TRIP PLANNER: KLAMATH BASIN PG. 86
Gravel Rides
A Wine Bar Wave + Gelato Favs
Wildfires: Recovery + Lessons
PARKS, TRAILS + STAYS FOR PET LOVERS
WINE COUNTRY ITINERARIES IN OREGON + WASHINGTON SWEET SUMMER CHERRY RECIPES
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July | August
volume 81
farm to table
The perfect ending to any summer meal may just be cherry pie.
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1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE JULY | AUGUST 2023
farm to table
Bob’s Cherry Pie MAKES 1 PIE FOR THE PIE CRUST • 3¾ cups all-purpose flour • ¾ teaspoon salt • 3 (12 ounces) sticks cold unsalted butter, cubed • ¾ cup ice water, plus more as needed
Homegrown Chef
Pie-Eyed
written by Thor Erickson photography by Tambi Lane IT WAS JUST after six in the morning, and the phone was ringing. I stirred from my slumber to answer the call. “Hey, it’s Bob!” the voice on the other end said loudly in a sportscaster-esque tone. “Say, my birthday is coming up and I was wondering if you might like to make lunch for me and a few of my pals? Grilled cheese sandwiches and fresh cherry pie.” “No problem, Bob,” I replied groggily. “I’m on it!” Bob, who is well versed in many things, has been a dear friend for over two decades, and this was not the first request for birthday lunch. In fact, I’ve been making this same lunch for Bob for many birthdays. It all started one day when I was visiting Bob to talk about jazz, politics, local theater and, of course food. Coincidentally, Sean, a mathematics professor extraordinaire, and an unbeknown mutual friend was also there talking with Bob about fly-fishing, mountain biking and percussionists of the 1950s. Bob reminisced about his favorite childhood food memories. “Grilled cheese sandwiches with crusty bread and stinky cheese. And fresh cherry pie made with the best cherries and a double crust!” he said as tears came to his eyes. “I’d sure love to eat that again.” Sean stood up. “We’ll make it for you! For your birthday,” he announced. “Thor will make it, and I will help!” Here’s the recipe that I make every year for Bob. Pitting the cherries is time consuming, but so worth the effort.
FOR THE FILLING • 4 pounds Oregon red cherries, pitted • 1 lemon, zested and juiced • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract • 2¼ cups granulated sugar • ¾ cup cornstarch FOR FINISHING THE PIE • 1 egg wash, as needed for finishing • 1 pinch turbinado sugar, as needed for finishing Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie pan and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make the pie crust: In a large bowl or in a food processor, combine the flour and salt. Add the butter and toss to coat. Cut the butter into the flour with your hands or a pastry cutter (or pulse it in the food processor) until the butter resembles the size of cherries. Add the water and mix to combine. Add more water as needed to get the dough to come together. It should not be wet or sticky. Divide the dough—you’ll need half of the dough for the bottom crust and half for the top crust. Wrap each piece of dough and chill for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger quantity of dough to ¼-inch thick. Transfer it to the pie pan and trim the edge so there is ½-inch overhang all around. Chill the dough inside pan for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Dock the chilled dough with a fork on the base and sides. Line the crust with parchment paper and pie weights, and bake until the crust is beginning to brown at the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the parchment and pie weights. If the base looks visibly wet or under-baked, return the crust to the oven without the pie weights for another 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature. While the crust is cooling, in a large bowl combine the cherries, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla. In small bowl, mix the sugar and cornstarch to combine, then add to the cherry mixture. Mix until the cherries are evenly coated. Mound the filling into the cooled crust, pressing firmly to prevent air pockets. Make a nice, rounded mound at the top. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the smaller amount of dough to ¼-inch thick. Use a rolling pin to transfer the dough to the top of the pie. Trim away any excess dough, leaving ¾ inch all the way around the edge. Nudge the edge down into the side of the pie pan so that it meets the top edge of the bottom crust. Push the crust down a bit so the excess puckers outward and creates a little lip, just like the edge of a typical pie. Press that outer lip together to seal the edges a bit, then crimp with a fork to seal. Egg wash the top crust evenly and sprinkle with sugar all over. Cut vents in the top of the pie—be creative with this! Transfer the pie to the prepared baking sheet and bake until the crust is very golden and the filling is bubbling through the vents, 45 to 50 minutes. If the pie is browning too much or too quickly, reduce the oven temperature to 375 and tent the top of the pie with foil. It is extremely important that you cool the pie completely before slicing and serving. Bob likes it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
JULY | AUGUST 2023
1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE
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The outdoors are also a restorative meditation for dogs, as well as people. (photo: Robin Loznak)
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1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE JULY | AUGUST 2023
CELEBRATE THE
D G DAYS OF SUMMER
FIVE OREGON DAY TRIPS TO TAKE WITH YOUR DOG written by Jean Chen Smith
SUMMER IS a great time for getting outside with your four-legged buddy. The state has a plethora of state parks and eleven national forests, all with their own ecosystems and wildlife, ripe for exploring. In urban areas such as Portland and Ashland, there are huge parcels of verdant land for hiking, trail running or throwing a Frisbee. When traveling with your dog, be mindful of the leash regulations specific to the area. Some places call for leashing your dog because of sensitive wildlife and plant life. Additionally, make sure to carry some doggie bags and leave no trace. Here are our five picks for a summer of fun—choose one or do them all. We have even given you an overnight option should you choose to make a weekend trip out of it.
JULY | AUGUST 2023
1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE
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The Eagle Creek Fire redrew, but did not ruin, the view around Multnomah Falls. Historically, fire scars would always have figured on the Gorge landscape.
TRIAL BY FIRE written and photographed by Daniel O’Neil
THE FIRST DAYS of September 2017 caught the Columbia River Gorge by surprise. A wildfire rode gusty east winds from ridge to ridge on the Oregon side, down each drainage, through extremely dry forests full of beloved hiking trails and deep into the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness, 48,861 acres in total. One careless teenager with a firework on the Eagle Creek trail had left a state stunned and devastated. But that was six years ago. Today along Eagle Creek, ferns, maples, and grasses grow green. Surviving conifers stand weighty with pinecones, and foot-tall Douglas-firs bask in the sunlight of an open canopy that provides hikers with new views. Wildflowers, rare in the cathedral-like pre-fire forest, now flourish along the re-opened trails, attracting bumblebees and butterflies. The charred trunks have brought in blackbacked woodpeckers, and even bald eagles have returned above Eagle Creek. 64 1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE JULY | AUGUST 2023