Grilled Ahi with Persimmon Glaze, Rice & Bok Choy
from Big River Restaurant and Bar, Corvallis OR
reprinted with permission from Wine Press NW

Grilled Ahi with Persimmon Glaze, Rice & Bok Choy

Ingredients:

4 ahi fillets (7 ounces each)
For the persimmon glaze:

3 persimmons
2 tablespoons fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1 pinch salt
For the rice:

1 yellow onion
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups white basmati rice
3 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon saffron threads

For the bok choy:

1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
3 bunches baby bok choy, trimmed, quartered lengthwise
For the garnish:

2 stalks green onion, sliced very thinly
1 red pepper, sliced very thinly

Instructions:

1. When selecting persimmons, make sure the fruit is ripe (soft) or allow enough time for it to ripen. We have placed persimmons in freezer - because they individually ripened - and defrosted the night before making the sauce. Also, the persimmon sauce is very universal and can be used in many different ways (on desserts, ice cream or as an ingredient in salad dressing), so making extra may warrant the effort.

2. To make the persimmon glaze: Trim off the hard green blossom end and peel with a paring knife, then pass through the food strainer. Sauté the ginger in the canola oil to extract the flavor and reduce spiciness, and add lemon juice, honey and pinch of salt to the fruit puree. The glaze can be made up to one day ahead of time.

3. If the weather will not allow you to fire up the barbecue, pan searing would be a perfectly acceptable alternative, as long as the fish will be cooked to an ideal medium rare (not more than medium or else choose a different fish, such as halibut).

4. To make the rice: Sauté the onion in olive oil until soft, add rice, water and salt. Break up saffron by rubbing between your fingers and allow to drop into the liquid. Bring to a boil, then cover, turn heat to medium and cook until finished - about 20 minutes.

5. Place ahi on grill and start cooking to desired doneness.

6. In the meantime, to make the bok choy: Dissolve honey in rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and water, then set aside. Heat canola oil in large sauté pan, add ginger, garlic and let flavors transpire into oil. Stir in bok choy for one minute, then add the soy mixture, cover and cook to desired doneness. Bok choy is excellent with a slight crunch in the center.

7. To serve, portion rice in middle of plate with ahi centered on top. Arrange bok choy around the rice just inside the rim. Drizzle a good amount of persimmon glaze over the ahi and garnish with few slivers of red pepper and green onion.

Serves four.

Big River Restaurant

Big River Restaurant and Bar in Corvallis draws from Oregon State University professors and alumni - not college kids - for much of its patronage.

"We're not really much of a student crowd," said Kinn Edwards, sommelier at Big River since it opened in 1995. "We're more of a professional crowd and university faculty. A lot of our big nights are things that have to do with the games, though. People who come into town for the games and alumni see us as a place to come to beforehand."

When they view the menu and wine list, Oregonians feel at home. A portion of the menu is called "The River Flow," where co-owner and general manager Brant Pollard describes the approach for his restaurant, just a stone's throw from the Willamette River.

"We offer a wide variety of healthful menu choices that utilize the cornucopia of ingredients to be found around the Willamette Valley and off the Oregon Coast. We continue to build relationships with local organic farmers to bring you fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables. Our seafood purveyor works closely with Oregon's independent fishing fleet. We prepare only prime and choice natural Oregon beef without added animal protein, hormones or antibiotics. And we pour rivers of luscious wine from around the valley."

Edwards' wine list - available at www.bigriverrest.com - affirms that.

"We stick mainly with Oregon natives and not much of the Washington wines," he said. "I like to stick with some of the pinots and the smaller guys, too. Not necessarily unknowns, but the up-and-comers."

The ambiance is wine-friendly, with live blues and jazz on Friday and Saturday evenings booked by Edwards. "There are some good bands that come through, but it's not really loud," he said. "We want some nice music there for atmosphere, as opposed to a concert."

While the upstairs features local artwork, all the ground floor pieces are produced by Angela McFarland, whose husband, Scott, founded Big River with Pollard. They've transformed the former Greyhound bus station - the garage door hinges remain as conversation pieces - into one of the valley's premier restaurants, thanks in large part to the artistry of executive chef Jochen Bettag.

Bettag, born and raised in what then was West Germany, started in a pastry shop and apprenticed at a Nuremberg restaurant that earned a Michelin star. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y.

After owning and operating a restaurant in Edmonds, Wash., he joined the Big River staff in August 1996. There's no doubting the infusion of Northwest wine and cuisine in his creations, and he found a pleasing match for the 1998 McCrea Cellars viognier - grilled ahi with persimmon glaze.

"The wine accompanies this slightly more intense-flavored seafood entrée with a bit of an Asian twist," Bettag said. "At the restaurant, we have also made this entrée with the addition of fresh pomegranate in the sauce, giving it an even more intense red color and interesting flavor. This entrée contrasts the dull and gray Northwest winter months with vibrant orange, yellow and green colors, yet reflecting season ingredients."

Big River Restaurant and Bar, 101 NW Jackson, Corvallis, Ore, 541-757-0694. Web site: www.bigriverrest.com Serving lunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m. with dinner at 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Serving dinner only at 5 p.m. Saturday. Serving brunch only 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday.