National Pie Day is January 23rd. This reminded me of the Bacon-Apple Pie at Lincoln. At the time I promised to get the recipe, so to honor the day, I did. Wearing all black, I slithered in through a skylight, broke into the office, and stole the recipe. Here it is:
Makes one 9-inch pie
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 recipe Pate Sucre, see below
3 pounds crisp red apples: rome, braeburn, gala
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1# bacon, sliced
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one pate sucree disc into a 13-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate. With a sharp paring knife, trim dough about ¾ inch over the rim. Turn rim of pie dough under to form a runstic crust. Freeze again until firm, at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Remove pie shell from freezer, and fill with apple mixture. Dot with butter.
Arrange the strips of bacon over the top of the pie crust in a lattice, then fold the edges of the pie crust over the bacon and crimp.
Bake for about an hour, until the bacon on top is nicely crisp, the crust is browned and a knife pushes easily into an apple slice. This should be about an hour.
Every apple has a different water content and will react to cooking differently. So, just pierce with a knife to make sure the apples are soft and the bacon is crisp!
Pate Sucree
1 large egg yolks
2T ice water
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
Salt
4 ounces (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Lightly beat yolks and water in a small bowl until combined.
Pulse flour, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 20 seconds. With the machine running, add yolk mixture in a slow, steady stream. Process until mixture just begins to hold together (no longer than 30 seconds).
Shape dough into 1 disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, 30 minutes to overnight.
(Those of you who know me, realize that I couldn’t slither if my life depended on it. Instead I do something more like rolling; faster and faster as the momentum of my stomach increases. To be honest, Jenn at Lincoln gave me the recipe.)
Lots of bits and pieces of news; I’ll just throw them at you with a minimum of snide remarks:
Morgan Brownlow: Pork Dealer? So says Patrick Coleman over at the Mercury.
I hear there’s a new Mexican restaurant going into in the old Starbucks space on 20th and Hawthorne. It’s a local chain: La Palapa. I’m sure it will be as wonderful as all the other locations in the chain.
The old D.F. restaurant space in the Pearl District has been leased. It’s going to be called Metrovino. The owner used to manage Agrivino in Carlton, and previously worked at Nick’s in McMinville.
It seems the wide speculation among many that Morton’s was going to be closing, was premature. In a recent press release, they made sure to mention they have signed a new lease.
By now you have probably read here – Jack Yoss, executive chef of Ten 01 is leaving on a trip of self-discovery. First stop, Phuket. Who in their right mind wants to follow a dream and travel the world, learning and writing about their experiences? I hate him. Anyway, there are a few interesting rumors floating about concerning possible replacements. At least one gives me hope.
Dirty. That’s the name of a nightclub in Old Town I’m sure you’ll all rush to visit. Anyway, I just heard that the owner of Dirty will take over what was former Mercato space in the Pearl. I am told it will not become a full-fledged nightclub. Hmm… just what Ten 01 needs across the street.
Wondering what has happened to Lucier’s “famous” wine stock? They have been trying to unload it. Since there are a ton of rumors out there that it wasn’t stored properly, I’d say good luck with that. Buyers be darn careful! If they want to send me some samples, I’m happy to do a random test for quality. Hic.
Ruby Jewel, maker of some addictive ice cream sandwiches, has about 500 extras in the pumpkin ginger flavor. It seems the distributor ordered too many, and they are looking for suggestions as to what they should do with them. I’d say Oregon Food Bank (I’ll be joining their big promotion for the month of February). Those sandwiches are terrific, and bound to bring smiles to both kids and adults. Feel free to comment with your ideas.
I wonder if I could fit 500 in my freezer.
I just mentioned it, but I’ll do so again – we are participating in the Blog for Food promotion for the Oregon Food Bank. It lasts the entire month of February. Start saving some pennies for the promotion. Any amount is going to add up. Heck, if everyone who comes here in a week sent in five dollars, it would put a huge dent in their deficit.
A few of you have asked for an update on Beaker & Flask, Kevin Ludwig’s new venture in SE Portland. He tells me construction is plodding along (plumbing, bathroms, ductwork etc), and the plan is to cut the doorway and put in the new windows soon. If all goes well (and this project has been delayed several times so far), look for a Spring opening. Meanwhile you can experience some of Kevin’s drinks over in the bar at Clyde Common. You can also try out some more bar wizardry from Lance Mayhew over at 50 Plates. They will be working together along with Benjamin Bettinger, last Chef de Cuisine at Paley’s Place, now at Clyde Common.
