Savoring Seattle

Looking for a fresh way to see Seattle, consider grazing through Pike Place Market.

With the summer tourist season in full swing, there are a number of escorted food tasting tours that offer behind-the-scenes looks at some of Seattle’s best eateries and the people who run them.

At least four Emerald City firms – Seattle Food Tours, Savor Seattle, Taste Pike Place Market and Tour de Chocolat – conduct edible explorations, each with its own flair and personality.

All the tours include numerous opportunities to sample a diversity of hand-crafted foods using locally-grown products.

Market tours can include tastings of authentic Russian piroshky pastries, honey-drenched English crumpets, peppered salmon, creamy chowder, blended teas and decadent desserts.

If you want more than just a taste, consider taking one of the interactive culinary tours offered by Diane’s Market Kitchen, Gray Line of Seattle and Culinary Expeditions Tour Company.

Whichever you select, all the tours are about experiencing Northwest cuisine, meeting fellow foodies and having fun.

One recent Savor Seattle tour included visitors from Washington, D.C., California, Indiana, Florida and British Columbia.

Annette and Michael Winkler, a 30-something couple from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., were seeing Seattle for the first time.

“This is a great way to learn about the area, soak up some local energy and discover great places to eat,” says Annette Winkler. “It’s fantastic.”

For guided food tasting tours contact:

Seattle Food Tours

The basics: Pike Place Market and Belltown restaurants, Tuesday-Saturday, 10:15 a.m., 2 ½ hours, $43 (includes tax), (800) 979-3370, www.seattlefoodtours.com.

Bronwyn Gerberding started Seattle Food Tours after returning from a trip to New York City with a couple of women friends.

“We took a food tour through Greenwich Village and had so much fun,” says Gerberding. “We learned a great deal about the restaurants and neighborhood. It was the highlight of our trip.”

Gerberding, a Seattle native, thought her hometown could use such a tour and opened her business three years ago.

Her walking tours begin in the Belltown neighborhood, a few blocks northeast of Pike Place Market.

“Belltown is the trendy spot for high-quality restaurants, boutiques and nighttime entertainment,” says Gerberding. “It is rich in history and a fun place to start.”

As the tour meanders over to the Market, Gerberding talks about Seattle’s history, architecture, public art, boutique shopping and entertainment venues.

The group tastes lattes, handmade chocolates, artisan breads, smoked salmon cocktail, chowder, Southern-style barbeque pork and Triple Coconut Cream Pie (recipe follows) created by Seattle chef Tom Douglas.

“Our portions are very generous,” says Gerberding. “People rarely go away hungry.”

Savor Seattle Food Tours

The basics: Pike Place Market tour, daily, 10 a.m., 2 ½ hours, $39 per person (includes tax); Downtown Seattle Food and Culture tour, Wednesday-Saturday, 2 p.m., 3 ½ hours, $55 (includes tax); (888) 987-2867; www.savorseattletours.com.

Savor Seattle’s signature mid-morning tour through the heart of Pike Place Market gives an insider’s view to this historic landmark. Visitors sample cinnamon orange tea, alderwood-smoked salmon, handmade cheeses, cherry-inspired treats and fresh season produce.

Tour guide Tim Primeaux, 25, entertains visitors with lively stories of the 100-year history of the market, shares ways to incorporate local ingredients into recipes and makes recommendations for places to go for Sunday brunch. The group visits ten different places and tastes about 25 different food items.

Savor Seattle recently added a downtown Seattle food tour that explores “the gourmet side of Seattle,” says owner Angela Shen. “Half of this tour is inside Pike Place Market and half is in the surrounding downtown neighborhood. There is no overlap with the morning Market tour.”

The afternoon outing includes samples of Washington wine and local micro-brews, organic chocolates, all-natural pork salami and sausage, balsamic-glazed mussels with bacon, tapas and sangria, handmade gelato, raw cow’s milk cheeses, spent-grain beer bread and Bavarian-style cold cuts.

Both tours include a 10-percent discount card for all the places visited.

