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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 17, 1981)
Section II Portland Observer, December 17,1961 Page 3 He cook« all o f his meals without sugar or salt, but unless you were told so before hand, you probably would not notice their absence. In place o f those ingredients, W hitfield makes liberal use o f fresh herbs and spices. W hitfield’s method o f cooking is leisurely and well-organized. He will not be rushed and is almost imper turbable. W hitfield served up a deliciously tender rum p roast seasoned w ith bottled Ita lia n dressing, oregano, garlic and gravy accom panied by garden-fresh snap beans cooked to the point o f crispness, a fruit salad and a sauce o f mayonnaise, honey and ginger. Preceding the main course, we helped ourselves from a b ea u tifu lly arranged tray o f cantaloupe, watermelon and cheese, w ith plums and red and green grapes, all on a bed o f lettuce. The meal was as relaxed and lei surely as its p re p a ra tio n , all the more enjoyable because o f the good conversation and good feeling that filled the room as palpably as the arom a o f the lo vingly prepared food. Having dinner at the W h itfie ld ’s is like going home for the holidays, a relaxed, down-homey celebration in the American tradition. By com parison, dinner at the Scott Tylers is a step into another world. Their friends say dinner at the T y ler’s is much more than a hobby for Scott Tyler. It is a passion. Tyler is a gourmet cook who will go to almost any length to achieve exactly the right taste and presenta tion for the food he prepares, but he did not start out that way. ” 1 guess I've always known some thing about cooking,” he said, "but I began to get seriously involved when I was in college. A bunch o f us would pool our money to buy food and cook our own meals. I usually ended up being the cook, and we usually had chili or spaghetti. What better way to make a little go a long way?" During those collegiate summers and after college, Tyler worked as a photographer for the Chicago De fender and free-lanced for ou t-o f- town newspapers, wire services and n atio n al p u b licatio n s, including Ebony and Jet. His free-lancing led to a stint in public relations for C oca-C ola. In tim e he went back to graduate school for his M B A . On receiving his degree, he opened his own real estate business. W ith hard work, de term ination and concentration, he soon had a success on his hands. A lo n g the w ay, he discovered there is a lot more to cooking than c h ili and spaghetti. H e form ed a gourm et club w ith a group o f friend s, most o f them struggling graduate students. As his interest in cooking grew, Tyler began trying his skill at differ ent types o f ethnic cuisines. H e at tended a num ber o f cooking schools, including (he famed Dumas Pere School o f French C o o k in g taught by Master C hef John Snow den, an A m erican Black who learned his art in the kitchens o f some o f the best restaurants in France. T y le r brings to his cooking the same single-minded concentration he applies to his business. His skill and confidence are so great, how ever, that he is completely relaxed as he works. The Tyler apartment is equipped w ith a full restaurant kitchen, in cluding a six-burner com m ercial range w ith double oven, a huge commercial refrigerator, an upright freezer and a butcher’s table. This is his domain, and when he is cooking, his wife, Joyce, keeps discreetly oc cupied elsewhere in the apartm ent, always ready to lend a hand if need ed. (Joyce Tyler is also an excellent cook in her own right.) Tyler dismissed the hardware as merely a convenience. "Th ese are tools that make it easier to cook on a large scale,” he said, ‘ but anyone can be a really good cook with the equipment in the average kitchen. A ll it takes is a little know ledge, practice and p lann ing . Those are things anyone w ith the desire can master." "O n c e you know what happens when you blend various foods, herbs and spices,” said Tyler, "you can get almost any taste or effect you w ant. I t ’ s ju s t a m a tter o f knowing what you are doing." P art o f that is using the best meats, vegetables and other ingredi ents you can find and affo rd , Tyler said. Another part is planning. Tyler’s first decision was the main course. He chose Beef Wellington, a tenderloin o f beef seasoned and cooked inside a pastry chemise or wrapping. Once that decision was made, he chose the other courses to complement the main course. Their selection was based as much on ap pearance as on taste. A Tyler meal teases and leads the palate in much the same way that a fine painting teases and leads the eye. The creation o f that effect begins From Your Friend & Neighbors At Safeway! Scott Tyler carve* the piece de resistance for his guests, his own Beef W ellington. On the dish in the background are Florentine Stuffed Tomatoes, another red and green holiday touch for this most special meal. SAFEWAY '8-PACK Coca Cola Refreshing Soft Drink Plus Dep. $1 6 8 1fr-0i»n<* Betti* Sour Cream H| H Smooth Texture Plat Cartaa Bel-air Vegetables Sharp Cheddar 1-Liter Soft Drinks Shoestring Potatoes c 68 CaMoma or Japanese Sty*. Frown 20oz Saiaway importad Canadun WMa Chaaae Cragmom Aaacnad Regular Diet, or Miian Pius Dap Flavored Milk T/aV Butter Wheat Bread Real Butter... 1-Pound Quarters Mrs Wright s Crushed Wheat. 100% Whole Wheal, or Sandwich 24-oz Loal ® s14 8 f 7 9 S ' 1 Champagne Frozen Dinners Cocktail Ice WM» P"* « CoW Due*. 750 (W (C m * 0112 *23 SSI (tc ip M Sahjbury Staat or M a * O rni Swwtati UMlbalh MlbaHi ,1-01 l o l l Soj *1 ■ t : Shampoo F »berge Assorted 15-OZ 9 9 « Tangerines Sweet California Algerian Or Dancy Varieties Full 28-Lb. Bex ‘4.71 $1 $ 1 9 9 T oothpaste Regular Gel. Or Mint, 6 4-oz FABERCE S-J39 Sauce Buy Ron-Athotc Ho*day Favoma KaNGal > 1 9 9 CREST Ponty Hose air Pair 3?1 3..99* Party Pride Is Available At Your Nearby Safeway Store SAFEWAY Sheer Assorted Sizes And Colors Talar Boy Troian 20-01 U-Ol Pag 99* $269 *1 Sweat Paacal Variety or Almonds Numbar I 3?1 ,98* 25 AQUA NET Hair Spray AH Purpose Assorted 10-O2 Sue Large Celery In-Shell Walnuts *1 19 Prices Effective W ed., Dec. 16 Thru. Tues., Dec. 22 at Safeway Stores in the Portland Area. SAFEW AY with shopping for just the right in gredients. A ccording to T y le r, knowing when to buy is just as im portant as knowing what to buy. He said some foods can be purchased at almost any tim e and stored u n til needed. T y le r’ s confidence is reassuring and contagious. W ith o u t having sampled his wares, you just know he is a great cook. He works at his own pace w ith com plete assurance. When some produce he had planned on was not up to his standards, he simply found an acceptable substi tute and made w hatever a d ju s t ments in the menu were necessary. On this occasion, he experiment ed with a commercial pastry chemise for the Beef W ellington. It was the first time he had used the product, and at the last minute he discovered it was too small. U nfazed, he sim ply rolled the pastry sheets out to what seemed an impossible thinness. He then proceeded to wrap the par tially cooked beef tenderloin in the im proved chemise. It w o rked , o f course, and anyone who was not present in the kitchen w ould not have guessed that anything had gone awry. Before we got to the Wellington, how ever, the evening began w ith canapes, including a pate, smoked salmon (lo x ) and ham on w hite bread, to rm asalata on cucum ber slices and onion sandwiches. The tormasalata and onion sand wiches were discoveries for most o f those present. Torm asalata is best described as a Greek caviar made o f carp eggs. Instead o f the dark color o f c av iar, to rm asalata is a bright pink, almost matching the color o f the salmon. Tyler made the onion sandwiches with thin, almost transparent slices o f small onions between circles o f w hite bread spread w ith m ayo n naise. The edges o f the circles were roiled in mayonnaise and covered with finely chopped parsley. The red, green and white colors o f the canapes created a festive picture. The sit-down phase o f the dinner began with a clear potato and leek soup (w h ich T y le r described as a French peasant soup) and a celery root salad with vinaigrette dressing. These were followed by a delicious shrim p de jonghe served on clam shells. Each course was accom panied by an appropriate wine. The Beef Wellington, when it ar rived, was a treat to the eye and the nose. The delicately browned pastry chemise was as ta n ta lizin g as the bright Christmas wrappings around a c h ild ’ s presents. W e could not wait to discover the delights inside. The m eal lived up to and sur passed all expectations. And then came dessert, another discovery for most o f us. T y le r had prepared a white chocolate mousse. It was rich, cream y and delicious. A d ie te r’ s nightmare. Perhaps the biggest discovery we made is that the real secret o f good cooking is as much a matter o f the attitude o f the cook as o f food, re cipes, time and temperature. A good cook enjoys the process as much as the result. He is careful never to let his craft become routine. I
