Every Saturday, near Portland State University, local farmers and growers spread out the jewels of their labor for all to marvel over and enjoy. And during our recent family trip to Oregon, we cut out a couple hours for time at the farmers' market and were not let down. From picturesque piles of crisp winter vegetables...
... to mounds of sun-hued carrots...
... to the French radishes I've longed to taste for a year, there was a wealth of beautiful, delicious food at our fingertips. We ate the radishes that night during dinner, dipped in dairy-fresh butter and sprinkled with salt, and though my brothers wrinkled their noses at the taste, I was happily satisfied. They were just as mild and sweet as promised by my beloved French cookbook! And accompanied by sheep's milk cheese, crusty baguettes and sauteed asparagus (all gleaned from the market), they were the perfect summer's meal.
To my husband's great delight, we found a singularly calorie-packed lunch at The Grilled Cheese Grill... a hamburger nestled between 2 grilled-cheese sandwiches instead of buns. I have no words for this divine combination. There was a lot of joyous groaning as we ate.
Now, I consider myself a gigantic pastry snob since I had my pick of patisseries in Paris for a year, but the Hazelnut Cream Danish at Pearl Bakery left me claiming, at a rather embarrassing volume, "This is the best thing I've ever put in my mouth!" The perfect amalgamation of textures, from creamy to flaky, is housed in this peerless little pastry... rich hazelnut cream, bedecked by crushed hazelnuts, nestled in layers of buttery croissant. The fact that this danish is now over 1,000 miles away from me brings me infinite sadness.
Our trip was a wonderful chance for family bonding, inside jokes and intimate conversations, but who cares about that when you're constantly stuffing your face with amazing food?! To read my reviews of the restaurants we visited in Oregon, visit my Yelp page.
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