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The Best of the Pacific Northwest

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 | Beer, Food and Recipes | 4 Comments

I am completely and unhealthily obsessed with food and drink. I think about what I will make for dinner the next day while lying awake in bed. I couldn’t sleep for nearly three hours one night when I was trying to determine what Pacific Northwest cuisine is. I know we must have a unique food culture, but defining that culture is a challenge, especially when the clock reads 2:00 AM and your alarm wakes you at 6:00 AM.

I love where I live. This region of the world offers easy access to exceptional seafood, an abundance of local produce and some of the greatest brewers in the world live within a day’s drive of Vancouver.

I thought I would put together a list of my favourite local dishes, recipes included, paired with beer. I use local quite loosely as the 100 mile diet is too strict and is simply unreasonable. Growing wheat or barley in the Fraser Valley makes little to no sense.

Moules Frites

Some of the best mussels come from Salt Spring Island. My local fish monger, 1 Fish 2 Fish which is hands down the best food shop in Langley, offers these delicious bivalves when in season (year round excluding March and April). From my experience mussels need very little in the way of cooking – less is more. Here is what I consider to be the greatest way to prepare mussels:

Moules

- Finely dice one large shallot or two small shallots and sauté in a pan with olive oil until translucent

- Finely dice two ripe medium sized or one large tomato until almost a puree and add to the pan – cook for a minute or two

- Add white wine and reduce until it just begins to become syrupy (beer just doesn’t reduce as well as wine – sorry)

- Add mussels and cover the pan – one pound per person for a meal size portion works best.

- After 3-4 minutes (all cook books say 6-8 minutes, but I think they are wrong) uncover the pan, remove all mussels that have opened and put them aside, after one more minute throw away any unopened mussels.

- Reduce the mussel broth, with the mussels out of the pan. Once reduced toss the mussels back in the broth and finish with some roughly chopped parsley or any fresh tasting herb.

Frites

For the frites, I find Joel Robuchon’s method works quite well and is dead easy:

- Cut the fries - Yukon Gold is a good all around potato to use

- Place the fries in a pot with high sides

- Cover fries with frying oil

- Heat oil until 360 degrees F – the fries are now ready

- Remove fries and season with salt, enjoy.

Despite the reduced white wine in the broth, beer is still the ultimate partner for this dish. Any flavorful beer will work. An Oude Geuze is a traditional match, but any assertive Belgian ale will also do quite nicely.

Pizza

Pizza may not be local, but all of the toppings certainly are – it also happens to be one of my favourite things to eat.

Making a good pizza is not that difficult, but making a great pizza is a bit more of a challenge. There is no single recipe to follow to make great pizza. Pizza is more of a philosophy and set of rough guidelines than a recipe. I am nowhere near perfecting pizza, but here are a few tips I have learned along the way:

- Pizza toppings should always be local – fresh produce shipped long distances loses flavor fast.

- It is better to under top than over top.

- Pizza without tomato sauce is just fine

- Making tomato sauce from scratch is the best. Tomatoes from a grocery store are almost always picked when they are green and therefore taste a whole lot like water. Canned tomatoes on the other hand are picked when they are ripe and have more flavor. Use caned tomatoes. San Marzanos are the best, but they may be hard to find.

- Cheese does not have to be grated, it can be torn up by hand and tossed onto the pizza

- The faster a dough proofs, the worse it tastes - use a yeast that is slow rising, brewers yeast is my favourite

- Kneed the dough for more time than you may think is necessary, dough needs a lot of love.

- People who base the quality of the pizza by the thinness of the crust are fools -I was once one of these fools. Yes, a thin crust is delicious, but thinness is not the number one goal.

- Pizza needs to be cooked hot and fast. Many recipes say to put pizza on a stone in the bottom of an oven. I think this is wrong. The top of an oven is hotter – heat rises. I recently switch to the top of the oven approach and the results are superior.

- Hand tossing pizza is fun, but usually results in a mess. I try to hand toss all my pizza, despite how terrible I am at it.

