These are but a microcosmic few events we have been privileged to be a part of. There are also people who have passed away this year that will be fondly thought of in the coming months. Ask me about my single widow gals that I am still trying to line up dates for: no one under the age of 65 need apply. All of these experiences and these people and YOU are what make what the Jackalope a special place and from the bottom of our hearts, we hope we give the same back.

Have a Wonderful, Safe and Happy New Year!

Martin Luther King Day

Sunday January 18
The Jackalope Grill will be open on Sunday January 18, Martin Luther King Day.

Women Tasting Wine

Monday January 19, 4-6pm
Seminar

From Bend Wine Cellars’ most recent newsletter:

Host Kathy Garling and chef Timothy Garling have created one of Bend’s finest dining venues at the Jackalope Grill. Tim and Kathy came to Bend from Alta, Utah. where they took over an ailing restaurant and turned it into a nationally-known fine-dining restaurant. Kathy has over 25 years experience in the dining room, and chef Timothy, professionally trained in France, has over twenty years of experience in the kitchen.

Tim grew up in the Pacific Northwest not far from Seattle. After a spell teaching high school in Alaska, he attended culinary school in Paris, France. Much time was spent traveling the French countryside studying the culture and the food from the vantage point of his touring bicycle. “Culinary school gives every student the same training but I have used mine to give form to the memories of my Grandmother’s kitchen, the smells of the French country villages on Sunday morning, as well as memories of meals in some of the finest restaurants in France.”

This intimate sixty-five-seat restaurant is the perfect place to enjoy the warmth of good company. The exterior of the restaurant belies the interior. Once you find the Jackalope Grill, you’ll see that it has particularly easy access for those in Bend’s Southwestern neighborhoods and diners coming from areas south of Bend such as Sunriver.

The Jackalope Grill offers a Northwest menu of wild game, fresh seafood, pasta, poultry, and Oregon beef served in a comfortable setting. Fresh, local, and organic products are featured whenever possible. The Jackalope Grill has taken special care in assembling an award winning assortment of fine wines, spirits, and beers guaranteed to please the discriminating patron.

If you have not dined at the Jackalope Grill lately, you are in for a real surprise and treat when you go there.

Please join us for Women Tasting Wine. Cost is $45. For reservations, please contact Diane Sienko at Bend Wine Cellars (388-7564), or go to the Women Tasting Wine website.

Cooking Classes

Tim will be teaching cooking classes in February and March, his first cooking class will be held February 2. Space is limited, so reserve your spot now!

Ingredients:
15 medium mushrooms about 2 inches in diameter
½ C fresh Oregon Dungeness Crab
2 T olive oil plus extra for drizzling
2 scallions, including 2 inches of the green top, minced
1 large clove of garlic, minced
2 ½ T chopped parsley, flat leaf preferred
3T grated Italian Parmesan cheese
¼ c good quality mayonnaise
salt and pepper
Tabasco
1T dry white wine
bread crumbs

Procedure:
1. Remove the stems from the mushrooms discarding the very bottom, and then mince the stems along with three of the mushrooms.
2. In a sauté pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the minced mushroom, scallion, garlic and parsley. Sauté gently until soft, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the crab, Parmesan cheese, Tabasco, mayonnaise, and the salt and pepper to taste. If the mixture seems too damp add a few bread crumbs.
4. Fill each mushroom cap with the stuffing using your hand to form a nice even mound.
5. Place the filled mushrooms on a baking sheet, the drizzle with a little olive oil and a little white wine.
6. Bake until the mushrooms are soft and golden brown. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Chef’s Notes: This is the recipe for The Jackalope Grill’s stuffed mushroom appetizer.

December 1 was our third anniversary. On that day in 2005, Tim and I purchased the Jackalope, and like any great birth this was not an easy one! We signed papers for the restaurant at the restaurant and started prepping for the evening minutes later. That evening at 5 o’clock the restaurant opened for business as usual. It was a funny and surreal experience.

I can clearly remember the servers and kitchen staff looking at us and you could almost see them wondering, “who on earth are these people and what are they doing here?” I have to admit somewhere in the back of our minds we were wondering the same thing too. After leaving the safe, small and familiar surroundings of Alta, Utah for 16 years we were now in Bend.

Thankfully, not only was it the scariest decision we ever had to make, but it was also the wisest. We have been met with such warmth and been truly embraced by this community. Words cannot express our gratitude.

Here’s to more great years to come!

Join us for Christmas

We will be open Christmas Day, December 25, serving dinner from 4-7pm.

Leave the cooking - and cleaning - to us and enjoy a real holiday break.

~
CLOSED December 26 January 1
~

The Party’s at The Jackalope

There’s still time to reserve our private dining room - or the whole restaurant - for your holiday party. Get more details here, or call Kathy at 318-8435.

2009 Cooking Classes

Tim will be teaching cooking classes in January, February and March. Space is limited, so reserve your spot now!

Women Tasting Wine

Sparkling Wines
Mon., Dec. 15, 4-6pm

From Diane Sienko and Mary Robertson:

“November’s seminar certainly put us in a Thanksgiving mood! Chef Tim’s upscale Thanksgiving menu was paired nicely with wines selected by Byron Scott of Cathedral Ridge Winery in Hood River, Oregon.

With the holidays fast approaching, December’s seminar will feature “Sparkling Wines”. Dennis Sienko of Bend Wine Cellar will guide us through sparkling wines aimed at every price range and every occasion.”

Cost is $45. For reservations, please contact Diane Sienko at Bend Wine Cellars (388-7564), or go to the Women Tasting Wine website.

See last month’s menu.

Finely chop 8 oz. of dates. Make sure the dates are pitted so the chopping will be easy. Bring 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of Kahlua to a slight boil then add to the dates and let sit to cool.

In a mixing bowl add one stick of room temperature butter and 1 cup packed brown sugar. Beat until creamy. Add 4 room temperature eggs one at a time to mixture. Incorporate 1-3/4 cups self-rising flour, 1 tsp. baking powder and 1 Tbs. instant coffee crystals into mixture — do not over mix.

Put chopped dates put into food processor and puree the heck out of them. While you are doing this make sure not to stick your fingers into the processor — it could be very painful, and you may have to start again once you have returned from the hospital. Add date to flour mixture and mix until smooth.

Pour into a 9-inch round or square baking dish and bake at 350° for approximately 45 minutes. The cake should be golden brown and spongy. Let sit to cool off.

After preparing the cake and enjoying a short nap, now you’re ready to prepare the toffee sauce.

In a sauce pan mix:
¾ cup butter
1 ½ cup packed brown sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
½ tsp. vanilla

Heat until nice and warm — the sauce should start to thicken. Add some scotch to the mixture. The amount will depend on how much fun you wish to have. Do not use your finest 15-year barrel-aged scotch — this will ruin the sauce with the taste of peat. In other words, pour the good stuff into a glass with 3 cubes of ice, and dump the cheap stuff into the sauce.

Enjoy with friends!

-Kathy

2 cups Creamy Italian Dressing
1 lb. Tortellini pesto pasta, pre-cooked al dente
6 oz. hard sausage, chopped into ½” cubes
6 oz. smoked Gouda cheese, cut into ½” cubes
8 oz. whole baby corn, canned, drained
8 oz. Artichoke hearts, marinated drained
½ cup whole pitted Kalamata olives
To taste:  Salt and Pepper

Procedure:
1. In a large bowl, combine sausage, Gouda, baby corn, artichoke hearts and olives; mix gently.
2. Add the al dente tortellini to the other ingredients, pour 1 cup of the dressing over the ingredients and mix gently.
3. Let stand one hour to blend flavors. Enjoy!

Chef’s Notes: My recipe for Creamy Italian Dressing has previously been published.  I particularly like the dry pasta available at Trader Joes. It comes in a one-pound package and although it says to cook for 12-14 min., I had good luck cooking it only about 9-10 minutes. Try substituting other hard cheeses for the Gouda—interesting choices would include smoked cheddar, asiago, farmhouse English cheddar, and imported Provolone.  Other pitted olives such as Picholine or Nyons could be substituted.  Try adding marinated mushrooms. Finally, let your imagination be your guide.

In addition to our regular menu, we will be serving:

- Main Course -
Roast Turkey
Orange and apple cider brined, house-made chorizo & cornbread stuffing, poultry gravy, roast cranberries, candied yams
Baked Ham
Mashed potatoes, mandarin orange & honey glaze, roast cranberries, vegetable du jour

- Dessert -
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Kahlua-Pecan Tarte

Holiday Reminder
Now’s the time to reserve our private dining room - or the whole restaurant - for your holiday party. For more details call Kathy at 318-8435.

Women Tasting Wine, Mon., Nov. 17, 4pm
Following a theme of  “Our Favorite Holiday Wines,” Women Tasting Wine pairs selections to match Chef Tim Garling’s menu this month. Cost is $45. Please contact Diane Sienko at Bend Wine Cellars (388-7564), or go to the Women Tasting Wine website.

Women Tasting Wine: October 2008

Women Tasting Wine: September 2008

Women Tasting Wine: August 2008

Women Tasting Wine: July 2008

Women Tasting Wine: June 2008

1 or 2 garlic cloves, sliced
Kosher salt
¼ c heavy cream
¼ c Best Foods mayonnaise
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (use the real stuff)
1/3-cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh oregano
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Using a mortar and pestle (or the flat side of a chef’s knife) crush the garlic and a large pinch of kosher salt into a paste.  Transfer the paste to a medium mixing bowl and whisk in the cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, and mustard until well blended.  Slowly add the olive oil while whisking. Add the parsley and oregano, mix well and then season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Enjoy!

¼ C (1/2 stick) butter
1C brown sugar
½ t cinnamon
¼ C banana liqueur
4 bananas cut in half lengthwise, then halved
¼ C rum
4 scoops of vanilla ice cream

1. Combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a sauté pan. Place the pan over medium heat and cook until the sugar dissolves.
2. Carefully add the banana liqueur and the rum then place the bananas in the pan.
3. After the flames subside and the sauce has started to caramelize, lift the bananas out of the pan and place four pieces over each portion of ice cream. Generously spoon warm sauce over the top of the ice cream and serve immediately.

Throughout autumn, we will offer an ever-changing assortment of German-style soups, entrees and desserts. Entree possibilities include jaegerschnitzel, rouladen, house-made wurst and sauerbraten.

Jackalope Grill Oktoberfest Prix Fixe Menu
Three-course menu selections change daily $30 (German and German-style wine and beer pairings alos available).

· Soup du Jour
· Seasonal German Specialities
· Dessert
Women Tasting Wine: Mon., Oct. 20, 4pm

Join Women Tasting Wine and Chef Tim Garling for an educational and delicious afternoon of wines and food pairings. Cost is $45. Please contact Diane Sienko at Bend Wine Cellars (388-7564), or go to the Women Tasting Wine website.