Volume 1
Spring/Summer 2023
WELCOME TO DIGEST
Here you will find bi-annual musings about what we’ve been up to at The Corson Building and beyond. Digest aims to spark inspiration in your home kitchen by sharing and celebrating our love of cooking and the distinct flavors that emerge with each season. We are commemorating our 15th anniversary with our inaugural issue, which documents our culinary explorations through the lens of our community, pursuits, and passions. This major milestone was achieved thanks to the love and support we have received from our incredible community in Seattle and beyond. Especially all the wonderful humans who have graced us with their talents and dedication as our gifted colleagues over the last 15 years. We are truly humbled by the years of patronage and collaboration. Thank you!
At The Corson Building we strive to provide an exceptional dining experience that would not be possible were it not for the extraordinary community of farmers, purveyors, foragers, and fishermen that procure and produce the delicious ingredients we are fortunate enough to cook with. Digest will introduce and highlight these culinary heroes, share their stories, and illuminate their meaningful work.
Our first issue draws inspiration from spring and summer. With spring comes rebirth, new beginnings, and a time for transformation. The dawn of spring welcomes a spectrum of verdant greens, exquisite purples, whites, pinks, and yellows that populate our mountains, valleys, and gardens. An exuberant time to cook, spring bestows a multitude of fresh ingredients bursting with life and nutrients that we crave after months of slow-cooked braises, warming soups, and autumn roots. Forests, fields, and coastlines are animated with the arrival of favorite wild ingredients such as stinging nettles, miner’s lettuce, watercress, wood sorrel, sea beans, elderflowers, fiddlehead ferns, and eventually the coveted morel. Simultaneously, farmers greet spring with the arrival of some of our most cherished cultivated vegetables, fava beans, tender lettuces, peas, radishes, and, of course, asparagus.
As the sun lingers, we appreciate its abundance and the wealth it provides in the form of warm evenings, fragrant blossoms, delicious produce, and the many joys summer brings. Summer’s illumination draws us outdoors and connects us with the exuberance of nature and its bounty at its peak. From beach picnics to barbeques, this season is casual eating and gathering at its best. Informed by so many ingredients that don’t require much to satisfy our taste buds, the profusion of summer’s harvest is a colorful and especially flavorful time to cook. As the season progresses, we take time to honor the prosperity of this moment by preserving its wealth to then enjoy in autumn and winter.
At The Corson Building, seasonality is our compass. Our menus and events are shaped by the ebb and flow of flora and fauna and the purveyors that harvest the many gifts nature bestows. Our love of cooking is tethered to this dynamic interplay, and we find sanctuary in the continual transformation the seasons afford.
With that in mind, we present you with Vol. 1 of Digest.
- Emily Crawford Dann
INGREDIENT
The Fava Bean
Photo by Kyle Johnson
Although I didn’t know what a fava bean was until I was in my 20s, it didn’t take long for me to embrace all that this verdant parcel of delight has to offer. A member of the legume family, fava beans, also known as broad beans, are a late spring treasure. Encased in a vibrant green pod, the tender beans are delicious raw, quickly sauteed, or blanched.
One should be warned, eating the fava bean is a labor of love. Considering how much I enjoy turning artichokes and cleaning squid, favas are the perfect match for my love of arduous prep projects. I’m aware, however, that I am likely in the minority. With two layers to remove before eating, it requires a decent amount of effort to achieve a small reward. Indeed a process, but I think it’s worth it for the few weeks they are available fresh. If asked, I prefer favas plucked from their tender green pods. However, this ancient Mediterranean crop, which is still found growing wild throughout the region, is often dried to extend the season. As a dried bean, favas require a little foresight, needing to be soaked before cooked. If they have been dried with their skin on, they will need to be peeled as well.
Fava beans have myriad uses. They are both a nutrient-rich and delicious ingredient in cooking and a rotation crop for enriching soil with their nitrogen-fixing properties. Favas have a long history of nourishing humans as well as a symbolic significance associated with fertility and spiritual rituals in many cultures. The ancient Egyptians considered them sacred and used them in burial ceremonies. Meanwhile, in Rome, fava beans were thought to bring good luck. Fresh beans (once shucked from their pod, blanched, and then peeled from their skin) are partial to salads, pastas, and soups. The dried version is best cooked into a puree and used as an addictive spread or dip, as well as in soups and stews. In addition to the beans, the fava plant produces delicious leaves that are also edible. Simply sauteed or eaten raw, the greens provide an interesting alternative to more common edible leaves.
Here are several great companions for fresh fava beans. It should come as no surprise that they share the same growing season and are abundant at the same time of year.