Taste Pike Place Market

The basics: Pike Place Market tours, daily; Breakfast Bites, 9-10:30 a.m., $28 (plus tax); Lunch Sampler, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., $34 (plus tax); Food and Wine, 2-4:30 p.m., $39 (plus tax); (206) 725-4483, www.tastepikeplace.com.

On the morning tour, groups sample tasty breakfast bites while learning about the Market’s rich history and meeting some of its colorful personalities. The mid-day tour is meant to be a light lunch with samples of antipasto from an Italian deli, fresh smoked salmon bites and award-winning local clam chowder. The afternoon tour features appetizers from local restaurants and tastings of premium regional and imported boutique wines.

“We go off the beaten path so you can experience the Market like a local.” says owner Steve Corless.“We specialize in places that we think have great food, but may not be as well known.”

During a recent mid-week morning tour visitors stopped by a variety of locally-owned shops and informal eating establishments.

One such place was The Crumpet Shop (1503 First Ave.) where tour guide Michael Robinson introduced owner Nancy McFaul. For more than three decades, McFaul, and her husband, Gary Lasater, have been offering traditional English crumpets, scones and soups, all made on the spot.

“We love making simple, straight-forward food,” says McFaul.

Tour de Chocolat / Seattle

The basics: Tour de Chocolat / Seattle; Tuesday, Friday and Saturday; 8:30 a.m.; 3 hours; $65 (includes tax); (206) 427-2515; www.sschocolatebox.com.

This guided van tour is billed as a way “to enjoy Seattle’s ‘other bean’ and see the city.”

Visitors learn about the craft of chocolate-making from some of Seattle’s most famous chocolatiers, taste at each stop and take home sumptuous samples.

The tour departs from the Chocolate Box near Pike Place Market and includes stops at Theo Chocolates in funky Freemont, Fran’s Chocolates in the University District, and Oh! Chocolate in the Madison Park neighborhood.

Tour guides “know their way around the city as fluently as they do the nuances of chocolate,” according to the Web site.

For culinary tours check out:

Diane’s Market Kitchen

The basics: Cooking and Entertaining Market Kitchen Style, Thursday-Tuesday, 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., 3 hours, $104 (includes tax), (877) 624-6114, www.dianesmarketkitchen.com.

Culinary instructor Diane LaVonne meets her small groups at Pike Place Market where she introduces them to vendors and talks about what to look for in selecting truly great ingredients.

“The Market is an incredible resource,” says LaVonne. “Great food begins with great flavor. To get great flavor you start with wonderful seasonings and fresh products. Where better to get those items than here where people have a passion for food?”

LaVonne stops at MarketSpice, Pike Place Fish Market, Frank’s Quality Produce, Maika’s Garden for flowers and a few daily farm stalls where she checks for fresh berries.

She then leads the group a few short blocks south to her bright and colorful Market Kitchen. Visitors sit along a gleaming counter to watch and ask questions while LaVonne demonstrates how to prepare an authentic Northwest meal using ingredients purchased at the market.

“My tour is focused on Pike Place Market from a chef’s point-of-view,” says LaVonne. “It is all about what you can use in your kitchen to create something wonderful. It’s not about what I can do; it’s about what you can do.”

Patrons leave with a full stomach, a big smile and a fistful of recipes.

Flavor of Seattle Culinary Arts Tour

The basics: Gray Line of Seattle, $108.50 (includes tax), days vary, 1 p.m., 3 ½ hours, (800) 426-7532, www.graylineseattle.com/sightseeingtours.cfm.

Gray Line of Seattle offers a number of different afternoon culinary tours featuring some of Seattle’s premier executive chefs from some of the city’s top restaurants.

Each interactive tour begins with a presiding chef meeting with participants at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel. The chef then leads visitors to local markets and explains how and what to choose for the day’s meal. After shopping, the group returns to the chef’s restaurant for a cooking demonstration and tasting of a specialty dish.

