Day 3 in Portland. If I had one word to sum up this day, it would be: spoiled. Spoiled. Spoiled. Spoiled. This day will go down in history as one of my most favorite days I’ve ever experienced. As if day one and day two in Portland weren’t amazing enough, day three may have given them a run for their money. Really what it comes down to is the entire weekend in Oregon was one that I will never forget. Day three was sponsored by OXO in partnership with Travel Oregon and Willamette Valley. There was so much beauty to take in the entire day, there wasn’t a moment that my heart wasn’t full.
I’ll explain in detail the story behind this ah-ma-zing appetizer a little bit later. For now, I just have to tell you how much I’m in love with OXO’s new GreenSaver Activated Carbon System. If you missed my Quick & Easy Cucumber Salad recipe, you’ll want to check out my first experience with the GreenSaver. Love. I’m in love. I hate to say this, but we throw away entirely TOO much produce. We always have high hopes of making green smoothies or fresh vegetable juice everyday, but time gets away from us… and then the produce goes bad. {Insert the incredible GreenSaver here}. I can’t tell you what a lifesaver adding on a few days to the life of our precious veggies can be. Already it’s made the world of difference – and I highly recommend you give it a try too!
Red Wine Caramel with Goat Cheese Mousse
Ingredients
Red Wine Caramel
- 2 c. dry red wine
- 1/2 c. ruby port
- 1 tsp. whole black peppercorns
- 1 shallot minced
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 1 c. sugar
- Pinch of citric acid or squeeze of lemon juice
Goat Cheese Mousse
- 1 c. heavy cream divided
- 10 oz. goat cheese softened
- Salt & Freshly ground pepper to taste
- Crostini and toasted walnuts for serving
Instructions
Red Wine Caramel
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In a saucepan, bring the wine, port, black peppercorns, shallot, thyme, and sugar to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the citric acid.
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Cook over moderate heat, without stirring, until syrupy and reduce to 1 cup, about 35 minutes.
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Strain and discard the solids. Let the caramel cool slightly.
Goat Cheese Mousse
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Whip 3/4 c. of cream on medium speed in a standing mixer until it reaches stiff peaks. Move to another bowl and chill.
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Add goat cheese and remaining 1/4 c. cream to standing mixer and switch to paddle attachment. Beat on medium high speed until the goat cheese softens, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
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Increase speed to high and mix for 4-5 minutes scraping down sides once during the process. Fold in the whipped cream in four increments and season to taste.
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Serve mousse with toasted baguette, toasted walnuts, & fresh strawberries
Recipe Notes
Adapted from The Kitchen at Middleground Farms
The morning started with {more} Blue Star Doughnuts in Lauren’s Suite at 7:45 (where I enjoyed a Lemon Poppyseed… HELLO delicious!!!!), then down to a breakfast reception at the Red Tavern Club Room at the Hotel Monaco. We were then treated with the cutest OXO Twist Top Water Bottle to keep us hydrated throughout the day. I may have realized at this point that turquoise may be giving green a run for my favorite color. Not intentionally my shirt, necklace, water bottle AND cell phone case all were the same color :). From there, at 9:00 we boarded the bus and headed to our first stop: Our Table Cooperative.
Just a bit about the conference location and our accommodations. We stayed at the classy, elegant, and eclectic Hotel Monaco 506 SW Washington Street Portland, OR 97204. It was the perfect location and within walking distance to a lot of the attractions we were interested in seeing. It was also conveniently close to the TriMet Public Transportation System that we used to and from the airport. The floor our room was located on was halfway between the lobby and conference room. Couldn’t have asked for a better location! As I mentioned before, I had the pleasure of sharing a room with four other amazing gals. We had the best time together.
At the cooperative we listened to Narendra Varma, the Executive Director, tell us all about the farm, gardens, CSA, and values of the collaboration. Our Table is a cooperatively-owned community-supported organic farm and on-farm grocery store. The weather was absolutely beautiful and the fresh, crisp air was food for the soul. I seriously kid you not. As a child I spent many summers at my aunts house on a farm, so the love of farm life runs deep within me. This was another one of those ‘what I wouldn’t give for Steve to be here’ days. I know he would have loved every second of it.
We walked the grounds, perused the beautiful organic strawberries, picked fresh blueberries straight off the bush, met the new chickens, and spent a few minutes in the grocery store – where I tasted the Kombucha on tap and bought some Pineapple Pepper Jelly, a couple of shirts, and reusable bag. We were even able to catch a glimpse out in the distance of Mount Hood. I never think twice when it comes to supporting local. Love when I can help contribute to something I so strongly believe in. It was hard to leave when it was time for us to head to our next location. I wanted to sneak away in the fields, lie down and watch the clouds go by. So serene. So peaceful. So very relaxing.
