C4
EAT, DRINK & EXPLORE
East Oregonian
Saturday, January 26, 2019
AMONG THE BEST
Silvies recognized by golfing magazines
By RICHARD HANNERS
EO Media Group
The Retreat & Links at
Silvies Valley Ranch, oper-
ating since a soft opening in
2017, has caught the eye of
golfing professionals across
the U.S.
The boutique resort south
of Seneca in Grant County
recently was recognized by
two nationwide magazines,
while the resort’s chef was
given a top award by the
Oregon Beef Council.
Golf Magazine, with a
circulation of 1.4 million,
recognized the resort’s
McVeigh’s Gauntlet 7-hole
ridge course as “the best
new golf experience of the
year.”
The 1,177-yard McVeigh’s
Gauntlet course includes
par-3 and short par-4 holes
and features goats as cad-
dies. The leashed goat-cad-
dies can tote a handful of
clubs in leather golf bags up
and down the course’s steep,
rugged terrain.
Golf Digest, with a cir-
culation of 1.6 million, rec-
ognized the Hankins and
Craddock courses as two
of the top-four best new
courses of 2018.
“This is the first time that
any property had two new
courses ranked in the top
five in a single year,” Colby
Marshall, the resort’s gen-
eral manager, said.
The Hankins and Crad-
dock are reversible 18-hole
courses designed by Dan
Hixson, the golf course
architect known for his
work at Bandon Crossings
in Oregon and Wine Valley
in Washington.
The concept of a revers-
ible course isn’t new — the
historic Old Course at St.
Andrews in Fife, Scotland,
is still flipped occasionally.
Nine greens are shared by
the Craddock and Hankins
courses, with a total of 27
greens, 17 fairways and 36
holes.
Golfers approach the
nine shared greens from dif-
ferent angles as the course
reverses each day on 120
acres of maintained prop-
erty. The Craddock course
runs clockwise, while the
Hankins runs counter-
clockwise, starting from the
Photos contributed by David Zaitz
Goats serve as caddies at The Retreat & Links at Silvies Valley Ranch.
A goat caddie follows a golfer at The Retreat & Links at Silvies Valley Ranch.
solar-powered clubhouse.
The courses are named for
homesteaders in the Silvies
Valley.
Guests can also play the
Chief Egan course, a moun-
tain meadow 9-hole par-3
course. Special reduced
rates are offered to residents
of Grant and Harney coun-
ties, Marshall said — $75
to play on an 18-hole cham-
pionship
award-winning
course.
Sean Hoolehan, the past
president of the Golf Course
Superintendents Associa-
tion of America, joined the
agronomy team at Silvies in
2018.
“There really is no other
place like Silvies in the golf
world,” Hoolehan said. “I
played most of the great golf
courses in the United States,
and many in Europe, in my
40 years in golf course man-
agement. Nowhere else will
you find an experience like
this.”
Summertime visitors also
can enjoy cattle drives, rifle
and pistol shooting, fish-
ing in the ranch’s ponds and
creeks, and mountain biking
on the two-track trails that
crisscross the ranch.
Guests from metropoli-
tan areas or countries with
restrictive gun laws quickly
take to the frontier atmo-
sphere, Marshall said. That
includes shooting at the
pistol range, long-distance
sharpshooter range and the
Western-style range, where
guests shoot lever-action,
open-sight rifles at metal
targets that ping when they
get knocked down.
The resort also offers a
wide range of winter activ-
ities, from snowshoeing and
cross-country skiing on the
snow-covered golf courses
to ice fishing and ATV tours.
A fun new winter attrac-
tion is “cool golf” played on
the Chief Egan course, Mar-
shall said. Extra-large cups
are set up at the “greens,”
and golfers use high-loft
clubs to drive neon-green
tennis balls, he said.
“There’s no pressure,”
he said. “It’s a family fun
activity that often ends up
as a snowball fight after five
holes.”