Participating eateries include Crush, El Gaucho, Troiani Ristorante Italiano, Sky City at the Space Needle, Waterfront Grill and Palisade.

Culinary Expeditions Tour Company

The basics: Culinary tours of Bainbridge Island, Seattle, Portland, Victoria, B.C., and Vancouver, B.C.; times, days and costs vary; (206) 264-1270; www.nwculinarytours.com.

Culinary Expeditions specializes in Pacific Northwest restaurant tours and interactive cooking classes that feature “the finest in regional cuisines and chefs.” It offers packages that range from four hours to several days; from $49 to thousands.

Blackened Salmon with Cilantro Lime Crème Fraiche

From Diane LaVonne, Diane’s Market Kitchen, Seattle

2 pounds Copper River sockeye salmon fillets (or any other high fat content salmon fillet), skinned and boned and trimmed

2 tablespoons Blackened Redfish Seasoning from Market Spice in Pike Place Market (or another blackening seasoning)

Sea salt and pepper

Extra-virgin olive oil, to coat the bottom of the pan

1/4 cup Cilantro Lime Crème Fraiche (recipe follows)

To prepare the fillets, remove the skin and take out the bones from the top part of the fillet. Salt and pepper and season the flesh side of the fish.

Portion the fish. Heat a large sauté pan, once it is hot; add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the fish flesh side down and sear until the fillets move easily in the pan. Be patient. If you are using high fat content fish (i.e. Copper River) this will be a matter of about 2 minutes. When seared, turn over the fillets and sear off the skin side. Again this should only take a couple of minutes. Be attentive to the opaque line on the fish. These should be served medium. Be careful not to overcook the fillets. Remove from the pan and plate. Cut the fish into four equal portions. Serve with a dollop of Cilantro Lime Crème Fraiche.

Yield: 4 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 502 calories, 31 grams fat (8 grams saturated, 58 percent fat calories), 49 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrate, 161 milligrams cholesterol, less than 1 gram dietary fiber, 824 milligrams sodium.

Cilantro-Lime Crème Fraiche

From Diane’s Market Kitchen

1 1/2 cups Crème Fraiche (recipe follows)

1 1/2 limes, zested and juiced

1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

Sea salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium mixing bowl combine the crème fraiche, lime juice, one half of the zest and the cilantro. Combine completely and add salt and pepper to taste. If needed you can add a little more of the zest.

Crème Fraiche

From Diane’s Market Kitchen. LaVonne says: “The nice thing about this is that if you do this and the shortcakes (recipe follows) you can use the same crème fraiche in both a sweet and savory application. Cool huh?”

2 cups heavy cream, (Diane LaVonne uses the 40-percent butterfat)

3 tablespoons buttermilk, make sure it is active culture

Place in glass jar, shake and let sit out on countertop for 24 hours. This should be fairly solid.

Keep refrigerated. Whip and use to finish desserts. This will last for up to 10 days. Use as a substitute for sour cream in recipes. Use in sauces, this will not break down with heat.

Yield: 2 cups

Approximate nutrition per 1-ounce serving: 92 calories, 10 grams fat (6 grams saturated, 94 percent fat calories), less than 1 gram protein, less than 1 gram carbohydrate, 36 milligrams cholesterol, no dietary fiber, 13 milligrams sodium.

Lavender Shortcakes

Diane’s Market Kitchen

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ tablespoon dried lavender

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

2/3 cup buttermilk

½ cup Crème Fraiche (recipe above)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl whisk all the dry ingredients together, cut in the butter until it looks like coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and mix until moist clumps form. Gather into a ball and divide into 4 pieces, form and flatten them into a round.

Bake on a cookie sheet until golden, about 20 minutes.

Serve with fresh berries and dollop whipped Crème Fraiche.

Yield: 4 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 513 calories, 30 grams fat (18 grams saturated, 52 percent fat calories), 8 grams protein, 53 grams carbohydrate, 80 milligrams cholesterol, 454 milligrams sodium.