The next stop was The Kitchen at Middle Ground Farms. “A recreational cooking school on a small working farm; all ingredients come from chef/owner Jessica Hansen’s own farm or from one of her neighbors. Lessons take place in a beautifully refashioned cattle barn equipped with modern-day appliances”. We took a hands-on cooking class to make a snack with some fresh local produce. Here’s where the featured recipe comes in to play. We made fresh butter, Red Wine Caramel with Goat Cheese Mousse, and Prosciutto Wrapped Mango & Arugula.
All of it was yummy, but ESPECIALLY the strawberry/goat cheese/red wine drizzled crostini. I couldn’t stop myself, I just couldn’t believe how delicious all of the components put together were. Absolutely delicious. I couldn’t wait to recreate it at home! Not only was the food wonderful, look at that barn remodeled in to a kitchen. Be still my heart. I’m telling you, every stop we made this day made my heart yearn to live in the country. There’s just something about the breathtaking scenery, fresh air, slower paced life that I welcome with open arms. Chef Jessica was a wonderful host. So kind and helpful, very welcoming.
The last stop was at JORY at The Allison Inn & Spa. “The Allison is Oregon Wine Country’s premier resort and spa, and on-site restaurant JORY has been consistently recognized as one of the best restaurants in the state. Food is sourced from the greenhouse and 1/5 acre Chef’s Garden, cared for by full-time garden manager Anna Ashby. Chef Sunny Jin was recently nominated for Best Chef: Northwest and JORY was nominated for an Outstanding Wine Program by the James Beard Foundation Awards.”
Did I mention at the beginning of this post that we were spoiled? I wasn’t kidding. Can you believe all of the incredible places we got to see and mouth-watering food we got to eat? JORY did not disappoint. As soon as we saw the table setting we knew that we were in for a real treat. Additionally the view was stunning. Absolutely gorgeous. We were served four delicious courses, one right after another each surprising me with it’s fresh, light, and rich flavor. One of the best meals I’ve ever had and it couldn’t get much more ‘farm to table’ than this meal. I’d absolutely love to go back in a heartbeat. It was the perfect ending to an absolutely perfect afternoon. Many thanks to OXO, Travel Oregon, & Willamette Valley for making such a remarkable experience that I will truly remember for a lifetime.
Looks like you had an amazing time — and what a delicious sounding recipe!
What a fabulous combination!
Wow these look so luxurious. I know I could probably eat the entire tray. I love goat cheese and red wine :-)
What a stunning dish. What a lovely trip you are having! I’m very envious.
Looks like an amazing trip – I’m so envious and happy you had a wonderful experience! I was just in Portland for the first time recently (for a wedding at the Hotel Monaco, coincidentally!). Love the Green Saver – looks like a super-useful product. And your recipe? Wow! What a combination of divine flavors!
Oh I need that Green Saver! I hate wasting food. Your trip looked amazing and I can’t wait to make that caramel and mousse!
That Green Saver looks so cool! I’m going to look into getting one.
And what an awesome time you must have had in Portland! You got to see so much!
The recipe looks crazy good! Red wine caramel?! I would have never ever thought of that.
Thanks for sharing The Kitchen at Middleground Farms with your readers! It was great to have you here, and hopefully we’ll get to bump into each other at Feast Portland! I’ll be at the Travel Oregon booth at the Oregon Grand Bounty Tasting on Saturday!
Yvonne
Thank you so much for coming by to check out the post!!! I LOVED your kitchen and can’t wait to someday come back and cook again. I’ll definitely look for you at Feast and say hello :)
I’ve always wanted to visit Portland! Gorgeous shots and great read – I’m loving the idea of this mousse too. A red wine caramel sounds fab!
Yvonne
Thanks so much Thalia! I absolutely LOVED Portland and can’t wait to go back – it was AMAZING!!! This recipe is on point, let me know if you give it a try!
This was my favorite day too, I really love that they put the farm tours together. So often you go to a new place for a conference but have no time to see anything except the conference room. I love sharing Portland and Oregon with visitors so I enjoyed seeing everyone fall in love with it. I’ve been back to Our Table so many times already, and I think of the Indulge group every time. I hope you’re able to come back and visit again with your husband.
Yvonne
I’m so grateful for the tours! I thought they were just wonderful! This conference really was the best. I can’t wait to come back and visit. You are lucky that you get to visit Our Table as often as you want! #jealous!!!
So glad you posted this – The goat cheese with red wine caramel was my favorite as well!!! I actually made it again last weekend too :) LOVE your pictures from the OXO farm tour – Really, really a great summary of such a wonderful day!
Yvonne
Thanks Erin! That’s awesome you made it too – it was SO good!!! That farm tour was nothing short of ah-ma-zing!!!