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. I’ll be doing an event roundup like I did for New Year’s Eve, so if you are a business doing something special for the occasion, drop me an email with the details asap. 100 words or less please! pdxfoodpress@gmail.com
As reported previously, Andy Ricker of Pok Pok is opening a new restaurant in China Town, called Ping. It’s projected to open in about two weeks. The location is the old Hung Far Low building; construction is moving along quickly. The food is reportedly a mix of Vietnamese, Chinese, etc. The Ping website is now up (sort of): pingpdx.com
Speaking of Pok Pok, here is a bit of news about them. Andy quit using charcoal with the rotisserie last summer. At the time, there were a few irate comments here. Now Andy says, “One of our purveyors found a charcoal briquette that is made from hardwood, is all natural, burns more cleanly and is much easier to work with than the mesquite charcoal we gave up on this summer. The old iron lung has had a complete going over and (knock on wood) should be easier to maintain and easier to operate than it was when we put it up on blocks a few months back.”
Noble Rot is moving. To the old Rocket space. I kid you not. Leather, will be back in the kitchen.
I have mixed feelings about this. First of all, for me, a lot of the charm of Noble Rot is in the space, the sometimes iffy wine flights, the limited menu, and the very reasonable prices. Move it all to the sleek Rocket space, and I worry it will loose these characteristics. On the other hand, when Leather cooked at NR, the food was pretty damn good. Let’s hope they don’t change things too much.
Matthew Campbell of Cremant and Le Pichet in Seattle has moved back to Portland to take a position as the right hand man of Chef Greg Perrault at D.O.C.
Pork seems to be the most overused ingredient right now. Don’t people realize that’s SO 2008! Anyway, the “masterbacon” (cough) event was just held, and now comes Cochon 555. This is “5 pigs, 5 chefs, and 5 winemakers, a friendly competition for a cause.” It’s to raise awareness for Raphael House of Portland.
The new North West Barista Champion was crowned a few weeks ago. Out of 21 competitors, local barista Alex Pond of Fresh Pot placed 1st, and Kevin Fuller of Albina Press placed 2nd. Congratulations to both. I wish I had someone to interview Alex, as I think he’d have some interesting things to say.
The United States Barista Championship will be March 5-8 at the Oregon Convention Center.
It’s not Sandoval’s, it’s by the people who own the Sandoval’s chain. It’s called La Palapa. You were right about Davis on cheesecake pricing, though. ;-)
See here: http://www.portlandfood.org/index.php?showtopic=8573
Interesting to see that La Palapa will be owned by Danny Sandoval but won’t be called Sandoval’s. Will the food be better than Sandoval’s? (God, I hope so) Is Danny trying to say “This is not just another mediocre Sandoval’s! It will be different/better!” Will Danny still yell at his kitchen staff in front of customers? Hmmm, maybe. Looking forward to the opening.
Corrected. And it’s open now. I am so behind! Thanks MSG
Wow, that’s a lot of news, FoodDude, thanks!
I’m with you on questioning the move of Noble Rot. It is actually rather difficult, as evidenced by so much lack in this regard, to create a warm, vibrant, good energy, wanna-come-back-soon atmosphere in a restaurant. I have to say that I don’t go to Noble Rot for the food, although it can be quite nice. Nope, it’s the physical space and it’s particular energy that brings me back.
But hey, is the space for lease? :-)
Couldn’t agree more. Most times, we just “end up” at Noble Rot after dinner somewhere else on 28th. Never even made it to Rocket because of location. Maybe folks not ready to end it after dinner at Le Pigeon or a show at Doug Fir, but bye bye regular neighborhood clientele…
What if 100 people who read this site gave Ruby Jewel $5 each and then she can donate the 500 ice cream sandwiches and hopefully recoup a bit of her costs? Set up a link and i’ll be the first to contribute.
On the Noble Rot front, that is a shame. The space is a good part of the charm and the Rocket space is just too cold for that. Maybe they can dress it up but you wouldn’t want to hide those amazing views and without containing the space it will never feel intimate. Plus nobody can see whether the restaurant is empty or full which is always a turnoff of wandering into an elevator to arrive on a floor completely vacant and find you are dining alone. This might be the space’s biggest drawback for a restaurant. I say lease the space out for office use and get Leather to run his own little kitchen experience a la Beast/DOC in the seldom used upstairs event space at the existing Noble Rot location. People would come to see him and the open kitchen environment with a small number of seats means profitability with limited staff needs and a manageable workload. Of course, if the landlord at Rocket isn’t helping them out I understand the desperation to want to jump but i hope they will reconsider.
On Metrovino – i hear it is going to be like Vinotopia at the movie theatre in Vancouver. I hope they have a ton of money because those enomatic machines are really expensive and that space is really expensive. but it will be fun if they can make it work.