Ozzie and Arnold, the
Clydesdale horses that pull
guests on wagon rides in the
summer, are being trained
to pull a sleigh for winter
guests, Marshall said. The
resort is also interested in
lining up snowmobile tour-
ing for guests through an
outside contractor.
Founded in 1883, the
ranch’s 140,000 acres of
deeded and leased land in
Silvies Valley is home to
mountain meadows, ponder-
osa pine forests and the Sil-
vies River drainage. Ranch
hands manage 2,600 goats
and 4,500 head of cattle.
The Retreat & Links at
Silvies Valley Ranch is a
34-room resort offering lux-
urious accommodations, fine
dining and a conference cen-
ter. Golf Magazine recently
recognized the Lodge at Sil-
vies Valley Ranch as one of
the 13 most spectacular golf
course restaurants.
Breakfast, lunch and din-
ner is served ranch-style
every day at long wooden
tables shared by guests,
staff and management. The
beef and chevon comes
from grass-fed cows and
free-range goats raised on
the ranch, and the meat is
USDA-certified organic.
Chef Damon Jones, rec-
ognized as a premiere ranch-
to-table chef, was recently
selected as the Chef of the
Year by the Oregon Beef
Council.
Jones hails from Ala-
bama, but his father has roots
in Central Oregon. Jones
began his culinary career
as a sous-chef in New Orle-
ans for the Brennon fam-
ily restaurants and at Emer-
il’s. Jones said he learned
the principles of “scratch
cooking” in New Orleans —
owning the entire meal from
start to finish.
In Oregon, he worked at
the Rogue Valley Country
Club, Crosswater at Sun-
river Resort and the Larks
Restaurant at the Ashland
Springs Hotel, where he was
the executive chef. He came
to Silvies in March 2018.
Ranch-style meals at Sil-
vies include seven courses
featuring what’s available
locally and what’s in season,
Jones said. Silvies grows
some herbs and vegetables
in a micro garden and green-
houses. Local ranchers are
invited to a more laid-back,
buffet-style ranch barbecue
on Fridays.
In addition to the oppor-
tunity to prepare great
meals, golfing drew Jones to
Silvies. His passion for golf
explains why he has worked
at so many golf resorts, he
said. When he’s not golfing
or cooking, Jones said he
enjoys the quiet and solitude
of Eastern Oregon.
AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN
Make flaky, crisp deep-dish pizza at home
If you’re from the Northeast, or if
you haven’t been to Chicago, you may
dismiss deep-dish pizza out of regional
pride. That would be a mistake.
Real Chicago-style pizza is cer-
tainly thick, but its texture and flavor
are something special: Instead of being
bread-like, the crust offers the contrast
of a good biscuit—airy inside, lightly
crisp outside, and flaky throughout—
and boasts a rich taste that holds its
own under any topping. We wanted to
achieve such results at home.
Deep-dish pizza crust includes a fair
amount of fat. Some recipes rely on oil,
but we thought the rich flavor of butter
was unbeatable in this crust. We found
cornmeal in just about every ingredient
list we reviewed, and it indeed added
good earthy flavor and crunch.
To achieve maximum flakiness,
after mixing the dough and letting it
rise, we employed a technique called
laminating, which involves layering
butter and dough through a sequence
of rolling and folding to create ultra-
flaky pastries. Adding melted butter
to the pizza dough and spreading the
rolled-out dough with softened butter
before folding did the trick in our crust.
Moving the dough into the refriger-
ator for its second rise ensured that the
butter remained in distinct layers and
didn’t get too soft. For the finishing
touch on our crust, we oiled our cake
pans, which made the crust crisp and
even more flavorful.
Following Chicago tradition, we
covered the dough with shredded moz-
zarella before topping it with a thick
tomato sauce. The cheese formed a
barrier between the crust and the sauce,
which prevented sogginess. A sprinkle
of nutty Parmesan over the sauce pro-
vided a second layer of cheesy bite. We
do not recommend mixing this dough
by hand. Use the large holes of a box
grater to grate the onion.
