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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (May 16, 2015)
Page 4C EAT, DRINK & EXPLORE East Oregonian Saturday, May 16, 2015 %RXUERQERRPGULYHVGHPDQGIRURDN By MICHELLE LOCKE Associated Press OAKVILLE, Calif. — Napa Valley vintner David Duncan has been known to stick his head in an American white oak barrel to get a full hit of the vanilla-laden, fresh-baked cookie smell the emanates from the wood. In fact, his Silver Oak winery — which produces classic Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley and Alexander Valley — is so wedded to using only American oak (no French ZRRG ZLOO VXI¿FH WR DJH LWV popular Cabernet Sauvignon, the family-owned winery recently took on 100 percent ownership of its own cooperage, where wooden staves are bent into barrels according to an ancient trade. And Duncan isn’t the only producer stoked on oak. Figures for the mostly privately held industry are hard to come by, but demand is evident in the 40 to 50 percent price hikes seen in stave log prices since 2012, VD\V%UDG%RVZHOOSUHVLGHQW and fourth-generation cooper at Independent Stave Co., which supplies customers and cooperages in more than 40 countries. Factors behind the price increases include the shut- down of about 40 percent of U.S. hardwood sawmills due to the recession, which in turn led to a drop in logging, VD\V %RVZHOO %DUUHOV PDNH up just a fraction of the hard- wood market, but cooperage demand due to the bourbon boom came back faster than other segments. An unusually wet season in 2013 didn’t help. %RXUERQLVWKHELJGULYHU in demand because by law it must be aged in new, American oak barrels. And domestic whiskey sales continued an upward trend in 2014, with more than 19 million cases of bourbon and Tennessee whiskey sold — up 7.3 percent over 2013 — for overall revenues of $2.7 billion, according to the U.S. Distilled Spirits Council. Once used, barrels used to age whiskey go on to second lives aging scotch and other spirits, as well as a few things outside the spirits world. Tabasco sauce is barrel-aged, DVLV%OXHJUDVV6R\6DXFH %HIRUHEHLQJXVHGWRDJH bourbon, the barrels must AP Photo/Eric Risberg In this March 3 photo, CEO and President David Duncan looks over an American oak wine barrel before its use at Silver Oak Cellars in Oakville. AP Photo/Eric Risberg This March 3 photo shows a glass of Cabernet Sau- vignon wine in front of American Oak barrels on dis- play at Silver Oak Cellars in Oakville. be charred, which is when a cooper catches the interior of DEDUUHORQ¿UHDOORZLQJLWWR burn for times ranging from 20 seconds to nearly a minute and a half. This process produces a caramelizing effect considered desirable in the liquors that are aged in the barrels. Producers decide on all kinds of variables, including how long the wood will be seasoned, how much the insides will be heated and with what. Maker’s Mark, an Inde- pendent Stave customer, for instance, requires 32-stave barrels, as opposed to the more common 34 or 35 staves, with fewer knots in the wood to create a tighter barrel with less leakage. Once ¿OOHGWKHEDUUHOVDUHDJHGRQ GLIIHUHQW ÀRRUV RI D ZDUH- house so they’re exposed to different temperatures, with a tasting panel deciding when each 19-barrel batch should be moved. ³,W¶V KRUULEO\ LQHI¿FLHQW in a lot of different ways, but by rotating our barrels we ensure that each and every barrel is aged the optimal way consistently,” says Rob Samuels, Maker’s Mark FKLHIRSHUDWLQJRI¿FHUDQGDQ 8th-generation distiller. Jack Daniel’s, meanwhile, has access to its own two cooperages under parent FRPSDQ\ %URZQ )RUPDQ “The good news is there’s still plenty of oak left in the U.S., particularly the eastern half,” says Jeff Arnett, Jack Daniel’s master distiller. -DFN'DQLHO¶VLVFODVVL¿HG as Tennessee whiskey, which also must be aged in new American oak, which then is sold for reuse. “We tell people if there’s a scotch that they like there’s a good chance that it’s because there’s three gallons of Jack Daniel’s soaked into the barrel,” Arnett jokes. Demand in recent years “We tell people if there’s a scotch that they like there’s a good chance that it’s because there’s three gallons of Jack Daniel’s soaked into the barrel.” — Jeff Arnett, Jack Daniel’s master distiller has made the wood a little KDUGHU WR ¿QG ² -DFN Daniel’s now has nine people working as log buyers compared to two some years ago — but it isn’t about to run short with the capacity to make more than a half million barrels a year. Rising demand for Amer- ican white oak is one of the reasons Silver Oak, which used to own 50 percent of its cooperage in Missouri, reached a deal to take on full ownership. “We would have done it anyway, but it’s made the impetus that much stronger,” says Duncan. Duncan sees American white oak as “like salt and pepper on a good steak.” The wine is the culmination of decisions made in the vine- yard and winery. The barrel is WKH¿QDOWRXFKRIVSLFHVDQG seasonings. “Things in American oak,” says Duncan, “taste good.” The essentials for visiting Paris What’s new, classics and more By THOMAS ADAMSON Associated Press PARIS — The City of Light is not just one of Europe’s most beautiful FDSLWDOV %HFDXVH RI LWV VPDOO VL]H just 8 kilometers (5 miles from north to south), Paris is also perfect for exploring on foot. So walk round the winding cobbled streets of panoramic Montmartre or stroll through the historic Marais with its devastatingly chic fashion boutiques. And for budget-conscious foodies — forgo the world-class restaurants in favor of the local artisan shops where you can stock up on delightful cheeses and wines for a picnic in Paris’ oldest monumental square, the Place des Vosges, or in the gardens of the majestic Louvre museum. AP Photo/Matthew Mead Pineapple core ceviche. Getting to the core of the matter Eat your pineapple cores By MELISSA D’ARABIAN Associated Press Eating fresh pineapple always reminds me of balmy vacation nights in Hawaii. And since pineapples run a few bucks a pop, buying them frequently translates into considerable savings when compared to an actual trip to Hawaii, particularly when you’re carting along four girls, as I would be. Admittedly, the pineapple is a tad less exotic... Still, it’s a great sweet summer treat. Pineapple gets its unmistakable sweetness from natural sugars, of course, but this tropical fruit also is a fantastic source of vitamin C DQG¿EHU%XWKHUH¶VDQRWKHU thing to get excited about: Pineapples are packed with protein-tenderizing enzymes that can do very cool things in the kitchen. For example, these enzymes prevent gelatin from gelling. So step away from the aspics and gelatin salads if you are using fresh UDZSLQHDSSOH%XWWKRVH same enzymes can work wonders in marinades. That is, so long as you don’t let the meat linger too long in the pineapple juice. About 20 minutes is plenty for most meats. The problem with pineapple (not counting loose gelatin) is that we routinely toss about 25 percent of our fruit when we throw out the core! Admittedly, the core is PRUH¿EURXVWKDQWKHUHVWRI WKHSLQHDSSOH%XWDVDQDYLG snacker of the pineapple core, I think this issue is minor. 6ROYLQJIRUWKHH[WUD¿EHULV quite simple: Cut the core down to smaller pieces (think tiny dice or thin slices), or cook it to soften. For example, you could slice the core thinly into coins for easy snacking. You also could grill the coins and drizzle them with honey. Or dice the core, saute it in just a splash of oil, then spoon over Greek yogurt for a dessert. Or pickle cubes of the core with hot water, vinegar, sugar and maybe a pinch of red pepper ÀDNHV In this recipe, I take the core of a pineapple and pair it with citrus juice and shrimp to make a summertime classic — ceviche. The acid in he marinade essentially “cooks” the raw shrimp, but you also can use cooked shrimp or ¿VKLI\RXSUHIHU,IVR\RX can reduce the marinating time to about 15 minutes. ——— Food Network star Melissa d’Arabian is an expert on healthy eating on a budget. She is the author of the cookbook, “Supermarket Healthy.” http://www. melissadarabian.net PINEAPPLE CORE CEVICHE AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File This May 2, 2013 file photo shows Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, France. The City of Light is not only one of Europe’s most beautiful cities, it’s also the perfect size for exploring on foot. brate 300 years since the death of the palace’s founder, Sun King Louis XIV. This week, it inaugurated the newly renovated Water Theater grove — What’s new ¿WWLQJO\WRJUHDWIDQIDUH To encourage Parisians to walk It’s an incredible contemporary DURXQGDQG¿JKWULVLQJDLUSROOXWLRQE\ fountain with gilded sculptures ditching their vehicles, car-free pedes- composed of 2,000 pearls and 20,000 