Note to the owners of Dirty – book Dirty Martini now for your opening night entertainment and you have your drink theme built in to market your grand opening. Brilliant. That will cost you a $5 donation to Ruby Jewel.
and thanks for the bacon pie recipe!
Has anyone yet expressed interest in the old Noble Rot location? Please, please, someone put either a terrific breakfast place or a good but casual but not Laurelwood-esque neighborhood joint in there. I like wine. A lot. But that is already covered in the neighborhood. I need someplace I can go with my 5-year old to have a great meal and a beer that’s not a McMenamin’s or kid-themed place. Screen Door is great but does not have much for kids – I can’t afford to get mine a $9 burger. I suppose the layout isn’t very conducive to a burger joint, but hopefully we’ll get something new and fresh and different for the neighborhood. Any ideas? Tanuki could move in!
It would be a great breakfast spot, and the setup lends itself to that atmosphere.
If anyone knows who the leasing agent is for the space, please let me know. Thanks!
A note to Leather Storrs and the good folks at Noble Rot:
A-hem: You are out of your mind. No one in their right mind would take a successful restaurant and move it to a space wherein a restaurant has already failed. The parking sucks at Rocket, it’s difficult to find the entrance, and you will not be able to recreate Noble Rot in that space. You’re setting yourselves up for failure. Why would you do that twice?
Don’t listen to your landlord KC. The design at Rocket was part of your problem. Both Rocket and Chesterfields have failed there.
In short, stay where you are. We love your restaurant the way it is. Don’t fix what ain’t broke.
Sincerely,
A faithful Noble Rot Customer
Well said
ditto
Seriously! This is a mistake! A space with an acknowledged Good Vibe is a definite asset to a business, especially a restaurant business. If you are really going to do this, I suggest a week-long chant-in/love-in to clear the residue of bad energy that seems to hover in and around spaces that have failed multiple times. If you don’t buy the concept that a space can actually hold bad energy, then think of this suggestion as a fun marketing ploy.
Just FYI…Mercato was actually across the street from Blitz, not Ten 01…which is across the street from Powells. Arguably it is kiddy corner, but Mercato was pretty far down the block, so I doubt the noise and such will be any worse than Blitz currently is…that said, that is going to be one SMALL nightclub….
I’ve eaten at the new La Palapa a couple times. It’s OK, nothing to scream about, except that I love having reasonably-priced Mexican I can walk to.
The carnitas were not very carnita-y (little meat cubes, not crispy meat chunks). The pastor was good, though different than what I’m used to, it’s kept on a gyro rotisserie. The flour tortillas are very good, made on the spot. Not sure why they don’t make corn tortillas. The mild salsa is bland, spicy salsa is decent. I was served some nachos that were just chips and cheese with beans on the side: they need to take a cue from other tacquerias in town and load them up with pico, guacamole, etc.
There’s some potential there, I hope they work the kinks out.
“The pastor was good, though different than what I’m used to, it’s kept on a gyro rotisserie”
That’s the way the best I’ve ever had was made – at a street side place in D.F. Mexico.
(queue Homer Simpson drooling sound…)
“Wondering what has happened to Lucier’s “famous” wine stock? They have been trying to unload it. Since there are a ton of rumors out there that it wasn’t stored properly, I’d say good luck with that. Buyers be darn careful! If they want to send me some samples, I’m happy to do a random test for quality. Hic.”
My Response,
In speaking with Ron Wolf aka “Winewolf” today, he stated that the wines were always kept nest to the restaurant which was confirmed in “ideal conditions upon purchase”, he constantly walked through with his hygrometer and thermometer. “The humidity was always at 75% and the temp always 60 degrees”. Nothing worse than a cooked bottle of wine at any price.
I think he got it a bit backwards, that the temp was 75 degrees and the humidity was 60%. Horrible conditions for wine. Also lots of conflicting stories on who will be the chef at Lucier “when” they reopen. Two people at Dussin Group stated that it will be Pascal, others say that it will not be.
I can’t tell you how many people have told me the wine was kept in a condo next door. Good, reliable sources.
How do you keep a condo at 75% humidity? 60 degrees? Yeah, right. I can’t even keep the humidity in mine at 40%!
(Earlier today I considered disconnecting the hot air outlet from the dryer just to keep my youthful skin)
Cough.
Oh.. and I’d bet money it won’t be Pascal. Just saying.
Not to beat a “dead horse” to the ground but I agree with the buyer beware quote! The original owners “pre-Lucier” probably stored and cared for the wines correctly. But once Lucier took ownership? Maybe the current vintages, but the stuff with age?
That was one of Scott Calvert’s major disappoinments with his new bosses, NO PROPER WINE STORAGE. The wine was moved from thier point of origins to Oregon, to the condo, and then moved again to near by retail space, which worked as a wine storage. There was’nt enough temperature controlled, humidty controlled storage built on site.
