From Rice to Risotto with 23 Hoyt's Amber Webster

Welcome back to Chef in the Kitchen, a recurring Eater photo feature where we boldly go where few diners have gone before — into Portland restaurant kitchens — to get a sneak peek of the chef du jour hard at work.

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[Avila, 7/20/11]

23 Hoyt chef Amber Webster, an Orange County girl who moved to Portland late last year, brings a light (dare we say sunny?) touch to NW 23rd's revamped "New American" tavern. Eater snuck into the kitchen with Webster as she stirred up a bright English pea risotto — arborio (a short Italian rice) is coated in garlic, onions, butter and white wine, with vegetable stock slowly ladled in until the rice is cooked through. Webster finishes the risotto with parmesan, butter, and the peas, then garnishes the final dish with pea tendrils and "super cute flowers" plucked fresh from a farm.
· 23 Hoyt [Official site]
· All Previous Chef in the Kitchen Coverage [Eater PDX]