Doubletree Hotel Portland

   Here at the DoubleTree Portland we prefer to partner with businesses and companies that have similar goals in mind. When we are making  decisions on the products we use, we focus on the triple bottom line; People, Profit, Planet.  Weighing out how these things will affect not only our operation but also the envirnmentment and the community helps us come to conclusions on what we purchase, how we use it, and who it comes from. This is why our partnerships are so important to us. One example of this is Pacific Seafood. We recently had a great discussions with Damion De Ment (a Food Service account manager at Pacific Seafood) at the Better Living Fair our hotel put together and got some great information on a variety of fishing techniques used to bring us great local Northwest fish. He was able to tell as all about the different types of fishing and the negative, if any, effects on the environment. 

 At Pacific Seafood they work with us to keep the freshest most sustainable seafood on the menu. The company has a great green Initiative that includes five major points; sustainability, traceability, fish byproducts, waste reduction, Marine Stewardship Council guidelines, and last of all, packaging. 

They believe that environmental responsibility and sustainability in the seafood industry is very important. They are always looking for new ways to keep seafood companies and local communities fishing and reduce their environmental impact. They work with different organizations to manage natural resources and address environmental issues.

 Organizations like Ocean Trust which is an ocean conservation foundation that promotes sustainability and coastal restoration, and MSC which is the Marine Stewardship Council which is a global program that certifies fisheries as sustainable. At Pacific Seafood, like us, they are always looking for new ways in which to have an even lower impact.

Traceability is important to keep track of where the seafood came from and where it goes. It is a way of making sure our food is safe. The system tracks fish from the boat to the processing plant then to the distribution facilities. This includes methods of record keeping and labeling. They not only meet industry standards but exceed them.

To reduce the amount of fish product going to the landfill Pacific Seafood works with BioOregon Protein up in Warrenton Or. There they convert fish waste into products like organic fertilizer and pet food ingredients. This is a much better way of using natural resources.

The Marine Stewardship Council is “an objective third party global fishery certification organization whose goal is to promote sustainability throughout the fishing industry. ” To be MSC certified, a fishery or seafood operation must meet certain standards. The guiding principles are:

 1) The fishery must maintain a level that is sustainable for that species

 2) The fishing operation must minimize the impact on the ecosystem

3) The operation must comply with all laws

 4) The fishery must have a system in place to make any necessary changes to maintain sustainability.

Pacific Seafood is currently certified in 24 species, like Pacific Halibut, Albacore Tuna, Oregon pink Shrimp and Alaskan Salmon.

Now, here at the hotel we do not accept any packaging of polystyrene foam base containers. If something comes in this packaging it is refused and sent back. However, we never get any from Pacific Seafood because they use other types of boxes. The boxes they use are a environmentally friendly Greenshield corrugated box made by Georgia Pacific. These are strong, moisture resistant and 100% recyclable. The boxes that we receive at the hotel are either re-used for storing Tribal wild Salmon that we get twice a year, in the spring and then again in the fall or recycled at the hotel in our compost bin.

Again, they are quick to emphasize the fact that they are always looking to improve for the future, an outlook that reminds us that there is never truly a beginning or an ending but always a journey.

We really appreciate working with a company that strives to protect the environment and looks for ways to harvest fish that leaves no impact. The main goal is to be able to protect the livelyhoods of fishing communities and fishermen so everyone will be able to make a living and enjoy seafood forever!

 I have the pleasure of doing wine and chocolate “pairings” at the hotel and I love doing them. It gives me the opportunity to talk about some of my favorite things including this fantastic city we live in! One of the great things about living in the Northwest is all the fantastic local product and talented people we get to work with.

Chef Ward and Sarah Hart

The daily selection at Alma chocolates

First on my list for a pairing is Alma Chocolate, owned by Sarah Hart. She is such a sweet person who has absolutely wonderful products but her caramels and her toffee are to die for. The salted lavender caramel and habanero chili caramel are fantastic but we also love her Chevre (goat cheese) and black pepper. To be perfectly honest we have not tasted any thing that we do not like. One thing that originally attracted me to her company is her commitment to sustainability. She uses only fair trade chocolate and  local and organic products, which if you know any thing about us at the Doubletree is a perfect match. Sarah has a shop on S.E. 28th Ave. between Couch and Davis. Chef Ward and I took a trip over to her shop and she gave us the tour. One of her employees,Sabrina, created and made us a fantastic drink they call “chocolate cloud” which is similar to a cappuccino made with chocolate instead of espresso, absolute heaven. So if I was to pick a couple of her bonbons to use for a party it would have to be her salted lavender caramels, habenaro caramels and the Thai peanut butter cup ( so good). However,I would also have to get some of the peanutbutter/milk chocolate salt bark. Also I would grab some of her hazelnut toffee and mocha almond nibby which is a dark and slightly bitter bark. Check out her website www.almachocolate.com.

A new company that we just became aquainted with is Wingnut Confections, owned by David Beer. I met him at the Hollywood farmer’s market on one of my many visits and tried one of his habanero mole truffles. Delicious. So when I had another party come up I thought of him. His truffles are a completely different creature from Sarah’s so I believe they go well together. His are a more traditional ganache filled, so rich and decadent. He uses all local ingredients, fair trade chocolate, and they are even all vegan! I ordered the peppermint , Marion berry and the Pendleton rum hazelnut which had the perfect amount of rum to balance with the nuts. Absolutely wonderful! All of his truffles were very popular and my guests loved them. Wingnut Confections are available in a couple of  places like Whole Foods and The Barefoot Sage or check out his website at www.wingnutconfections.com.  