Depending on the toppings, pizza pairs excellently with a spicy pilsner, pale ale, or even an IPA if the toppings are assertive enough. I find dark beers aren’t the best choice with pizza, but I could easily be proven wrong.

Fish & Chips

Our ocean is filled with wonderful fish, but don’t be fooled into buying the most expensive fish. Halibut may be delicious, but it is twice the price of snapper and is an inferior fish when it comes to battering and frying.

In my humble opinion the best batters are thin and crispy – I am not a fan of a thick eggy batter. Mixing cornstarch and flour together in a one to one ratio with a pinch of salt and enough beer to bring the mixture to the consistency of heavy cream has always work excellently for me.

For the chips, I wouldn’t suggest Joel Robuchon’s method – chips are a different beast than frites. I am not a fry master, but the best results have come with an initial poach/fry in oil around 260 – 300 F for 5-6 minutes. Remove the chips and bring the oil to 360 F and fry the chips again in the hot oil until golden.

The key to frying is managing oil temperate, too hot and food will burn, t0o cool and food will become soggy with grease. 360 F is a good frying temperate.

A good ESB works wonderfully with fish and chips – cask ale would be ideal. Any beer with caramel malt included in the grain bill would work well.

Wild Game Ragu

One of my close friends is a hunter and regularly provides me with quality venison. I believe beer is truly at its best when matched with the intensity of wild game. Ragu is nothing more than an Italian stew served with pasta, gnocchi or polenta and is the perfect meal to ejoy in the fall when hunting season begins

Here is the general recipe I tend to follow when making a venison ragu:

- Sauté lardons (French for bacon chopped into match stick sizes) in a pan until crisp and all the fat is rendered out of the bacon.

- Remove the bacon and leave the fat in the pan – don’t even think about removing any of this glorious animal fat, game has almost no fat and needs a bit of pork fat for lubrication. The bacon can be added back to the ragu at the end of cooking.

- Cube 1 pound of venison into one inch pieces and brown aggressively, remove all venison once browned

- Finely dice one large onion, one celery stock and one carrot and add to the pan, this should deglaze the pan a bit

- Add around a ¼ cup of tomato paste, more if you like tomatoes, less if you don’t.

- Add about a cup of stock (chicken, beef, vegetable)

- Add about a cup of red wine. If the venison is not completely covered by liquid add more wine.

- Cover with a lid and simmer for 3-4 hours or place in the oven for 3-4 hours at around 250 F.

- The venison should now be tender.

- If sauce hasn’t reduced enough, reduce stock on the stove top.

- Cool the ragu and place in the fridge overnight – ragu is best the next day, trust me.

- Before reheating on a stove top, shred the venison with a fork

- Once heated through serve the ragu with your starch of choice, pappardelle is my choice.

A Brown Belgian Ale would work nicely with this ragu. A Dubbel or even Biere de Garde would also work. A big tasting beer with some spicy yeast flavour is ideal for this meal. A big Cabernet Sauvignon would also be delicious.

Cheers,

Erik

Tags: 1 Fish 2 Fish, Beer and Food, Fish & Chips, Joel Robuchon, Moules Frites, Pizza, Salt Spring Island Mussels, Venison Ragu

Incendio West & Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company

Monday, May 18th, 2009 | Beer, Food and Recipes | No Comments

My obsessive drive to find the perfect pizza and beer led me to two Kitsilano pizzerias – Incendio West & The Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company.  Both of these restaurants are situated within a stones throw of each other and have both received positive reviews, they also happen to offer a selection of craft beer in both bottles and  on draft.  If I was making  the effort to visit one pizzeria , I figured I should make the most of the evening and visit both.  If I really want to find the best pizza and beer in the Vancouver area I will have to make sacrifices.  This particular sacrifice comes in the form of eating multiple dinners in one night – a sacrifice I am more than willing to make.

