Oh. My. Gosh.  I had always heard that Oregon berries are pretty wonderful, but I had no idea how amazingly delicious they would be!  We are in the midst of strawberry season, and Chris and I can't get enough of them.  One of the fun things about being a vendor at the Farmer's Markets is trading with other vendors, and swapping pies for berries seems like a good deal to us!  We have been sampling the strawberries from our friends at Deep Roots Farm, Sungold Farm, and Heavenly Harvest, and they are all fantastic. 

Last weekend we came home with half a flat of strawberries (which were traded for a Cheese & Veg pastie and a Beef & Stout pie!), and we have been eating them with yogurt, whizzed up into smoothies, with vanilla ice cream and Two Brothers chocolate sauce, and just by the handful every time we pass through the kitchen. 

I also baked this Strawberry Streusel Cake, which is a recipe from my favorite food writer, Nigella Lawson.  This cake might not win any beauty contests, but it is another sweet way to savor strawberry season!  I used lucsious Seascape strawberries from our mates at Heavenly Harvest farm.

 Strawberry Streusel Cake

3/4 cup sugar

2 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 sticks of chilled butter, cut into small cubes

1 cup sour cream

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla

1 tbl brown sugar

For puree:

2 tsp cornflour

2 tsp vanilla

2 punnets of strawberries, hulled

3 tablespoons strawberry jam (optional)

To make puree, make a paste of cornflour and vanilla, and add to blender with the berries and jam.  Puree until smooth.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 9 inch springform pan.

Combine sugar, flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl.  Using tips of your fingers, rub in butter cubes until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.  Remove 1/2 cup and set aside, and then mix in sour cream, egg, and vanilla to the main bowl.  Mix well.

Use a fork to combine the reserved mixture with the brown sugar.  Sprinkle evenly across the top of the cake, then bake for 45-50 minutes or until lightly golden.  Cool, and then serve as is, or with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of creme fraiche.    

Our opening weekend at the Farmer's Markets was fantastic!  Last week we baked more pies than we ever have in our lives - and we were so excited that so many people enjoyed them! 

Chris and I arrived at Beaverton on Saturday morning having no idea what to expect (and more than a little frazzled after two super long days baking pies), but soon our spirits were lifted by the lovely weather and the terrific crowds of happy market shoppers.  Our very first customer was a Brit who was excited to find meat pies in Portland, and throughout the day we met more folks from England, quite a few Aussies, and many more people who had eaten meat pies while travelling and agree that they are a delicious treat.

On Sunday Chris and Langdon were at the Tigard Area Farmer's Market, and Molly and I did Milwaukie.  Another great day, with many folks excited to find Aussie meat pies in Portland.

Thanks so much to all of our customers, you made Pacific Pie Company's launch a terrific success.  We're already taking pre-orders for this coming weekend, so we are gearing up for another big week of baking.  And we'll be bringing cheese & veg pasties and homemade sausage rolls to our markets, so come hungry (and yes, we will have sauce for the Aussies!).  We look forward to seeing you!

After months (years?) of planning, dreaming, stressing, and baking, Pacific Pie Company is about to make its official debut.  The Beaverton Farmer's Market opens this Saturday, and then Tigard and Milwaukie kick off on Sunday. Come see us and try a pie...we are bringing Southwest Buffalo, Sunday Roast Lamb, Beef & Stout, Moroccan Chickpea and lots, lots more!

We have been busy making lots of little sample pies - hopefully once people try our Classic Beef or Spinach & Feta pies they will be hooked!

We've also recently hired some fantastic folks to help us out at the markets this season.  We are really glad to have Matt, Molly, Connor, Angelique, and Langdon on board.  It is going to be a fun, crazy, delicious summer...bring it on!