#sakeone

Strap in, folks. This is a long one. We invited Jack and David from SakéOne, a local sake brewery in Oregon, to come to the Tofugu office so we could learn how to taste sake. And boy, did we taste some sake. They brought six bottles, three domestic and three imported, and drank our way to knowledge about the sake brewing process, different types of sake, and how Michael is actually a grain of rice.

Here's some things you'll learn in today's episode:

How sake is made

Why sake tasting is more fun than wine tasting

Why American sake, historically, hasn't been that great (and why that's changing)

Prefectures that make the best sake

Why sake doesn't give you hangovers

The different types of sake

What foods pair well with sake

If sake is better chilled or warmed

The future of the sake business

Big thanks to Jack and David from SakéOne for trekking all the way to our office and bringing so much delicious booze. We had a great time. Everybody, go check out what SakéOne has to offer:

Website

Twitter

Instagram

We had a great time on Saturday, learning about Saké and food pairing at SakéOne! Could not have asked for a more perfect day. Our hosts, SakéOne and Caprial + John the Kitchen were wonderful and provided fabulous food and drinks. Doherty Ford underwrote the event for a $1,210 sponsorship! Fantastic! 

Here are some pictures from the event.

Look at them hard at work!

How delicious does this dish look!?

The whole event raised $1,526 which is equal to 386 meals! This all benefits our seniors living in Forest Grove. SakéOne gave Meals on Wheels People of Forest Grove Center 100% of the proceeds. How awesome is that! But wait. There’s more. Not only that, but they also gave $1 for every bottle of SakéOne that they sold! AND Doherty Ford underwrote the event for a $1,210 sponsorship! 

Bonus! Here is a recipe from our event so you can try it at home! 

Grilled Curry Pineapple Shrimp Salad with Lime Dressing

Serves 6 fantastic people!

Lime Dressing:

2 tablespoons lime juice

3 cloves garlic, chopped

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

2 teaspoons chopped basil 

salt and black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil:

2 tablespoons curry powder

6 whole slices of delicious pineapple

18 shrimp, peeled 

2 bunches of arugula, washed and spun dry to shine! 

Heat a grill until it's smokin' hot

Preparing the dressing: Combine the lime juice and garlic in a not too big and a not too small, but just right bowl (medium bowl). While whisking slowly add the oil and whisk until smooth. Add the coriander and basil and mix well. Season with salt and black pepper. Place it aside until we're ready for it. 

Next....Brush the pinapple with oil then toss with the curry powder. Place on the grill and grill it on each side and then set aside. Brush the shrimp with oil and season with salt and black pepper. Cook quickly! Place a slice of pineapple on each plate then top with arugula and shrimp then drizzle it with that dressing until it looks fabulous! 

Liza: Deciding where to start has certainly been a challenge. However, yesterday I was invited on a private tour of Barinaga Ranch that was hosted by Cowgirl Creamery. As part of our goodie bag, they gave us each a wheel of their signature cheese, Mt Tam, to bring home. It immediately hit me that Mt Tam was the perfect cheese to write our first post about, because it truly was the first cheese I fell in love with, way before I entered into this industry. It is a decadent, bloomy rind beauty that's made with organic cow's milk and tastes of butter, cream, and mushroom. 

Jesse: Once Liza decided on Mt. Tam, I pulled out a few sakes and lined them up.  After we both tasted through the sakes with the Mt. Tam, it was obvious to us both which was the best. The winner was Momokawa's Organic Junmai Ginjo, brewed by the fine folks at Sake One in Forest Grove, Oregon.

SakeOne featured in chef throwdown