Acclaimed Chefs Sweeten Summer with Video Series

YAKIMA, Wash., July 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Elite chefs from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Montana have partnered with Northwest Cherry Growers to spend a day in the kitchen creating a series of videos that showcase their favorite recipes using the summer bounty, including Northwest-grown sweet cherries. Northwest-grown sweet cherries are a labor of love as each cherry is meticulously handpicked to ensure the delicate fruit is plump, juicy and in prime condition when it arrives on grocery store shelves.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150716/237494

Aptly named "Handpicked Chef Series," at-home viewers can see how to make brioche Panzanella with cherries, mint, basil and feta; apple and cherry glazed pork tenderloin; smoked Wild Alaska sockeye Salmon with morels, peas, cherry pickle and dandelion; seared elk with cherry reduction; and pan seared duck breast with a cherry gastrique. On top of the dishes, viewers can learn about each chef's favorite memory associated with cherries and more about their restaurants from the ski towns of Salt Lake City, McCall, Idaho and Whitefish, Mont. to the urban metropolises of Seattle and Portland, Ore. Following each video, a recipe is provided so at-home cooks can whip up the same dishes in in their own kitchens. To view the "Handpicked Chef Series" videos and featured recipes, visit http://bit.ly/1CHsnJL.

Participating chefs include:

• Jason Wilson (Seattle – Crush and Miller's Guild): Named "Best Chef Northwest 2010" by the James Beard Foundation and one of Food & Wine's "Best New Chefs 2006," the highest quality Northwest ingredients and the very best techniques are the foundation for Chef Jason Wilson's cuisine.
• Jenn Louis (Portland, Ore. – Lincoln Restaurant and Sunshine Tavern): Named Food & Wine's "Best New Chefs 2012," Chef Jenn Louis' sophisticated, seasonally-focused cooking style has earned her nominations as a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation Award "Best Chef: Northwest" in 2010 and 2011, and a spot on Bravo's "Top Chef Masters."
• Andy Blanton (Whitefish, Mont. – Café Kandahar): Earning semifinalist nods for the James Beard Foundation Award's "Best Chef: Northwest" in 2013 and 2014, Chef Andy Blanton serves creative cuisine in a modern American style with French and creole influences.  
• Steven Topple (McCall, Idaho – Shore Lodge and Whitetail Club): As an esteemed international chef and author, Chef Steven Topple has a sophisticated approach to rustic, seasonal cuisine featuring local ingredients, and has spent more than two decades perfecting his craft in a variety of top-tier resort kitchens throughout the U.S.   
• Eric DeBonis (Salt Lake City – The Paris and Sea Salt): Chef Eric DeBonis shares the celebration of an authentic French and Italian dining experience by focusing on culture and community as well as traditional recipes and techniques. He also believes in what he calls the "slow food" manifesto, a focus on rhythm of the seasons and local environments.

Northwest cherries are grown in an ideal microclimate and rich volcanic soil, which produces exceptionally large fruit and a sweet flavor profile, making them an ideal fruit to create sweet and savory dishes. Sweet cherries are delicious eaten fresh but also freeze easily with a shelf life up to one year, allowing at-home chefs to experience the sweet taste of summer year round. Notorious as a superfood, cherries' deep red color is due to the increasingly studied group of compounds known as anthocyanins, which studies suggest may help reduce inflammation and lower both triglycerides and cholesterol. Whether baking a classic dessert such as a clafouti, brightening up a salad or whipping up pork tenderloin with cherry chutney, summer's sweetest fruit pair well with any dish.

About Northwest Cherries and Washington State Fruit Commission
Washington State Fruit Commission is a growers' organization funded by fruit assessments to increase awareness and consumption of regional stone fruits. The organization is dedicated to the promotion, education, market development, and research of soft fruits from Northwest orchards. It began in 1947 and has since grown to include five states – Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Montana. For more information, visit www.nwcherries.com or www.wastatefruit.com.

For more information, media only:
Jamie Campbell
Duo PR for Northwest Cherries
206-957-8305
[email protected]

SOURCE Northwest Cherries

Related Links

http://www.nwcherries.com