Class Acts

A couple of quick announcements of upcoming classes that are guaranteed to be epic. How do I know? Because the women giving them are stunningly talented and never disappoint!

Cheesemaking with Mary Rosenblum, including Cheese Sampling and Lunch

Master cheesemaker and renowned science fiction author Mary Rosenblum teaches how to make your own Monterey jack cheese at home. Taught in Sasha Kaplan's "And She Cooks" home kitchen, you'll also sample some of Mary's feta cheese and have a late lunch prepared by Sasha of a pasta and salad dish using the cheese you create.

Details: Cheesemaking with Mary Rosenblum with Cheese Sampling and Lunch. Sat., April 9, 1-4 pm; $50, preregistration required. And She Cooks, 2335 NE 41st Ave. 503-288-8196 or 503-317-4823.

* * *

Superb Spring Holiday Dinner with Chef Kathryn LaSusa Yeomans

Find out how easy it is to prepare an astonishing spring holiday meal with ingredients bought at the farmers' market. The class starts with a tour of the Hillsdale Farmers' Market where you'll meet many of the market's farmers, ranchers and producers as you gather the ingredients for the meal. Then it's a short walk to Sweetwares kitchen in the Hillsdale Shopping Center where Chef Kathryn will demonstrate how to stuff and tie a lamb leg roast, complement it with savory sauces, condiments and seasonal market vegetable side dishes. A tasting will follow the demonstration and include suggested wine pairings and a dessert recipe.

Details: Superb Spring Holiday Dinner with Chef Kathryn LaSusa Yeomans. Sun., April 17, 9:30 am-12:30 pm; $60, reservation required. Sign up on the market website.

Photo of Mary Rosenblum by Sarah Gilbert. Farmers' market photo by Kathryn LaSusa Yeomans. 

Feed a Craving, Help a Family

Pie is one of my very favorite things, and few people make them better than Julie Richardson (below left) of Portland's Baker & Spice. And this weekend that center of sweetness in Hillsdale is not only celebrating its sixth birthday, but it's throwing a bash for National Pie Day (Jan. 23) by hosting a benefit for Neighborhood House with two days of pie-related fun.

With 25% of all pie sales going to the Emergency Food Box program at Neighborhood House, which feeds up to 700 Portland families a month, look for an apple pie contest at their retail store SweetWares, drawings for prizes that include a pie-a-month for a year or a seat in one of Julie’s pie classes.

And there's the unique opportunity to purchase pie by the slice from an array of their scrumptious pies. Get this list of delights: "Featured pies for the event include Lemon Meringue, Boston Cream, Banana Cream, Butterscotch Cream, Double Crusted Apple, Double Crusted Pear Raspberry, Chocolate Cream and Coconut Cream." So whatever your mouth is craving, they'll have a pie to fill it!

Details: National Pie Day and Sixth Birthday Benefit for the Emergency Food Box program at Neighborhood House. Sat.-Sun., Jan. 22-23, 7 am-3 pm. Baker & Spice, 6330 SW Capitol Hwy. 503-244-7573.

Photos by John Valls.

Great Gifting: Class Acts

One of the best gifts I ever gave Dave and, by extension, myself, was a cocktail-making class with Lucy Brennan, Portland's Queen of Cocktailiana. He learned basic skills like shaking, muddling and mixing and came home with recipes for a classic martini and other Brennan-devised specialty cocktails. Which, over the years, has made for lovely evenings spent in the company of Messieurs Negroni, Sidecar and Manhattan and even Madame Corpse Reviver. Lincoln restaurant has a series it calls Bar Camp, a class that introduces non-professionals to the history of cocktails. Just think how nicely a gift certificate for a class would be tucked into set of martini glasses!

Details: Private cocktail-making classes for groups of 8 with Lucy Brennan at Mint/820: check the website or call 503-284-5518 to inquire about general classes. Bar Camp at Lincoln: check the website or call 503-288-6200.