· Asparagus
· English peas, sugar snap peas
· Artichokes
· Morels
· Apricots
· Cherries
· Ham
· Fresh or aged cheeses, especially those made with sheep’s milk
· Mint, dill, sorrel, lovage, chives, parsley
· Pasta, rice, grains
Grilled or Toasted Bread with Ricotta & Fava Bean-Olive Relish
Photo by Kyle Johnson
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
4 slices of your favorite crusty sourdough bread, brushed with olive oil
1 cup whole cow’s or sheep’s milk ricotta, seasoned with a pinch of kosher salt & a few cracks of black pepper
1/2 cup fava beans (shucked, blanched, and peeled)
1/4 cup picholine or taggiasca olives, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons capers
1/4 cup Italian parsley, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
Zest of 1 lemon, grated with a microplane or peeled off in strips and then minced
1 teaspoon chili flake
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (a little for drizzling on bread before toasting the rest for relish)
1 shallot finely chopped (approximately 2 tablespoons)
1 garlic glove, minced (approximately 1 teaspoon)
kosher salt for added seasoning if necessary.
Place a pot of salted water on the stove with a good fitting lid and bring to a boil. While the water is coming to a boil, get your other ingredients in order.
Slice your bread and drizzle or brush with oil. Set aside until ready to grill or toast once the relish is made.
Season the ricotta with a little kosher salt (approximately 2 teaspoons) and freshly cracked black pepper (approximately 1 teaspoon). Set aside until ready to assemble.
Get a bowl or container filled with ice water ready to put the fava beans in after they have been boiled. This is the “shocking” step, which will cool the beans quickly and stop them from cooking.
Once the salted water comes to a boil, quickly cook the shucked fava beans. These are the beans that have been removed from the pod but not shucked of their outer skin (the blanching and shocking will make the peeling of the outer skin much easier). When the beans are added to the boiling water, cook them for one minute after the water comes back to a boil. Once cooked, remove the beans from the boiling water by straining them into a colander and then quickly placing them in the ice bath to cool.
When the favas are cool, start to peel them of their outer skin. Once peeled, you can roughly chop them or keep them whole. Then combine the beans with the remaining ingredients and mix well. Taste for salt. It likely won’t need much more with the inclusion of the olives and capers.
Toast or grill your bread. Spread the seasoned ricotta on the toast and then top with the fava and olive relish.
Enjoy this as a simple lunch accompanied by a crisp salad of chicories and lettuces or as the first course of a larger meal. Oh! and a glass of rose would be a delightful accompaniment as well.
EVENT
An Early Spring Brunch with Café Suliman
Photo by Kyle Johnson
Photo by Kyle Johnson
Photo by Kyle Johnson
We met Ahmed Suliman (Suli) many moons ago when Matty hired him as a server at Sitka & Spruce. He was young, enthusiastic, and excited about the hospitality industry. A transplant from Abu Dhabi by way of England, Suli’s charisma and perspective were (and remain), palpable. Our admiration and love for this delightful human developed quickly, and now it’s as if he’s always been with us. Fast forward 11 years, a few stints around town, many milestones, and endless laughs. We are lucky to have him working among us once again.
Although we are relishing our current partnership, we are so thrilled to send Suli off into the horizon of new endeavors very soon. Suli is in the process of opening a casual café in Seattle’s International District, where he will serve simple home-cooked dishes inspired by his birthplace and his late mother. Our brunch service this past April was a delectable collaboration featuring a selection of daytime food informed by the flavors of the Levantine and Suli’s homeland. With a rich familial history and an ongoing lifetime of adventures, Suli has so much to share with us. We’re certain Café Suliman will be a welcome addition to our city’s eating and drinking culture and we can’t wait to frequent its tables.
WINE
An Ode to the Gorge
Some of the oldest and most well-established vineyards in The Gorge are planted in the western portion of the appellation. Here, at the Celilo and Underwood vineyards, the vines grow on steep slopes facing south toward Oregon. The soils here are reflective of the volcanism that has shaped the region for millions of years. It’s a rugged and tough place to grow grapes, but the loamy volcanic soils lend a pervasive minerality to the wines and make for some of the most enjoyable and aromatically unique offerings in the region. While Washington has built a reputation for dense, rich, and extracted red wines from Bordeaux and Rhone varietals and textured and lush white wines from Chardonnay and Viognier, the wines of The Gorge are almost universally more restrained, delicate, and nuanced. The impact of terroir and climate are two of the factors most directly impactful on this stylistic hallmark.
