Dusky Goose Pinot Noir
Flies High at Paley’s Place

Vitaly Paley Shares Recipes
to Pair with Dusky Goose Pinot noir

by Michael Sherwood
May 2006

There is a quiet sense of urgency at Paley’s Place at 3 o’clock in the afternoon when I drop by. Kimberly Paley is reviewing the reservation and table map for the evenings dinner with the staff. The kitchen sous-chef is busy prepping reduction sauces while Vitaly is off picking up the last fresh ingredients for the evening dinner rush.

Since Paley’s Place opened it has shown up in everyone’s list of favorite Portland restaurants. It's a bistro at heart (albeit upscale) with a contemporary Pacific Northwest take on classic French and even some Northern Italian influences.

The result?

“Exquisite, creative cuisine at a top-notch restaurant. Local ingredients are transformed under their expertise into great regional fare, such as roast lamb with white beans, veal sweetbreads with truffle sauce, and duck confit with figs. You'll also find fresh seafood and a host of incredible local vegetables. Desserts are crafted by an in-house pastry chef, and service is absolutely first-rate” opines 10Best.com.

“At Paley's each server seems to be more than dedicated to the food they are presenting to you, and they are impossible to stump when it comes to wine. It's almost as if these people drink wine 24 hours a day. From the moment the owner greets you when you walk in the door, this place just feels right”, said a recent post on TripAdvisor.com, an Internet site that gathers notes from world travelers on their food and lodging experiences.

With 50 seats relatively close together, it can be a little lively. More than one customer has recommended you sit at the sophisticated bar for a view of the action and catch the bistro experience firsthand.

The wine list at Paley’s is a mix of Burgundy, Bordeaux and Oregon Pinot Noirs with a nod to Washington State with a few big Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends thrown in for good measure. The list is overwhelmingly Oregon and Burgundy focused. Apropos in that they live where arguably some of the most interesting Pinot Noir in the world is made.

Dusky Goose at Paley's

Paley’s Place likes to feature small and emerging wineries as well as the cream of the crop of Oregon and Washington wineries.Dusky Goose is one of their favorite discoveries.

‘Dusky Goose is not Burgundian at all. It’s all Oregon,” said Kimberly. “Big fruit, lots of style, true to the grape and a real sense of place (terrior),” make this one of Paley’s favorite wines. So much so they are showcasing the Dusky Goose 2003 Pinot Noir at an upcoming dinner in New York City.

In 2005 Vitaly Paley won the prestigious James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards for best chef in the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii. In May 2006 Vitaly will travel to New York City to hand the mantel of ‘best chef’ to another deserving master here in our corner of the Pacific Rim. While in New York, Kimberley and Vitaly will host a few dinners featuring up and coming micro-distillery Medoyeff Vodka from Portland based House Spirits and the 2003 Pinot Noir from Dusky Goose.

Wine is made to go with food and Paley’s has graciously provided a few recipes they felt matched the boldness of the 2003 Dusky Goose vintage. Enjoy.

Paley’s Place - 1204 NW 21st Ave, Portland, OR 97209-1609 · 503-243-2403

Herb Roasted Stuffed Saddle of Lamb
from Paley's Place
Pair with Dusky Goose Pinot noir 03

Here’s what you need:

1 lamb saddle about 7 to 8 lbs split, boned and trimmed
1 medium onion peeled and coarsely chopped
5 cloves of garlic peeled and chopped (1 whole head peeled with cloves left whole)
1 bunch of mint, ½ chopped, ½ whole leaf
2 bunches of thyme, 1 picked and chopped, 1 left whole
1 bunch of parsley, chopped
1 bunch of winter savory, picked and chopped
1 lb of mushrooms (chanterelles, porcini) if wild mushrooms are not available use cultivated like cremini or oyster.
- Clean the mushrooms, chop roughly, and sauté with olive oil, then let cool.
½ cup olive oil
Salt & pepper
3 sheets of caul fat soaked in cold running water for 15 to 20 minutes.

Here’s the drill:

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2) Grind the lamb trim, onion, and whole garlic cloves together.
In a mixing bowl, combine the lamb forcemeat, chopped herbs and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.

3) Dress the cleaned loins with some olive oil and chopped garlic.

4) Squeeze dry the caul fat, lay out one sheet at a time across a clean surface. Spread the forcemeat to a ½ an inch thickness evenly leaving approximately a 2 inch border all around, except the top portion of the sheet. Width of the forcemeat should match the length of a loin. Length should be approximately 3 times the width of a loin.

5) Lay some whole leaf mint across the lamb loin and carefully wrap the caul with the forcemeat around the loin. Keep rolling across the sheet of caul fat until the loin is wrapped several times in it. Trim the edges and wrap in plastic tightly to shape the roll. Repeat procedure with the other loins.

6) In a sauté pan big enough to hold the roll, heat some olive oil and sauté the roll on all sides until golden brown. Lay out whole sprigs of thyme on a baking sheet. Place the lamb rolls right on top. Roast until medium rare or 130 degrees F approximately 20 or 30 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes, slice and serve.

Serves 8

Source: Vitaly Paley – Paley’s Place – Portland, Oregon

Braised Beef Brisket
from Paley's Place
Pair with Dusky Goose Pinot noir 03

Here's what you need:

1 approx. 5 lb. beef brisket
salt and pepper

Here's the Drill:

Steak Spice
5 pasilla negro peppers, seeded
1 star anise
1 tsp. fennel seed

1) Combine and grind in a spice mill.

2) Trim the brisket of some of the fat, and be sure the silverskin has been removed. Rub with salt and pepper and steak spice and set aside.

For braising:

Pasilla Pepper Paste
7-8 pasilla peppers, seeded
3 cups boiling water
one half cup sherry vinegar

3) Pour the boiling water over the pasilla peppers and let soak for thirty minutes or until softened. Drain and reserve one cup of the reconstituting liquid. Place the peppers, sherry vinegar and reconstituting liquid in a food processor and purée until smooth.

1 medium onion, diced
3 medium peeled and chopped tomatoes
4-5 cups of beef stock or broth
2-3 T. olive oil

4) Heat the olive oil in a braising pan, and sear the brisket on all sides until well browned, remove and set aside.

5) Sauté the onion in the braising pan until translucent. Add the tomatoes and pasilla paste and bring to a boil. Add the seared brisket and enough stock to cover the brisket half way.

6) Bring to a boil, cover and place in a preheated (400 degree) oven and braise until fork tender (2-3 hours), skimming occasionally to remove excess fat.

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Source: Vitaly Paley – Paley’s Place – Portland, Oregon

Recipes in this article