‘A Few of My Favorite Things’ Oat Bars

Angela Shen, Savor Seattle Tours

1 cup (2 sticks) margarine

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 package (17.4 oz) Pillsbury Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread & Coffee Cake Mix

¼ cup orange juice

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ cups quick oats

1 to 1 ¼ cups Chukar Cherries’ Berry and Pistachio Mix (see note)

Additional Glaze (if desired)

1 ½ cups powered sugar

6-8 teaspoons milk

Heat over to 375 degrees. Spray 13- by 9- by 2-inch metal baking pan with cooking spray or butter.

In large bowl, beat margarine and brown sugar on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add Quick Bread Mix and the clear packet of cinnamon swirl (preserve foil glaze packet for later use), orange juice, egg and vanilla. Beat just until blended. Add oats and Chukar Cherries’ Berries and Pistachios. Mix at low speed just until combined. Spread evenly into prepared pan.

Bake 30 to 34 minutes or until edges are golden brown and wood pick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Cook completely in pan on wire rack.

Squeeze reserved foil packet from mix about 10 times. Cut tip off one corner of packet; squeeze glaze decoratively in pan. If more glaze is desired, combine powered sugar and milk until desired consistency. Spread glaze over remainder of the pan. Cut into squares.

Note: Chukar Cherries’ Berry and Pistachio Mix available online at www.chukar.com for $9.50 (8 ounces) or call (800) 624-9544.

Yield: 2 dozen square bars

Approximate nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.

Triple Coconut Cream Pie

From Chef Tom Douglas

2 cups milk

2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

1 vanilla bean

2 large eggs

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 (9-inch) baked Coconut Piecrust (recipe follows)

1 1/2 cups whipping cream, chilled

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut “chips” (large-shred coconut) or 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Garnish: 1 (4- to 6-ounce) bar white chocolate, shaved

Combine milk and 2 cups sweetened coconut in a 3 1/2-quart saucepan. Split vanilla bean in half lengthwise, and scrape seeds into milk mixture. Add pod. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture almost comes to a boil. Remove from heat.

Whisk together eggs, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and flour in a medium bowl until well blended. Gradually whisk about 1/3 cup milk mixture into egg mixture; pour back into saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 6 minutes or until mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Whisk 3 more minutes or until very thick. Remove from heat; add butter, and whisk until melted. Discard vanilla pod. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl, and place entire bowl in a larger bowl of ice water. Stir occasionally until mixture cools. Remove medium bowl from ice bath, and place plastic wrap directly on surface of mixture; chill 4 hours or until cold. (Mixture will thicken.)

Fill baked Coconut Piecrust with the pie filling, smoothing surface. Beat whipping cream, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and vanilla extract at medium speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Gradually increase speed to high, and beat until soft peaks form. Pipe or spoon whipped cream over pie.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread coconut chips on a baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 8 minutes or until golden, stirring twice. Cool. Top pie with coconut, and garnish, if desired.

Yield: 1 (9-inch) pie

Approximate nutrition per serving: 512 calories, 39 grams fat (27 grams saturated, 67 percent fat calories), 6 grams protein, 36 grams carbohydrate, 112 milligrams cholesterol, 3 grams dietary fiber, 93 milligrams sodium.

Coconut Piecrust

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3 to 5 tablespoons ice water

Pulse first 5 ingredients in a food processor 6 to 10 times or until mixture is crumbly. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing once after each addition, until dough holds together when pressed between fingers. Dough will not form a ball or even clump together in processor – it will be loose.

Turn dough out onto a large sheet of plastic wrap; press into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill 1 hour.

Roll dough to a 12- to 13-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate, trimming excess to a 1- to 1 1/2-inch overhang. Turn dough under along rim of pie pan, and flute edges. Chill at least 1 hour before baking.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper in piecrust, extending over edges, and fill with dried beans, rice, or pie weights. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven; discard foil and beans, and return piecrust to oven. Bake for 14 to 17 more minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove from oven, and cool completely on a wire rack.

Yield: 1 (9-inch) pie crust.