David Beer delivering Wingnut Confection truffles on his bicycle.

The company’s motto is “candy with a conscience” and he proves it here. He even delivers all the truffles on his bicycle!

So, last but not least we get to the wine! I have been using this one company called Troon from the very inception of these parties. They are a great vineyard in Applegate Valley. This company fell right in with our beliefs and practices. They are “Dedicated to Sustainable Farming and Environmental Stewardship” and are even “Salmon Safe”. So when I found out about them I thought “fantastic, this is just the right company”.

One sunny day I was driving back from the coast with my mother along highway 18 and what did I see in Carlton, Oregon, buy a sandwich board for a Troon tasting room. I was so excited! I thought I would have to go to Grants Pass to get to taste all the Troon wines! So I  went in and met a sweet girl, Joni Johnson, who knows so much about her craft. I learned a lot from her just in that hour that we were there.

They have a wine called “Druid’s Fluid” that is fantastic. It is a table wine that is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet, Zinfandel and Syrah. It goes perfectly with these bonbons and truffles. I love serving this wine with it’s cute name and it’s great story which is that in 2000 there was a nitrogen deficiency in the soil which grew grapes that were not good, so they mixed them and it has sold great every year since. They also have a fantastic Insomniacs Port that goes well with chocolate. The sweetness of the Port holds up to the sweetness of the chocolate.

If you have the chance go out to Carlton Oregon, it’s only an hour away out highway 18. It’s a beautiful drive and there is a ton of tasting rooms. It would be a well spent day. The website to go the tasting room and to visit Joni is www.troonvineyard.com.

So of all the parties I have done I admit I have had only one lady that did not like these selections, mainly because she did not like any thing sweet. I served her a glass of local Pinot Noir and and gave her the dark chocolate nibby bark from Alma and she was still very happy. I hope you try some of these companies and like them as much as I do. I have never had any one yet disappointed.

Keep trying something new, and happy eating!

Michelle Girard- Sous Chef

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So on one of my trips out and about I ran into Peak Forest Fruit, a mushroom foraging business out of Banks. They brought us some beautiful chanterelles and WOW they are nice!!!. As a culinary team we will use them in all kinds of different ways. They will be fantastic in a sauce to top beef or chicken. They will be great in a risotto or sauteed with a blend of other seasonal vegetables. One way I love them is sauteed with onions and put on top of a chicken breast with cheese, YUMMY —-Just dice up your onion and saute in olive oil until they are clear, add the chanterelles and saute for just another minute. Deglaze with a little bit of white wine. Pour over your grilled or baked chicken breast and top with a sprinkle of a nice Swiss or pecorino Romano. One of my favorite is a local cheese called Trailhead, a nice semi hard cheese from Mt. Townsend Washington. It always adds a nice nutty flavor to my dishes when I use it.

This is Mahendra Prasad, one of our line cooks, taking some of the just delivered chanterelles to work with on the line. He uses them in a Marsala sauce on top of a beautiful airline chicken breast in the Multnomah Grille. We also love to use them in our butternut squash ravioli.

One can find chanterelle mushrooms in some grocery stores but they are best and freshest when you get them fresh from a forager. You could find one at a farmers market.

Don’t forget to not submerge your mushrooms in water to clean, you just wipe them off with a damp cloth. The act like a sponge and you will have soggy mushrooms when you cook them.

Enjoy them while they’re in season!! They aren’t available for very long………..

If you need somebody to cook ‘em up for you let us know!!!!

One of the fantastic sustainable practices is buying produce at the height of the season and processing it to meet our needs. As well as being sustainable it gives us the ability to offer the best possible tasting products to our guests which is what it is all about. This allows us to pick the produce we think is best.

We get quite a bit of produce from Deep Roots farm, a great organic farm that grows beautiful produce. They have been growing roma tomatoes in a green house that are fantastic. So we have been able to buy them about 100 pounds at a time to roast. We just toss them with a little olive oil and garlic and leave them in a low oven for a few hours. They come out fantastic! We use them in dishes such as pastas, salads, and sauces.

This is Anastasia Puzur one of our fantastic cooks. Here she is tossing the romas in the olive oil mix. She cut up 100 pounds of tomatoes and the finished product we ended with put only 10 quarts in the freezer. Not a lot of yield but, worth every bit of work we all put into it.

 Last Saturday I visited the Hollywood Farmers market. I found an ample supply of beautiful produce like beets, brussels sprouts and apples, oh my, as well as one of my favorites, fall squash. Squash is so versatile and delicious! This is one of my favorite ways to make it.

Squash Bisque

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter

3 cups chopped onion or 2 medium onions

3/4 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup celery

4 pounds smooth skinned squash like butternut-peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 inch cubes

6 cups of chicken or vegetable broth

1/2 cup of cream

Preparation

Melt butter in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery; saute until onions are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add squash and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until squash is tender, about 25 minutes. Working in batches puree in blender until smooth. Return to pot. Stir in cream, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

This soup is really good to double so you can freeze half. Of course you need to do this before you add the cream, then let thaw in refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Also add your favorite flavors like sage or curry. If you like a little heat add a couple of jalapenos or some Thai curry. Of course if you do not want to add cream try adding coconut, almond or soy milk, the result just will not be as creamy but still delicious.

Michelle Girard - Sous Chef