But these two factors alone are only part of the story. As with any wine producing region, the growers and winemakers of the Gorge are most responsible for driving the appellation’s development. Our connection to this special place dates back to 2008, when I first tasted the wines from Syncline and COR Cellars, both of which are located in Lyle, Washington.
James and Poppie Mantone of Syncline first put down roots in the region in the late 90s. Their first vintage was 1999 and their first bottling was a Pinot Noir from nearby Celilo vineyard. While the Mantones have made a name for their Grenache and Syrah-based wines from the Columbia Valley and other Eastern Washington appellations, their commitment to making outstanding use of local vineyards and cooler climate varietals has been incredibly inspiring. Within the last decade, James and Poppie have planted their property with Gamay and Mondeuse (a high-altitude varietal famous in the Savoie and Switzerland for its spicy and savory characteristics), and their dedication to increasing their use of Gorge fruit is commendable. While the market pressure to make dense and monolithic “typical” Washington wines is palpable, Syncline has chosen to chart their own course and use the Gorge as their compass.
The same can be said of Luke Bradford and Meg Gilbert at COR cellars. Luke has been relentless in his commitment to making white wines from Gorge fruit that wouldn’t be out of place in Friuli or the Alsace. His Alba, made from Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer, and his Argo Tocai Friulano are fresh and vibrant and reflective of the heights we can attain for Washington white wines. Luke and Meg are unrelenting in their love for the Gorge and the distinctive sense of place engendered in the appellation. The sweeping views from their winery are reflective of the rugged scope of this stunning part of the Northwest.
To me, the Gorge has always felt like a second home. Each visit always yields some new insight, some new take, and some new piece of inspiration. With its meandering dirt roads and gnarled live oaks, it feels a bit like Northern California. Yet the moment you see the river, and the basalt cliffs that define its spectacular setting, you know you are in a place that is all its own. For me, the same can be said of the winemakers and the wines that make this place so distinct. To make wine in the Gorge, you are following your own path, one that requires thinking outside the box and working in a region that has limitless potential but no established roadmap. With wineries like Syncline and COR writing the script for this journey, it seems the future holds great things in store for this mesmerizing place.
- Matt Dann
In addition to our emphasis on food, ingredients, recipes, and producers, we will also be dedicating a small portion of Digest to a discussion of the world of wine, winemakers, wine-producing regions, and other beverage-related matters. I have been lucky and privileged to run the drinks portion of our service here at Corson for the past 10 years, and in this role, I’ve had the honor of learning a great deal about what libations our guests enjoy and what stories they find interesting. I’ve also been blessed with the opportunity to travel a bit in search of knowledge and community, and these adventures have served as the backbone of the beverage program I’ve created at Corson.
In short, I want the drinks that we serve to reflect the same principles as the food that we share with our guests. Namely, we want to ensure that our drinks are sourced from producers who value individuality, sustainability, and craft. In regard to the wines that we serve (wine being the most popular drink that we offer), this translates to an emphasis on low intervention winemaking, organic and biodynamic vineyard practices, and small family operations. While it’s not always possible to ensure that every beverage we serve meets these standards (I mean hey, sometimes someone wants a glass bottle of Coca-Cola), we work very hard to structure our wine and beverage list in a fashion that adheres to these goals.
With that in mind, I’m very excited to have the opportunity to write about and explore some of the places and people we find to be very inspiring. We begin our first column in Digest with a brief introduction to one of the gems of the Northwest viticultural community: the Columbia River Gorge. The Gorge—as it’s affectionately known—is a roughly 40-mile-long area that hugs the banks of the Columbia River in both Washington and Oregon. It runs from the lower slopes of the Cascade Mountains east towards the widening of the river just beyond The Dalles, Oregon. Within this geographical zone, there are roughly 1,000 acres of viticultural area planted in both Washington (381 acres) and Oregon (570 acres). One of the hallmarks of the region is the climatic variation between vineyards planted in the western portion of the Gorge, where rain is abundant and temperatures a touch cooler, and those planted on the eastern edge, which has a more arid and warm profile.
What makes this area so unique is its proximity to the shift between the wet and temperate climate of the maritime Northwest and the more rugged extremes of the continental high desert. The Gorge represents the one and only sea level crossing of the Cascades, and the dichotomy between the western and eastern slopes of this great range is played out in the weather and climate of the Gorge. As an example, the western section of the appellation receives an average of 36 inches of rainfall annually, while the eastern sections see a mere 10 inches. The shift results in an almost palpable struggle between wet and dry, and the protagonist that best captures this is the wind. In the Gorge, it’s almost always about the wind. Many days, the wind seems to blow from dawn until dusk, and its persistent presence is what draws windsurfers and kiteboarders from around the world. This howling companion helps keep the air fresh and the vines robust and is a distinctive element of life in The Gorge.
PRODUCER
M & P Ranches
Goldendale, WA is in the arid, high desert of south-central Washington state. Just upland from the Columbia River Gorge, this remote locale is the home of our friends and incredibly hardworking ranchers, Merrit and Pierre Monnat. Merrit (hailing from Texas) and Pierre (from Seattle) met while farming on Vashon Island, WA. After many years of varied experience from the Midwest to the Northwest, they set their sights on this starkly beautiful place and set up shop almost 10 years ago to start their now-thriving 350-acre sheep ranch. Along with their 150 ewes, they share the land with several chickens, three horses, and seven dogs. We’ve been lucky enough to know Pierre since his early days of farming in Carnation, WA. Developing a friendship with him, Merrit, and their family perfectly encapsulates exactly why we love what we do. It’s these relationships that inform our work and help us provide a richer experience for the guests that dine with us at The Corson Building.
M & P Ranches specializes in producing the highest quality lamb, wool, and breeding stock for the Northwest sheep industry. In addition to raising delicious lamb for meat, M & P Ranches also excels in breeding sheep that provide high-quality fleeces. These lucky sheep are exclusively pastured and grass fed. Throughout the year, they focus on developing, maintaining, and bettering perennial grass and farmland, which improves long-term forage health, and creates long-term habitat for wild creatures. The ewes are fed local hay during the winter months to ensure they can produce enough milk for the lambs. After lambing in the spring, the sheep graze both their pasture as well as neighboring land filled with sagebrush, perennial grasses, and alfalfa fields. It’s through these land management practices that they have created a unique product that is apparent in both the flavor of the lamb, and the texture of the wool.
After a long-overdue visit to the ranch in May, I was deeply impressed with everything they have done and continue to do. From building a beautiful barn to growing their own hay and alfalfa, to maintaining a mobile shearing operation, one questions when they find time to rest. Merrit’s greenhouse was full of vegetable starts for the soon-to-be abundant garden, and Pierre’s tool truck was parked with the doors open wide for what I imagine is a never-ending list of upkeep and repairs. After they gave us a lovely, meandering tour of a sliver of their property, they kindly prepared us a delicious lunch back at their charming, renovated farmhouse. Catching up while sipping Merrit’s kombucha, we were taken by the sprawling view and vast landscape they have so thoughtfully cared for. Their dedication to this land and the creatures that inhabit it is profound. It’s with endless gratitude and deep respect that we proudly serve their extraordinary lamb at The Corson Building. Hopefully, all this hard work and tireless upkeep will result in a better climate in which the food we eat is produced with the love and respect it deserves.
STEP BY STEP
Our Yogurt
Photo by Kyle Johnson
The recipes we choose for this section are staples in our cooking. These are ingredients that we always have in the cooler or pantry and rely on week after week.
Yogurt is made each week in The Corson Building kitchen. From savory to sweet, this ancient fermented delight plays an integral part in our food in myriad ways. Mentions of yogurt seem to have first originated in Central Asia, with a long history dating back thousands of years. Like many great discoveries, it is believed that yogurt arrived by accident. Nomadic herdsmen would carry milk in vessels made from animal stomachs that had naturally occurring enzymes. These enzymes would cause the milk to ferment, which in turn thickened it and left it with a creamy and tart substance with a longer shelf life. As civilizations expanded, the tradition of yogurt making spread to different regions and became valued for both its delicious flavor and its generous nutritional value—most notably, its digestive benefits.
We make yogurt each week because we enjoy the process and value the importance of purity. Most of all, we think our fresh yogurt just tastes better. We’ve learned how to achieve both a delicious flavor and an extremely creamy texture that lends itself to many different applications. Making your own yogurt is quite simple. It just requires a little bit of time (2–3 days), some temperature manipulation, and a few common pieces of equipment.
USES FOR YOGURT
Incredibly versatile, yogurt is a staple in our cooking. From spreads and sauces to marinades and sweet embellishments, we are constantly reaching for this building block ingredient. As a massive fan of sour cream, I am by no means here to convince anyone to start substituting yogurt in its place, BUT... you could! Another useful hack is replacing cream cheese with labneh (the thickened yogurt product achieved by simply staining overnight). Here are some of our most frequent applications for the world’s favorite fermented dairy product:
Tzatziki
A dip hailing from Greece traditionally made with grated and salted cucumbers, garlic, and herbs. We’ve found that carrots, kohlrabi, and beets are all great substitutes when cucumbers aren’t available. Tzatziki is the perfect accompaniment to grilled meats, fish, and vegetables.
Raita
An Indian side dish or condiment made with raw vegetables, herbs, and spices. We love to use it as an accompaniment to spiced meatballs, braised lamb, beef, or chicken, and fried fish.
Salted Yogurt
We use salted yogurt as a simple addition to many soups, stews, salads, and grilled or roasted vegetables. If a little creaminess and acidity are what you’re looking to achieve, this is a great option.
As a Marinade
In addition to the delicious, tangy flavor of yogurt, the enzymes and lactic acid in yogurt help to tenderize meat when coated as well as caramelize when cooked over high heat. We love to add toasted spices, herbs, and garlic to yogurt to marinate chicken thighs and lamb shoulder. We’ve also substituted loosened yogurt for buttermilk in the fried chicken dredging process, yielding great results.
As Breakfast
In the morning, yogurt can really take on both a sweet and savory identity. Whether it’s simply a bowl of yogurt with the season’s bounty, honey, nuts, or olive oil on top (berries, stone fruit, and tomatoes in the summer or citrus fruits, avocado, and dates in the winter) or a dollop of labneh with a poached egg and brown butter, we love to partake in all of this morning staple’s iterations.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Equipment
heavy bottom saucepan
whisk
2 ceramic, glass, or stainless-steel nesting containers (the smallest must be large enough to hold the amount of milk you are fermenting)
fine-mesh strainer
cheesecloth
instant-read thermometer
large mixing bowl
Ingredients
1/2 gallon whole milk (or 6 cups of whole milk and 2 cups heavy cream for ultra-sumptuous yogurt)
1/3 cup whole milk yogurt with live, active cultures
Step 1
Pour the milk into a heavy bottom saucepan. Heat the milk over medium heat to around 170 degrees (anywhere between 160-180 is great), stirring often-ish so the milk doesn’t scorch. The heating of the milk allows the proteins to unravel, which encourages the milk to thicken when the bacteria are introduced.
Step 2
Once the milk reaches 160–180 degrees, you must allow it to cool back down to 110–120 degrees before the bacteria (also known as culture) are added. Do this by simply letting the milk cool on the counter after it’s been poured into the smaller of your glass, ceramic, or stainless-steel containers. If the milk is too hot, the bacteria may die, and if it’s too cold, the bacteria won’t be able to multiply.
Step 3
When the milk reaches the desired temperature, whisk in the culture, which is either store-bought or last week’s yogurt.
Step 4
Cover the vessel holding the cultured milk with plastic wrap. Fill the other larger container about 1/3 full of hot tap water. Insert the smaller container holding the soon to be yogurt into the larger container with the hot tap water. This will insulate the cultured milk and help it to maintain the ideal temperature for the bacteria to multiply and aid in the thickening of the milk wherein it gains flavor and texture. Find a warm spot in your kitchen where the fermenting milk will maintain a warm temperature for 12 hours.
Step 5
After the milk sits it should thicken. To test this, tip the container slightly to the side and you should see it pull away from the container as a whole mass. Remove it from the water bath and put it in the refrigerator to cool for at least 5 hours, but ideally overnight.
At this point you have yogurt! You could stop here and enjoy, but we have added a couple more steps to achieve the creamy, glossy consistency we love.
Step 6
Place a fine mesh strainer or colander lined with 2-4 layers of cheesecloth over a container large enough to allow the yogurt to strain without touching the whey that will drain out. Make sure to layer the cheesecloth so that it is fully covering the entirety of the strainer with plenty of the cloth hanging over the edge. You are now ready to pour the set yogurt into the strainer. Guide the yogurt into the basket of the strainer, being sure to scrape out any remaining yogurt on the bottom. Fold the extra cheese cloth hanging over the sides on top of the straining yogurt like you are covering it with a blanket. Refrigerate for 12 hours.
Step 7
At this point, you have two valuable products: labneh (or thickened yogurt cheese) and whey (a slightly sweet and tangy liquid that is great in beverages, marinades or dressings). Remove the labneh from the strainer and place it in a container in the refrigerator for use in your favorite sauces and dips.
Step 8
As an alternative, you can thin some out to make the beautiful shimmery yogurt we have come to cherish. To do this, place the labneh in a large mixing bowl. Slowly add cold purified water (or some of the whey) back into the labneh and mix with a whisk. Add a 1/2 cup of water at a time to avoid over loosening. You’ll know you’ve reached completion when the yogurt achieves a shiny smooth texture and when you raise the whisk up from the bowl and the yogurt pours off in a thick stream.
