Here is a great recipe for wild mushrooms. You can stock up on fresh mushrooms at the Corvallis Indoor Winter Market, and even take home a wonderful cut of meat to accompany your sauce. The market opens in less than two weeks!

Wild Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter

 

1/4 cup finely chopped shallots

2 ounces portobello mushrooms, sliced

2 ounces crimini mushrooms, sliced

2 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced

2 ounces morel mushrooms, sliced

2 ounces chanterelle mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup red wine

6 fluid ounces beef demi glace

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute shallots briefly, then stir in all of the mushrooms. Saute until tender and translucent, about 3 minutes. Pour in red wine, and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in demi glace, and simmer for 6 minutes, or until sauce has thickened. You can use any variety of wild mushrooms for this recipe.

Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Hazelnut Butter

This is a great recipe that uses ingredients that you can get at The Corvallis Indoor Winter Market. The market starts up again in just a few weeks!

Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Hazelnut Butter


Ingredients

For the butter

1/3 cup hazelnuts (about 1 ounce)

2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

1-1/2 teaspoons lightly chopped fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon honey

Kosher salt

For the brussels sprouts

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1-3/4 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered or cut into 6 wedges if very large (about 6 cups)

Kosher salt

1/2 cup lower-salt chicken broth

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put the hazelnuts on a small rimmed baking sheet. Roast in the oven until they are a deep golden-brown (the skins will be visibly splitting), 5 to 6 minutes. Wrap the nuts in a clean kitchen towel, cool for a couple of minutes, and then take the skins off by rubbing the nuts together in the kitchen towel while still warm. Don't worry about getting all of the skins off.
 

2. Let the nuts cool for about 10 minutes. Finely chop 1/4 cup of the nuts in a small food processor. The nuts should be very finely ground, but not so much that they turn into nut butter. Coarsely chop the remaining nuts and set aside for a garnish.

 

3. Put the finely chopped nuts, butter, lemon zest, thyme, honey, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl and mix with a spatula until well combined. Set aside or refrigerate if not using right away.

 

4. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium high heat. Add the Brussels sprouts and 1-1/2 teaspoon salt and stir well. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally and then more frequently as the sprouts begin to brown, until all of the sprouts are golden-brown on most sides and have lost their raw color (they will still feel firm), 15 to 18 minutes.

 

5. Add the broth and immediately cover the pan. Cook until the broth has reduced to a few tablespoons, about 2 minutes. Uncover, raise the heat to high, and boil off most of the remaining liquid, 1 to 2 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and add the hazelnut butter in spoonfuls; toss well. Season to taste with salt.

 

6. Transfer the sprouts to a warm serving dish and garnish with the reserved hazelnuts.

 

7. Make Ahead: You can trim and quarter the Brussels sprouts several hours before cooking. The butter can be made and refrigerated (tightly wrapped) 2 days ahead. Store the extra nuts for garnish at room temperature

Wonderful Winter Chard Recipe

The Corvallis Indoor Winter Market will be starting soon. Here is a great recipe that incorporates Chard ( a Winter green that is available at the market).


Skillet Gnocchi with Chard & White Beans

Ingredients


1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 16-ounce package shelf-stable gnocchi
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup water

6 cups chopped chard leaves, (about 1 small bunch) or spinach

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings

1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Preparation


1.Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add gnocchi and cook, stirring often, until plumped and starting to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

2.Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and onion to the pan and cook, stirring, over medium heat, for 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and water. Cover and cook until the onion is soft, 4 to 6 minutes. Add chard (or spinach) and cook, stirring, until starting to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beans and pepper and bring to a simmer. Stir in the gnocchi and sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and cook until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling, about 3 minutes.

NutritionPer serving: 325 calories; 7 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 8 mg cholesterol; 55 g carbohydrates; 14 g protein; 6 g fiber; 616 mg sodium; 360 mg potassium

2011 Vendor Application

Hiro's Brushstrokes

Our Vendor Application for the 2011 season is now available on our blog and our Facebook page. We are getting ready for another fantastic Winter market season.
2011 Vendor Application

Find Your Favorite Vendors

Honeystone Candles

Are you missing some of our wonderful Corvallis Indoor Winter Market vendors? You can find them right here on our blog and on our Facebook page. We have provided links to our vendors websites and Facebook pages so that you can find your favorites all year long!

Here is a link to our new blog:

                                                        Corvallis Indoor Winter Market