As for Pascal….I cant believe the Dussins are that stubborn??? I mean buy the poor guy out or let him stay at Fenouil.
I think my feciciousness was overlooked here. Ron did confirm that the wine was kept in a next door condo. But in a temp/humidity controlled one, yea right. I believe it was 75 degrees with 60% humidity.
not the other way around. Again, BUYER BEWARE. Oh, and he also stated that MANY east coast auction houses are “very interested” in the collection, and are flying exec’s out here very soon.
I think you guys are worrying too much in regards to humidity. How long could these bottles have been stored in this condo? A year? I’m pretty sure that the wine wouldn’t suffer all that much whether the humidity was 40 or 75% in such a short time period and especially if the bottles were stored on their sides. As long as they could maintain a temperature of 68 degrees or cooler, I wouldn’t be all that concerned. 68 degrees isn’t going to harm these bottles…it just might make them age a little faster. And like I said before, these bottles couldn’t have been stored in this location for much longer than a year at the most.
The caliber of wines they stored with considerable age will surely suffer the worst. True that newer vintages are probably less risky. We shall see……….
But…the majority of the older bottles they bought weren’t directly purchased via the wineries (think grey market). My concerns on those bottles would be on exactly how they were stored prior to coming to Lucier…not how Lucier stored them. I don’t want to give an impression that I’m defending Lucier, as I have no inside info in regards to how they stored their wine. I will say that if Lucier is planning on going the auction route, they might want to wait several months. The wine auction market is incredibly soft right now, and chances are Lucier could stand to lose quite a bit of money on this wine…especially when a good portion of their french wines were purchased when the dollar was very weak.
Loyal Noble Rot Fan,
Couldnt agree with you more
I’ll be at Random Order tomorrow, going crazy on pie. They have the best in town. The chocolate cream? The Dutch Apple? Oh my god.
Speaking of pie, sort of, and the Lincoln apple-bacon pie… the apple bacon scone at Bakery Bar is delicious! A brilliant idea.
Had a pie orgy at Random Order Friday for their observance of National Pie Day. Pure bliss.
This is in response to the Noble Rot news. I heard these news last week from one of the restaurant owners. At first I was surprised since I love the space they are in. However, after sharing my concerns about what makes the Rot so special (ambiance, staff, food, wine) she assured me that they were going to try to create the same intimacy in the new space. The perks to the new space include the view and balcony for summer dining. I was also concerned about the food. I think they make good food considering their tiny kitchen. They do not plan to make major changes. I think loyal Rot customers need to be supportive and help this restaurant during the transition.
Anyone been to Brad Roots new place in Vancouver? Lapellah? First impressions?
Wasnt Brad the Sous Chef at Merenda in Bend?????
No. I believe Brad was at Wildwood, but not sure…By the way, Jody Denton closed Merenda and his other restaurant in Bend. This town lost most of it’s restaurants and it looks pretty grim over there… Portland is not the only one getting hit…
I imagine Bend is actually getting hit harder than Portland. Their housing market (high-end McMansions in gated communities, resort condos, second homes, etc) really took a hit worse than PDX. In addition, with an economy reliant in part on tourists, part time residents and resort overflow, they have a much less diverse economy and less population density. I feel bad for them, but that town was way over priced and the restaurant market reflects that as well.
I’m certain Denny’s, the cheap bars and pubs and the taco and pizza joints are doing well.
For the baking instructions on the pie, it says this:
“Bake for about an hour, until the bacon on top is nicely crisp, the crust is browned and a knife pushes easily into an apple slice.
Place pie plate on a baking sheet, and bake until crust just begins to brown, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking until bacon is crisp and golden brown and juices are bubbling, 35 to 45 minutes.”
I am totally eager to try my hand at this pie tomorrow, but I don’t want to f– it up, and this seems like a lot of baking. It is bake for an hour, then reduce to 350 & bake for 35-45 minutes? Or bake for 20 minutes at 400, then at 350 for 35-45 minutes? help!
I’ve sent an email, and will post Jenn’s response as soon as I get it.
Here is Jenn’s response. I’ve updated the original post:
Bake for about an hour, until the bacon on top is nicely crisp, the crust is browned and a knife pushes easily into an apple slice. This should be about an hour.
Every apple has a different water content and will react to cooking differently. So, just pierce with a knife to make sure the apples are soft and the bacon is crisp!
thanks FD!
Any idea on when Ping will be opening? I took my partner to lunch at Pok -Pok today and now he is hooked on Andy’s food. Tuck Lung is a lot closer to my office and he should draw well from foodies who work downtown.