* * *

Whether your giftee is gifted in the kitchen or not, a cooking class can expand an existing repertoire or give confidence to a novice. And it doesn't have to cost a fortune. My friend and fellow blogger Katherine Deumling of Cook With What You Have has a series of classes coming up in January on stocking your pantry that includes a dozen new ideas for quick weeknight dinners. She also does private classes for a reasonable price that can range from baking to quick meals for your family. Another option for bakers is a pastry class at SweetWares in Hillsdale, which has a full schedule of classes featuring breads, cakes, pastries and even gluten-free options. And if your cook wants to explore new horizons, I can't think of a better way to add some international flavor to your table than a class with Sophie Rahman of Masala. My post about her class is here, and I can guarantee your gift will be appreciated!

Details: Cooking classes with Katherine Deumling of Cook With What You Have: check her website or e-mail Katherine. Baking classes at SweetWares: check the website or call 503-546-3737. Indian cooking classes with Sophie Rahman of Masala: check her website or call 503-233-1966.

* * *

And how could I leave out the cheesiest gift of all? I couldn't! So if your beloved goes weak in the knees over washed-rind cheeses or gets all gooey for gouda, a cheese-making class might be just the ticket. Some of the best in the area are offered by Chrissie at Kookoolan Farms in Yamhill, who brings in artisan cheesemakers from around the area to do everything from soft, fresh cheeses to Port Salut, Muenster and Tallegio. Another option for the not-so-hands-on recipient would be a cheese tasting class, and I can think of none better than those offered by Luan Schooler of Foster and Dobbs in Northeast Portland. With classes on styles of cheese (think goudas or goat), the cheeses from a single cheesemaker (Mt. Townsend Creamery or Vermont's Jasper Hill) or pairing cheeses with wine, you can't go wrong.

Details: Cheesemaking classes at Kookoolan Farms in Yamhill: check the website or call 503-730-7535. Cheese tasting classes at Foster & Dobbs: check the website or call 503-284-1157.

If you know of other cocktail, cooking or cheesemaking classes that offer gift certificates, please let me know in the comments section below!

Check out the other gift suggestions in the series: Book by Book, Classic Design, Not Dead Yet! (food magazines you'll love) and Giving From the Heart.

Livin' in the Blurbs: Celebrities and Class Acts

When my semi-regular bulletin came in from Luan at Foster & Dobbs, one of the city's best cheese shops squirreled away in NE Portland's Irvington neighborhood, I was floored. There, buried amid a plethora of can't-miss wine tastings, book signings and classes, were two names that sang out. One was Paul Bertolli (left), charcutier extraordinaire and the progenitor of the art of cured meat in America (no big salami jokes, please). The other was Zoe Brickley, the cave maven and "superstar affineur" of that center of all things cheesy and good known as Murray's in New York City. They'll both be at F&D in early October, and I urge you to get yourself in there for one or both sessions.

• Cheese Science for the Enthusiast with Zoe Brickley of Murray's discussing cheese basics with samples of the cheeses included. Fri., Oct. 1, 7:15 pm; $25, reservations required.
• Fra' Mani Handcrafted Salumi with Paul Bertolli, who will be on hand to share tastes and chat about his succulent cured meats. Sat., Oct. 2, 2:30-4:30 pm; free.

Details: Foster & Dobbs Authentic Foods, 2518 NE 15th Ave. Phone 503-284-1157.

* * *

The arrival of fall—and don't tell me you haven't been pulling up the comforter the last few nights—means that new class schedules have been jamming up in-boxes all around the Northwest. One of the most unusual schedules is from SweetWares, the baking supply shop-cum-cooking school in Hillsdale. From Indian curries to challah to Mexican Day of the Dead sugar skulls (I kid you not), they've got a great lineup of reasonably priced hands-on classes coming in the next couple of months.

• Big, Fat, Tall, Luscious Layer Cakes with Melissa Carey Ragland. Thurs., Sept. 23, 1-4 pm; $75 with preregistration.
• Day of the Dead Sugar Skulls with Andrea Nicholas of SweetPerennial Sugar Flower Boutique. Sat., Oct. 2, 10-11:30 am; $40 with preregistration
• Decorating Your Fall Baked Goods with Chocolate Transfers with former Baker & Spice cake whiz and Sugarhouse Cake owner, Erin Fale. Sat., Oct. 23, 10-11 am; $45 with preregistration.

