My favorite recipes

After growing up a small-town girl in Sun Valley, Idaho, Jes Gelet decided the big city was her destination, and has now come full circle to find herself, once again, a small-town girl.

“I always thought I was a city girl,” Jes said. “I am originally from a small town, and I want to get that back.”

Jes was living in Portland last fall and came to Colfax to visit her sister, Alysse Craner. Jes also wanted to be available to Alysse when she delivered her first child, Lily. After her visit and the birth of Alyesse’s daughter, Jes returned to Portland. She sold everything she had, packed her remaining items and her dog Rubey into a rented car and moved to Colfax.

“Community is important to me,” Jes said. “This community is unlike any other. It’s okay to just be. No one is judgmental here. I come from having nothing, and people just love me for who I am no matter what.”

Jes is now working in the bakery at Rosauers in Colfax, which is surprising to Jes for many reasons. One reason is she has 18 years of experience as a personal trainer and a private chef.

“The majority of my clientele are people you see on TV,” Jes said. “I used to work in exclusive, private homes, aboard private yachts and in a variety of fine dining restaurant kitchens as a chef.”

Jes said she has no interest to work in this capacity any longer. She wants to use her talents to improve the lives of people who have a desire to improve themselves, regardless of their financial standing.

“If someone offered me a million dollars to train them, I would tell them ‘no’,” Jes said. “I have had enough attitude and just want to help regular folks. I am passionate about people. I thrive on how people are progressing.”

Another reason why Jes’s friends and family are surprised she has chosen to work in a bakery is because she has celiac disease, an auto immune disorder of the small intestines and is caused by a reaction to gluten protein found in wheat, barley and rye.

Jes is always creating new recipes for herself and others who suffer from severe food allergies. She hopes to use her talents to help develop more recipes for Rosauers’s gluten-intolerant customers.

“I am not a baker,” Jes said, “but I am excited about my job at Rosauers. These guys have been struggling with a lot of gluten-intolerant customers asking for more baked goods.”

Running is also one of Jes’s passions. She has completed several marathons and triathlons. Although now recovering from a broken hip, she ran in a turkey trot over Thanksgiving weekend and is currently training for a marathon she wants to run this winter.

“I am an adventure junky. Blood and guts do not bother me,” Jes said with a smile.

Jes views food as the fuel that powers the body. She said she is obsessed with food, and is a self-proclaimed “extraordinarily picky” eater. She is happy to share her knowledge with others and has helped many people who suffer from debilitating diseases, such as MS, fibromyalgia and Parkinson’s disease, as well as those who simply want to lose weight.

“Food is our best, most available medicine,” Jes said. “In its purest form, it works.”

Recipes:

SMOKED SALT-CURED PORK TENDERLOIN (with Charred-Onion Polenta and Blueberry-Bay Gastrique)

Two 10-ounce pork tenderloins, respectively (cleaned, trimmed and left whole)

Smoked salt (any variety)

Fresh pepper

1 cup coarse polenta (Measure 5 cups cold water for this ingredient. Set aside.)

Sea salt

2 sweet onions, peeled and left whole

Good-quality olive oil

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

Season pork liberally with smoked salt. Air dry (uncovered) under refrigeration for 24 hours.

Heat oil in large, heavy skillet. Re-season pork with additional smoked salt and fresh pepper. Sear on all sides until crisp and nicely browned. Remove from heat. Place on cooling rack over parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast in 350-degree oven until internal temperature reaches 150 degrees. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

While pork is roasting, bring polenta and cold water together in a large pot, stirring both ingredients constantly, until a homogenous mixture forms and a bare simmer is showing on the surface. Cook over very low heat for 40 to 60 minutes, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes throughout. Season to taste with sea salt. Press a layer of parchment onto polenta to prevent skin from forming.

While polenta cooks, heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat.

Slice onions in half through the core.

Keeping core intact, divide each half into 4 wedges, again keeping core attached to prevent onion wedges from separating their layers.

Add a generous glug of olive oil (3 to 4 tablespoons) to the hot pan.

Place onions, cut side down, in the oil.

Sear until dark caramel forms, then flip to the other side.

Continue with each onion, charring all open, cut sides.

Place charred onions on a parchment-lined baking sheet and finish in the 350-degree oven with the pork until cooked through (5 to 8 minutes).

Let cool slightly before removing the core from each piece and separating the onion petals apart. Fold onions and 6 ounces butter into soft polenta, stirring gently just until incorporated and butter has melted.

Taste again for seasoning and adjust as necessary.

Blueberry-Bay Gastrique

1 cup blueberry puree (from frozen blueberries, or for a sweeter variety, try pie filling)

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup sugar, plus more to taste

2 fresh bay leaves (4 dried)

Sea salt

1 lemon, cut in half

Combine blueberry puree, vinegar, sugar and bay leaves in a small sauce pan. Bring to a strong simmer over medium heat until liquid is reduced to syrup consistency. Strain, if desired, or simply remove bay leaves individually. Season to taste with sea salt and the juice from half a lemon.

To serve, slice pork tenderloin into slices. Fan slices over Charred-Onion Polenta. Drizzle with gastrique.

BEEF CARPACCIO (with truffle oil, sea salt, Pecorino Romano and fall greens)

Two 10- to 12-ounce beef tenderloins, preferably long and thin, rather than short and fat (*cleaned and placed uncovered in freezer for 30 to 40 minutes until easily sliced on machine slicer, mandolin, or by hand)

4 ounces fresh arugula, or other bitter greens

Olive oil

1 lemon

Good-quality sea salt (preferably flake Fleur de Sel variety)

Fresh, cracked pepper

2 ounces white truffle oil

2 ounces freshly shaved Pecorino Romano

Carpaccio:

While beef is still frozen, slice into even, paper-thin rounds (This step is critical—the thinner the better). Separate each slice on parchment paper, grouping the slices into portions of 5 slices each. Place in refrigerator over ice until ready to serve.

Arugula:

In medium-sized bowl, toss arugula with the smallest touch of olive oil (literally an eye dropper half full) and the juice of half a lemon. Season with Fleur de Sel, or sea salt, and fresh, cracked pepper.

To Serve: On a small plate, fan beef slices (5 per plate) into a circle. Avoid creating a hole in the center. Drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon truffle oil (very pungent) and a sprinkle of Fleur de Sel, or sea salt. In the center of the plate, on top of the beef, place a small pinch (about 1/2 cup, loose) of arugula. Shave thick slices of Pecorino (usually 4 to 5) over beef. (You may top greens with a healthy pinch of crispy onions, if desired.) Serve immediately.

*Note: Truffle oil can be heated gently to “cook” the beef when it is drizzled over the top, if desired.