Wednesday evening, April 21. IACP 2010 Opening Reception: The ballroom of the very zexxxy The Nines was alive and buzzing with energy emitting from many of the 900 attendees of the 32^nd annual IACP Conference held in the fantastic host city of Portland, Oregon. The large main room was jumping with guests exalted practically to the point of levitation by ex-IACP president Scott Givot’s cry for “A New Culinary Order”. The celebration, was simply stellar.

Each bite, every sip, a dazzling representation of Portland’s local bounty. Delectable, creative offerings from restaurants, food carts, brewers, wineries, artisan distillers, coffee roasters and single-crop producers available at short reach – this was sensory overload of the Pacific Northwestern kind, and hands-down one of the best cocktail parties I’ve ever attended. Introductions were made and the schmooze festivities kicked into high gear. I mingled, nibbled, drank, talked, embraced, strolled, and mostly tried not to spill on anyone as my hands were full and the crowd was dense. At some point, I found welcome breathing room as I squidged myself into a spot near an exit door adjacent to a attractively dressed table from  Courtney Sproule of Din Din Club & Catering.

“Yellowfoot Mushroom and Spring Onion Custard on Hazelnut Shortbread with Miner’s Lettuce” read the card on the table. Plucking an hor d’oeuvres, I savored and swooned in my little corner of calm reverie over the rich mushroomy, velvet custard placed on the tiniest square of thin, crisp hazelnut pancetta fat-bound shortbread, crowned with a green tiara of lightly dressed miner’s lettuce. One small, perfect mouthful held exquisite layers of flavor and spoke years of accomplished technique from this young lady. The kind of extraordinary bite that made me further appreciate the quietude I stole in the midst of an equally extraordinary party.

As I stood there with a glass of Oregon wine, a small plate of plump, sweet kumamoto oysters and this singular perfect piece of finger food – my microcosm of edible, local, Oregon – I had an opportunity to again recognize there is nothing better than the moment. It’s all we ever really have. Thank you, Portland and IACP for five days filled with dearly cherished “moments”; I am grateful.

I was so intensely smitten with the din din appetizer that I wrote  Courtney the next day to thank her and to beg ask for the recipe. She delightedly acquiesced to my request, and also informed me that she coordinated the spectacular event – impressed doubly, I am.

My adaptation of Courtney’s recipe (originally inspired by her favorite mushroom soup), from a finger food in great proportion to single servings of custard makes for a beautiful lunch with a salad of lightly dressed local greens, chives, chopped toasted hazelnuts and additional sauteed mushrooms. The custard is smooth and luxurious – think mushroom pots de creme. For an extra-decadent version, serve each portion with a gilding of  heavy pouring cream, some chopped toasted nuts and tarragon leaves – divine.

Although there is much mise to the recipe, it can be assembled leisurely over the course of several days. In fact, I did this around my work schedule preparing the stock one day , mushroom prep the next and brought everything together on a third day. With some planning, it is entirely possible to cook well around a busy schedule.

In the spirit of din din and the IACP Conference, I shopped at my local farmer’s market which meant using Killbuck oyster mushrooms and green garlic in place of yellowfoot mushrooms and spring onions. Wonderful, still.

Wild Mushroom and Green Garlic Custards

Adapted via Heidi Robb from Chef Courtney Sproule of din din

Yield: approximately 16

¾ lb. wild mushrooms (I used a mix of brown and white oyster)

1 quart stock – beef, chicken, or vegetable (Courtney recommended beef stock made on top of chicken stock, which I did to delicious effect)

¾ oz. package dried porcini mushrooms

1 cup boiling water

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt to taste

2 green garlic, bulbs and tender green stalks thinly sliced

1 plump clove garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

1 tablespoon butter

Rind of parmesan

1 cup half and half

1 tablespoon Madeira or dry sherry

4 organic eggs plus 4 yolks

Garnish: lightly dressed baby greens, fleur de sel, cracked pepper, sautéed tiny mushrooms, chopped roasted hazelnuts.

Preheat oven to 275, center rack.

Trim and brush the wild mushrooms clean and tear into thin, equal sized pieces. Heat the two tablespoons each butter and oil in sauté pan over medium-low heat, add mushrooms and a sprinkling of salt. Sweat mushrooms gently in their own juices until they cook dry, begin to color and develop deep flavor. Taste and check for seasoning – it’s good practice to season all recipe components as you go.

Place porcini in a heat proof bowl and reconstitute with the boiling water. Let stand twenty minutes. Lift porcini out of the liquid and chop coarsely. Place mushrooms in a small pan and pour the porcini liquid over, being careful to leave any residual grit at the bottom of the bowl. Cook at a gentle simmer with a pinch of salt until the porcini are dry and flavorful.

Heat the one tablespoon butter in small pan over low heat and sweat the green garlic with a sprinkle of salt until completely sweet and soft. Long and low heat develops the flavor best – avoid browning.

Combine stock, mushrooms and green garlic in a pot and bring to a very gentle simmer. Add the parmesan rind and simmer low for 20-30 minutes to marry flavors. Remove from heat and allow to cool 10-15 minutes. Stir in the chopped tarragon and garlic.

Add vegetables to blender or Vita-Mix, enough to fill container 1/3 of the way. Add twice as much liquid and blend. Continue this way, blending in batches if necessary (a Vita-Mix has the capacity for the entire batch), until the vegetable fibers have broken down completely and the mixture is smooth, light and ethereal. Blend in the half and half – the mixture should have the texture of thick heavy cream, or a crème Anglaise. Taste and season with salt, and finish with the Madeira and gratings of nutmeg.

Whisk the eggs and yolks together in a large bowl, and slowly whisk in the blended mushroom mixture until well-combined. You will end up with approximately 2 quarts of rich and creamy mushroom mixture. Taste, and again correct seasoning if necessary. Transfer mixture to pitcher and pour into buttered 4 oz. ramekins lineup in one or two roasting or hotel pans. Place pan(s) in the oven and add boiling water 1/3 up the ramekins and bake until they are just set –about 30 minutes. There will still be a gentle quiver at the center of the custards. Cool the custards in the warm water on a rack. You can serve the custards once cooled, or develop flavor further with a rest overnight in the refrigerator. Let custards come to room temperature and serve with optional garnishes.

Some background from Courtney Sproule on din din: “din din began in 2007 as a monthly dinner open to the public – like a dinner party but with strangers taking place in changing venues around Portland. din din has expanded to offer catering services, bringing the fun and fluid spirit of its public dinners to your private events.”

Courtney values the responsibility of doing right by the diverse local ingredients available in Portland, and enjoys developing relationships with local producers, and sharing the jewels of the region with guests from outside.

In the greater Cleveland area, I’m looking forward to tasting catering presented with a similar sensibility from Chef Mary Wills of The Good Fork: “Fresh, local and seasonal is the foundation upon which The Good Fork is built. We are committed to providing simple, sustainable and green culinary options for weddings, corporate events and a plethora of other scenarios. Reducing our carbon footprint is our priority, we are able to do that by purchasing as locally as possible and supporting a green approach to the preparation of your food.”

P.S. Thank you to friend Carol Blymire, not with me in Portland, but through the magic of the twitterverse, ensured that I had great coffee to drink and outstanding company to share it with.