It was yet another rainy Friday in Portland…a perfect day for the Watershed team to partake in a Foodie Friday escapade. Our Foodie Friday program was designed for educational purposes – to get us out of the office and into the industry, further extending our knowledge base. The more we have these experiences, the more value we can offer as experts.

We started off the day at Lovejoy Bakery, with a behind-the-scenes look at magazine production, led by Martha Holmberg, our newest team member and award-winning editor. Martha shared the ins and outs of how a “book” is created and filled us with valuable insight, while we noshed on flaky pastries and coffee.

Next, we headed over to the Art Institute, where Martha spearheaded a cooking class designed to hone our skills on finding balance between fat and acid. After we got equipped with aprons and lined the counters with the essential cooking tools and ingredients, we dove into the first recipe on our agenda, a rough puff pastry from Martha’s very own cookbook, Puff, which would be used for a rhubarb galette. Martha took us through a rough puff pastry demo and then everyone got started on their own…all except for me. Having a gluten sensitivity, I took on the project of making a strawberry rhubarb compote and prepping the rhubarb filling for the galette. See the recipe for the rough puff pastry below.

Then came the vinegar tasting (unfortunately we didn’t get any pucker-faced pictures). We lined up seven types of vinegar and tasted them individually, noting the variances in flavor, acidity and body. It was striking to taste the subtleties in the different varieties and better    understand the flavor of each one. We learned the proper ratio of vinegar to oil; 1:3 and that a dab of Dijon mustard is a great emulsifier and flavor addition to a dressing. With this knowledge in hand, we each picked our favorite vinegar and created our own vinaigrette for a mixed greens salad.

Next, we made a spring vegetable pasta. We blanched a variety of fresh spring veggies and created a sauce from chicken or veggie broth, green onion, lemon zest and heavy cream or crème fraiche (due to a dairy sensitivity as well, I omitted this part). We cooked up two batches of pasta—egg pappardelle and gluten-free brown rice spirals—to toss with the sauce and veggies. Finally, the moment we were waiting for had arrived…it was time to dish up our goodies and E-A-T! The food was delicious, flavorful and so fresh! It’ll be tough to beat, but let’s see what we can cook up for the next Foodie Friday!

Rough Puff Pastry

Great for tarts, galettes, turnovers, quiches

Makes about 1 pound; enough for two 9-inch tarts. You can make this
very quickly with a stand mixer and a paddle attachment, or by hand,
using a pastry scraper.

8 ounces cold unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ice water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes, spread out on a plate, and freeze
for about 15 minutes.

Mixer method: Combine the flour and the butter in a stand mixer fitted
with the paddle. Mix on low speed until the butter cubes are smashed up a bit and the chunks are about half their original size; don’t worry if the chunks aren’t uniform.
Stir together the water and salt until the salt is dissolved, then,
with the mixer running, slowly pour it into the flour and butter and
mix just until the dough barely holds together; don’t add all the
liquid until you’re sure you need it. The dough will look quite
shaggy.

Hand method: Toss the flour and butter in a wide bowl and cut the
butter into smaller pieces with a pastry scraper (also called a bench
knife) or a table knife. Pinch and press the mixture with your fingers
to encourage the butter to form flattened pieces. Stir together the
water and salt until the salt is dissolved, then gradually add the
liquid as you toss the flour mixture with a fork to evenly distribute
the liquid. Don’t add all the liquid until you’re sure you need it.
The dough may seem a little dry at first but it will come together as
you start rolling.

Dump the dough onto a floured counter and pat it into a rough
rectangle about 5 by 8 inches. Roll into a 5-by-16 inch rectangle,
lifting the dough after every few rolls to be sure it’s not sticking
to the counter and dusting the counter with more flour if it is
sticking.

With a soft pastry brush, brush off any excess flour from the surface,
then fold the bottom third of the dough up and the top third down,
like you’re folding a letter. Make sure all the corners are square and
all the edges of the dough line up neatly so the three layers are in
perfect alignment. Turn the dough 90 degrees to the right, so that the
open edge is on your left. This rolling, folding, and turning is
called a “single turn.”

Repeat the rolling and folding for three more single turns, each time
neatening up the edges of the dough with your palms to keep them
straight and snugging up the corners so they’re square, as well as
brushing off excess flour before you fold. Dust the block of pastry
with more flour, wrap it in plastic, and chill for at least 30
minutes.

Repeat for two final single turns, then chill at least another 30
minutes before rolling and baking.

Do ahead
You can make the pastry ahead and refrigerate for up to one day or
freeze for up to two months.

From Martha Holmberg