Details: SweetWares, 6306 SW Capitol Hwy. in the Hillsdale Shopping Center. Phone 503-546-3737.

* * *

And the final class act in this list is my brother, Bruce, the proprietor of Sellwood wine shop Vino and the always-insightful, pomposity-popping author of the blog Eat. Drink. Think. He's moving the shop (details here) to SE 28th, involving a month-long hiatus, meaning I'll be looking forward to reading many more posts on the blog (since he'll have all that time on his hands), yet I'll be missing his hilarious and pointed weekly tasting notices that never fail to stray from the matter at hand. From his final tasting notice: "The hardest part of this move and the ensuing closure is knowing that I will miss commenting each Friday on the next election cycle and all the juicy bits that entails. The myopians who are Tea Party candidates alone provide a full buffet of opportunity. Any political party who elects a bill-evading deadbeat like Christine O’Donnell in Delaware deserves every bit of ridicule they incur. Even Karl Rove called her out, saying "there were a lot of nutty things she has been saying that just simply don't add up." Look for a Big Sale on Saturday, Sept. 18, as he depletes his stock, the better to fill up the new shop with fresh deals!

Details: Vino, 1226 SE Lexington in Sellwood. Phone 503-235-8545.

Livin' in the Blurbs: Tasty Tidbits

A few upcoming events are on tap from the Oregon Brewers Guild, including these beer-alicious happenings:

• Nov. 10: Meet the Brewer from Klamath Basin and his Butt Crack Brown, Golden and Red ales. 6-8 pm. Green Dragon Bistro & Brewpub, 928 SE 9th Ave. 503-517-0660.
• Nov. 11: Holiday Ale Brewers Dinner. 6 pm; $55. Ft. George Brewery, 1483 Duane St., Astoria. 503-325-7468 for reservations.
• Nov. 12: Double Mountain Fa La La La La Release Party. 5:30 pm. Victory Bar , 3652 SE Division.
• Nov. 12: Oakshire Beer Belly Dinner with brewer Matt Van Wyk. 6:30; $35. Eastburn, 1800 E Burnside. 503.236.2876 for reservations.
• Nov. 12: Terminal Gravity's Festive Ale and Bucolic Plague BarleyWine. 5 pm. Horse Brass Pub, 4534 SE Belmont. 503-232-2202.

* * *

Now that she doesn't have 10 farmers' markets to cover (she's dropped down to only six or eight), Lisa Jacobs of Jacobs Creamery has decided to take all that time she has on her hands and help manage Willapa Hills Farmstead Cheese and learn to make blue cheese. And start raising her own sheep. And renovate a 1900 farmhouse. And teach cheesemaking classes at Sweetwares, the baking supply company recently launched by the fabulous folks from Baker & Spice. Upcoming classes include:

• Nov. 18: Basic Cheesemaking includes yogurt, créme fraiche and farmer's cheese; light dinner served. 6:30-8:30 pm; $75, reservations only.
• Nov. 29: Basic Cheesemaking includes yogurt, créme fraiche and farmer's cheese; light lunch served. Noon-2 pm; $75, reservations only.

To register, contact the store by e-mail or phone 503-546-3737. Sweetwares, 6306 SW Capitol Hwy.

* * *

The revitalization of NE Alberta Street in Portland took a huge leap forward when Random Order Coffeehouse opened several years ago, and since then it has become ground zero for pie lovers of all stripes (and added "& Bakery" to its name). If you're thinking one of their pies might make a tasty addition to your holiday table—and what table wouldn't benefit from a locally-harvested, organic fruit pie—then now's the time to get your order in. The 2009 Thanks to Pie Menu includes "Old World Apple Farm" apple, organic pear and cranberry, blackberry organic apple, brandied pear with dark chocolate and candied ginger streusel, Kentucky pecan and spirited pumpkin.

Details: Holiday Pies from Random Order. $28 for a 9" Pie. Order by Sunday, Nov. 22. Call 971-340-6995 or go to the store, 1800 NE Alberta St.