Late in 2011, the Oregon Coast Culinary Institute (OCCI) hosted the Taste of the Northwest, an extraordinary event which featured an exotic menu of wild game, local mushrooms, fresh seafood, and rustic breads along with fanciful desserts at the Coos Bay campus of Southern Oregon Community College.
The main dishes included such items as cedar planked cured salmon, butternut squash and goat cheese ravioli, elk tacos, halibut en papillote, crab cakes, and smoked duck with sweet potato hash. The dessert tray featured such items as chocolate hazelnut tartlets, persimmon buttermilk sherbet ice cream cones, brown butter apple upside-down cake with Apple Jack carmel, and pumpkin pie truffle.
We have it on good authority that one of the highlights of the evening was the Porcini & Hazelnut Dressing, and we're pleased to present it as the first recipe of 2012. Thanks for sharing your recipe for this tasty preparation, Shawn L. Hanlin, CED and Executive Director of OCCI!
The Porcini & Hazelnut Dressing was a favorite at OCCI's dinner.
Porcini & Hazelnut Dressing
1/2 pound butter
1 cup chopped Walla Walla onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped fennel
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
1 pound porcini mushrooms, chopped
1-2 quarts dried bread cubes
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup clam juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Pernod
1 tablespoon chopped dill
1 tablespoon chopped chervil
Kosher salt, black pepper and Old Bay Seasoning, to taste
- Melt butter in a large saute pan and sweat onions, celery, fennel, shallots and porcini mushrooms.
- Remove pan from heat. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Place mixture in buttered earthenware dish. Bake 45 minutes at 375 degrees.