Welcome! This is “Staying In,” a weekly Sunday newsletter with recipe ideas for your week ahead. Every other Thursday I also publish a “Going Out” edition where I review a restaurant, bar, or activity here in Portland. What should I write about next? Feel free to leave a comment on this post or submit your idea here. And don’t forget to check out pdxrecs.com for even more recommendations. Enjoy!
I’m traveling to Austin for work this week so no cooking for me! Instead, I’m excited to sneak away from my coworkers and eat at Canje, Suerte, Desnudo Coffee, and Juice Land. Expect an Austin City Guide for paid subscribers soon…
Because I won’t be “staying in,” this week’s newsletter doesn’t include a full meal plan. Instead, I’m sharing two fun dishes inspired by dining out experiences I’ve had recently. One, at Farag’s (full review coming this Thursday) and the other at Angel Face.
Whenever I’m unsure of what to cook for a dinner party, I Google my favorite restaurant’s menu. It’s an excellent cooking hack. You can almost always recreate your favorite dish by finding similar recipes online. Friend and subscriber Colby does this with Kure smoothie’s, which is genius because they list all of the ingredients in the menu. No guesswork required.
In addition to being restaurant inspired, the two dishes I’m including today also share the same ingredient: infused simple syrup. You can make this with any fruit or herb really, but I essentially took a cup of cherries I had sitting on my counter, added them to a 1:1 mixture of sugar and water, simmered on the stove for 10 minutes, and let sit for another 30.
Simply syrup is traditionally used for cocktails, but it can also be added into desserts, used as a sweetener for iced tea, and mixed with seltzer for an Italian soda of sorts. It keeps in the fridge for about a month, so having simple syrup around is a low-effort, high-reward treat.
Here are two ways I used simply syrup this week. Cheers!
The Southside
Angel Face is a cocktail bar in Portland known for its lack of a drink menu. Instead of choosing from a preset list of cocktails, you’re encouraged to let the bartender know what sort of drink you’re looking for based on a flavor profile or liquor i.e., whiskey-based, sour, tropical, etc.
When Alex and I went the other day, I asked for something with a fruit base, and received a spritz made with lychee liqueur, lime, and Prosecco. Alex asked for something refreshing and minty and was served a Southside. When we got home, I decided to recreate the Southside, but rather than muddling fresh mint, use a mint-infused simple syrup instead. The result is, in fact, refreshing and minty.
INGREDIENTS
1 oz mint-infused simple syrup
2oz gin
1oz lemon juice
Note: be careful not to let the syrup sit too long or you risk it becoming too minty.
DIRECTIONS
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice. Shake until chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass, top with sprig of mint, and enjoy.
Roasted Peaches with Cherry Oil and Creme Fraiche
Farag’s will get the full review it deserves on Thursday, but today I’m sharing a dish I made up based on the pop-up restaurant’s singular dessert offering: vermouth-roasted peaches in tangerine oil.
I couldn’t quite figure out how to make a tangerine oil (Google just gave me a bunch of DoTerra essential oil recommendations), so I had to experiment. I have to say, I’m pretty happy with the results. It’s a cold, simple dessert with a subtle sweetness. Also, it’s classy? Has a similar vibe to ordering a cheese plate for dessert.
INGREDIENTS
4-6 peaches
1 cup Vermouth Rojo/Rouge
Honey
Creme fraiche
Blackberries or sliced cherries (optional)
Cherry-infused simple syrup
Olive oil
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the peaches in half, cross-wise aka leave the indented part in tact.
Place peaches in a roasting pan skin-side up.
Cover with one cup of vermouth. Flip the peaches a few times to make sure they’re coated.
Drizzle with honey.
Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Then, let cool.
Meanwhile, make the cherry oil by mixing about 1/2 cup of simple syrup with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
To serve, pour about a tablespoon or two of oil into a ramekin. Add a peach, skin-side down. Top with a little more oil. Add berries and a dollop of creme fraiche and serve. You could also sub whipped cream.
If you’re looking for more recipe ideas, check out the Staying In archives.
I'm looking forward to making the peach dessert with (my favorite) vermouth and blackberry syrup I made last week since I don't have cherries. The recipe and idea sounds delicious! Do the peaches need to be ripe/soft? I have some in the fruit bowl that are still firm.