Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/760410
Bill Stewart creates delec- table cannabis dishes such as this infused almond cake out of his Bud and Breakfast in Portland, Oregon. 8 4 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t CREATING AND COOKING in the kitchen was a first love for Bill Stewart, the medical scientist for Half Baked Labs in Portland, Oregon. He has spent over 50 years baking and preparing food, which is why his approach to cannabis-in- fused edibles is that they are "food" first. To deliver cannabis in an effective and predictable way, food infused with this plant must be prepared properly. Stewart brings his chemi- cal engineering background to the task of coaxing this com- plex plant into many forms to suit his whims in the kitchen, from decadent wedding cakes to barbecued chicken. What is it like to work with cannabis as an ingredient? I've been catering weddings and also offer contracted per- sonal cannabis chef services, so I have been able to work with it a lot, so now I can pretty much get cannabis to do anything I want it to. I'm pretty good at hiding the flavor of it, but I prefer to complement its natural flavors. One of the recipes I do this with is Vietnamese roasted chicken wrapped in cannabis leaves. I even make ginger cookies covered in green dragon sugar that just don't taste right unless they're covered in my infused rock sugar. The spices blended in the cookies just need the unique flavor the can- nabis adds. COOKING WITH CANNABIS A Q&A WITH BILL STEWART OF HALF BAKED LABS IN PORTLAND, OR by Allison Edrington ask the canna chef Medicated cinnamon sugar pecans created by Half Baked Labs owner Bill Stewart.