Deep dish pizza
Servings: 6-8
Start to finish: 3 to 4
hours (Rising time: 1 1/2 to
2 1/2 hours; Baking time: 20
minutes)
Dough:
3 1/4 cups (16 1/4 ounces)
all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces)
cornmeal
2 1/4 teaspoons instant or
rapid-rise yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) water,
room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted but-
ter, melted, plus 4 tablespoons
(2 ounces) softened
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces)
extra-virgin olive oil
Sauce and Toppings:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin
olive oil
1/4 cup grated onion
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed
tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh
basil
1 pound whole-milk mozza-
rella cheese, shredded (4 cups)
1/4 cup finely grated Parme-
san cheese
For the dough: Whisk
flour, cornmeal, yeast, and
salt together in bowl of stand
mixer. Whisk water, melted
butter, and sugar in 4-cup liq-
uid measuring cup until sugar
has dissolved. Using dough
America’s Test Kitchen/Carl Tremblay
A Deep-Dish Pizza in Brookline, Mass., as it appears in the cook-
book “Bread Illustrated.”
hook on low speed, slowly add
water mixture to flour mix-
ture and mix until cohesive
dough starts to form and no dry
flour remains, about 2 minutes,
scraping down bowl as needed.
Increase speed to medium-low
and knead until dough is
smooth and elastic and clears
sides of bowl, about 8 minutes.
Transfer dough to lightly
floured counter and knead by
hand to form smooth, round
ball, about 30 seconds. Place
dough seam side down in
lightly greased large bowl or
container, cover tightly with
plastic wrap, and let rise until
doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2
hours. (Unrisen dough can be
refrigerated for at least 8 hours
or up to 16 hours; let sit at room
temperature for 30 minutes
before shaping.)
For the sauce and top-
pings: Heat 2 tablespoons
oil in medium saucepan over
medium heat until shimmer-
ing. Add onion, oregano, and
1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until
onion is softened and lightly
browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir
in garlic and cook until fra-
grant, about 30 seconds. Stir
in tomatoes and sugar, bring to
simmer, and cook until sauce
measures 2 1/2 cups, 25 to 30
minutes. Off heat, stir in basil
and remaining oil. Season with
salt and pepper to taste. Trans-
fer to bowl and let cool com-
pletely before using.
Adjust oven rack to lowest
position and heat oven to 425 F.
Press down on dough to deflate
and transfer to clean counter.
Press and roll dough into 15 by
12-inch rectangle, with short
side parallel to counter edge.
Spread softened butter over
dough, leaving 1/2-inch border
along edges.
Roll dough away from you
into firm cylinder, keeping roll
taut by tucking it under itself as
you go. With seam side down,
flatten cylinder into 18 by
4-inch rectangle. Cut rectangle
in half crosswise.
Working with 1 half at a
time, fold dough into thirds
like business letter, then pinch
seams together to form rough
ball. Return dough balls seam
side down to greased bowl,
cover tightly with plastic, and
let rise in refrigerator until
nearly doubled in size, 30 min-
utes to 1 hour.
Coat two 9-inch round cake
pans with 2 tablespoons oil
each. Press and roll 1 dough
ball into 13-inch round of even
thickness, sprinkling dough and
counter with flour as needed to
prevent sticking. Loosely roll
dough around rolling pin and
gently unroll it into prepared
pan. Gently press dough into
pan, working it into corners
and 1 inch up sides. (If dough
resists stretching, let it relax for
5 to 10 minutes before trying
to stretch it again.) Repeat with
remaining dough ball.
For each pizza, sprinkle 2
cups mozzarella evenly over
surface of dough, spread 1 1/4
cups tomato sauce over cheese,
and sprinkle 2 tablespoons Par-
mesan over sauce. Bake pizzas
until crusts are golden brown,
20 to 30 minutes. Let pizzas
cool in pans for 10 minutes,
then transfer to cutting board
with metal spatula. Slice and
serve.