The Countertop Oven Class

Matthew Woolen is a master pastry chef and has worked in a variety of Seattle restaurants, including gastropub Old Sage, Zhu Dang, and a gluten-free restaurant called Capitol Cider.

Matthew Woolen

We wanted to create a textural experience similar to beef jerky with some of our favorite vegetables instead. Initially, we ran trials brining the vegetables with calcium oxide, which we hoped would give the surface an interesting texture and dried-out look. However, that did not improve the texture of the jerky. We stopped going that direction. Instead, we tried the classic route of using a simple salt and sugar brine, roasting the vegetables, and dehydrating them. Bingo. We ran tests using all sorts of vegetables—tomatoes, mushrooms, beets, carrots, celery root, leeks, sweet potatoes, and eggplant—and decided that our favorites are eggplants and mushrooms for their ability to absorb the flavors we added. We also like bell peppers and beets for their hardy flavor and sturdy structure. What you see below is the process to make this vegetable jerky. We focused on the technique so you can master that, then make your own flavor combinations.

Vegetable Jerky