trian zones are cropping up all over the SLHFHV RI JROG OHDI ,W¶V ¿W IRU D NLQJ city — especially near the river Seine. even though the king is dead. Enjoy walks on the arty left bank, And what would a trip to Paris be which was transformed in 2013 when like without a visit to the new-look a stretch was pedestrianized from the Eiffel Tower? The 1,063-foot monu- Musee d’Orsay museum all the way to ment was given a vertigo-inducing WKHSRSXODU4XDL%UDQO\PXVHXPQHDU face-lift last fall as organizers cele- the Eiffel Tower. brated its 125th anniversary — and And from 2016, you’ll be able to QRZKDVVHHWKURXJKJODVVÀRRUSDQHOV walk down a 2-mile car-free stretch of RQLWV¿UVWOHYHO the Seine’s right bank — past Notre The four small viewing sections, Dame cathedral, the beautiful island Ile which cost $38 million, allow visitors Saint-Louis and end up at the beautiful to see 187 feet below their feet. blooms of Tuileries gardens. If you want a break from Paris’ Tips classical beauty, head to the once-gritty Airbnb, the house rentals website, suburb of Pantin, which has been is hugely popular among Parisians. GXEEHG WKH ³%URRNO\Q RI 3DULV´ ,WV Visitors can save hundreds by opting GHUHOLFW JUDI¿WLFRYHUHG ZDUHKRXVHV to stay in a private accommodation by a canal have been taken over by instead of a hotel, and an organized galleries and artists, turning it into the WRXULVW FDQ ¿QG VRPHWKLQJ IRU HYHU\ hippest place in the City of Light. area, taste and price range — from a small room to an apartment in a historic Classic attractions town house. The incredible Versailles Palace has If you’re on a shoe-string budget, been given a new feature — to cele- check out the new 1,000-bed Generator hostel in the city’s funky 10th district, with a shared room for 25 euros per person per night. For getting around, nothing is more fun than the free-bicycle rental initia- WLYH FDOOHG WKH ³9HOLEH´ %LNH VWDWLRQV are located around the city — and all you need is a pair of legs and a credit card (that won’t be billed — it’s just to insure the bike return). Hanging out The famed pedestrian street Rue Montorgueil, near metro Etienne Marcel, is a perfect place to sit and people-watch. It’s as popular with fashion-conscious hipsters as it is with TXHHQV²%ULWDLQ¶V4XHHQ(OL]DEHWK¶V favorite bakery Patisserie Stohrer is here! Paris is famed for its beautiful gardens and parks. So sit, talk philos- RSK\ QLEEOH &DPHPEHUW DQG VLS ¿QH %RUGHDX[ ZLQH LQ WKH 3DUF 0RQFHDX in the 17th district. Or picnic in Paris’ “Central Park,” the awe-inspiring %XWWHV &KDXPRQW LQ WKH WK GLVWULFW A verdant beer garden called Rosa %RQKHXU IRXQG ZLWKLQ WKH %XWWHV Chaumont, is a particular hit with Parisians. For those not afraid of getting their feet wet, go boating in the large lake at WKH%RLVGH9LQFHQQHVLQWKHHDVW 6WDUWWR¿QLVK 1 hour and 15 minutes 6HUYLQJV 6 • 1 pound raw shrimp, any size, shelled and deveined, cut into 1/4-inch pieces • 1/2 cup lime juice • 1/2 cup orange juice FXS¿QHO\FKRSSHGSLQHDSSOHFRUHRUWKHFRUH of one large pineapple) VPDOOVZHHWRQLRQ¿QHO\GLFHG VHUUDQRRUMDODSHQRFKLOLHV¿QHO\GLFHGIRUOHVV heat, remove the seeds) • 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger (optional) • 1 medium avocado, halved, pitted and chopped • 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro • Kosher salt and ground black pepper • Small butter lettuce leaves, to serve • Sliced radishes, to serve • Lime wedges, to serve In a large bowl, combine the shrimp, lime juice and orange juice. Toss well, then refrigerate. For a tender FHYLFKHPDULQDWHIRUPLQXWHV)RUD¿UPHUWH[WXUH let marinate for 1 to 2 hours. Once the shrimp has marinated, drain and discard the juice. Return the shrimp to the bowl and add the chopped pineapple core, onion, chilies, ginger (if using), avocado and cilantro. Toss well, then season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with butter lettuce leaves (to use as wraps and cups). Offer sliced radishes and lime wedges on the side as toppings. The dish can be prepared ahead. To do so, cover tightly after draining and tossing with the onion and pepper, then refrigerate. About 30 minutes before serving, add the avocado and cilantro. Nutrition information per serving: 130 calories; 50 calories from fat (38 percent of total calories); 6 g fat (1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 95 mg cholesterol; 510 PJVRGLXPJFDUERK\GUDWHJ¿EHUJVXJDU g protein.