Real Kitchens: Michelle makes dessert in southeast Portland

by Sarah Gilbert, Posted Jan 11th 2006 @ 1:40PM

"
Michelle zests blood oranges into her brand-new Cuisinart, a Christmas present.
...I am not alone among food bloggers. I do not yet have my showplace kitchen... Yet our kitchen is still the heart of our home, as it is for so many other good cooks and gourmands who have not yet come into the riches they so deserve, the riches that will fund a fabulous kitchen makeover one day. So it occurred to me that this is something to celebrate. Real kitchens, in rented apartments or fixer-uppers or "starter homes" or entry-level condos. The ones that you live and cook in."

This week I visited the kitchen of Michelle of Je Mange la Ville. She was already beginning to bake when I walked in, and the sun had begun to stream through her south-facing kitchen windows. I sat at the counter stool with my lenses and rolls of film and began to soak in the rays and the delicious smells. Could I find art in this normal kitchen, on a comfortable side street in a "transitional" neighborhood in Portland, Oregon?

Michelle was making blood orange bars with pistachio crust from a recipe in Everyday Food. You can find the recipe here.

Michelle used a gorgeously appropriate bowl to hold her pistachio crust, scented with blood orange zest.

Her huge juicer sat in the sun and sparkled as it caught the seeds in its glass teeth.

"One thing about these countertops: I have to wipe up the spills immediately or they'll stain forever," said Michelle.

With the ingredients for the filling assembled, Michelle brings her bright red spatula to task.

"I don't know where to put these beautiful bowls," Michelle said of the four white-and-blue cereal bowls I'd been admiring (they're next to the microwave). "My cupboards are full!"

After pouring the filling, a single drip was quickly wiped up.

Michelle painted her kitchen a color she thought was called "squash." It was a kitchen-appropriate orangey-yellow that looked warm and yummy in the sun.

Waiting for the bars to bake, Michelle and I wondered about the best way to gauge the doneness of a custard. In the end, she decided to take their temperature with her wand-style thermometer.

The bars were lovely and smelled wonderful, flecked with the blood-orange pulp and pistachio chunks. They had to set an hour before cutting or I'd have photographed me eating some. I think it's time to head to my own kitchen...

Filed Under: On the Blogs, Methods
Tags: barbecuing, cafemama, dessert, je mange la ville, JeMangeLaVille, michelle, photos by sarahgilbert, PhotosBySarahgilbert, real kitchen, real kitchens, RealKitchen, RealKitchens, sarahgilbert, west coast

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

1-11-2006 @2:27PM dave jones said... I think I'm going to enjoy your articles on ordinary kitchens. One thing I'd like to see is some discussion by the kitchen owner about their kitchen, e.g. what they like and don't like, what changes they have made and why, why they choose a particular stove or refrigerator or counter top, etc. Insights like that will help those of us considering our own kitchen upgrades.

Keep up the good work!
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1-11-2006 @4:36PM michelle said...

Oh, I can contribute here! :)

As we've only lived in this house (our first) for three years, we've only just started to address the kitchen. The easiest to change has been the cosmetics -- I've painted the walls (from white to squash!) and the cabinets (from dingy wood to white). I also bought new and dangerous drawer and cabinet pulls.

One thing I still really want to change is the floor (coming up at the seam) and the evil, stain-prone countertops. These, of course, are much bigger projects and are more of a dream at this point.

The only appliance we have had to purchase so far, has been the refrigerator. We decided to get a stainless one so that it would match the stove.

Ahhh, the stove. I love the stove. It's a Dacor and it came with the house, which is very nice as we probably never would have spent that much money on one. I don't even mind that there are stains around the burner that I could never get out!

All in all, I am pretty satisfied with the space. I wish it were a bit bigger and there was more storage but overall, it's one of the nicest kitchens I've had.

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