We started the evening at Incendio West.  Incendio West belongs to the Incendio Group which operates two Italian pizza & pasta eateries and Stellas Tap and Tapas Bar.  Currently one of Incendio’s pizza joints is undergoing extensive renovations after a fire caused damage to the kitchen and dinning room -  after learning about the fire I was not all that surprised to discover that the word incendio means fire.  Chris recommended Incendio’s Gastown location to me months ago stating that they offered great pizza and a good selection of craft beer.  I was saddened when he told me the restaurant had caught fire and would be closed for quite some time, but was equally happy to find that Incendio West was in full operation.

The beer menu at Incendio West is made up of bottled domestic and international beer – mostly light lager.  Their draft selection includes R&B wheat ale and pale ale, Shaftebury Cream Ale , Okanagan Spring 1516 and Pale Ale and Stella Artois.  Having never tasted R&B Sun God Wheat I decided to give it a try – it turned out to be a mild wheat ale and was not impressive.  R&B Red Devil Pale Ale proved to have a much greater depth in flavour, which paired nicely with a Incendio’s pizza.

I originally thought that Incendio West baked their pizza in a wood fired oven – I was wrong, they use gas.  I have no evidence to support that a wood fired oven creates a better pizza than gas, but my preference leans towards the wood fired option.  Gas may be capable of creating enough heat  to properly bake a pizza, but gas will never have the same authentic charm that a wood burning oven does.  The pizza at Incendio’s was  good – well topped with an appropriate amount of sauce and cheese.  My only complaint was the soggy crust, a sign of an undercooked pizza.  Looking around at other tables I found that almost all of the pizza lacked a slightly charred crust, which is a sign of a well cooked pizza.  Proper pizza cookery requires enough bravery to leave a pizza in a hot oven long enough to fully cook the crust, even if the pizza is starting to  char around the edges.

After feasting at Incendio West and a taking quick walk through the neighborhood and along  Kits beach we arrived at The Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company.  After spending an hour walking with hopes of burning off at least one slice of pizza, still none of us were hungry enough to sit down for a second meal, so we opted for takeout instead.  Takeout would give me a chance to enjoy a fresh slice of their pizza while saving the remainder for the next day.  Waiting for the pizza  gave me enough time to poke around the restaurant to see if they used a wood fired oven and to also take a look at their beer selection.  I am happy to confirm that Rocky Mountain bakes their pizza in a wood fired oven.  Their beer selection is quite impressive as well, offering beer from Howe Sound Brewing in both 1 liter bottles and on draft – R&B  Beer was also offered on draft.  Seeing a table with a 1 liter bottle of Howe Sound made me wonder why more restaurants don’t offer 650 ml bomber bottles.  A bomber is the prefect size for sharing and does not require the restaurant owner to commit to a full keg.  The pizza at Rocky Mountain was good, but although the crust was fully cooked, it was noticeably inferior to  Incendio’s Crust.

I have many  places still to visit in my pursuit of finding the greatest pizza and beer in Vancouver.  By the end of this summer I  hope to conclude my search – I gladly welcome any recommendations for places to visit.

Cheers,

Erik

Tags: How Sound Brewing, Incendio West, Okanagan Spring, Pizza, R&B brewing, red devil pale ale, Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company, Shaftebury, Stella's Tap & Tappas Bar, Sun God Wheat Ale, Wood Fired Oven

Mission Springs Brewing Company

Saturday, April 18th, 2009 | Beer, Breweries, Pubs | No Comments

My search for the perfect pizza and beer combination continued yesterday evening at the Mission Springs Brewing Company in Mission. Mission Springs is home to a large restaurant and pub complete with an outdoor beach volleyball court, but the purpose of this visit was not to play volleyball, it was to see what they can do with their in-house wood fired pizza oven. Yes, you read correct, Mission Springs brewing company serves fresh local craft beer alongside what could potentially be the perfect pizza. Hallelujah!

Getting strait to the point, the pizza was well below average and quite disappointing. The crust was completely dry and tough – offering none of the tender, crispy and chewy quality’s that a good pizza crust should have. Over topping, a common mistake made by many pizza chefs, made for a soggy, greasy pizza experience. However, not all was bad, as shown below the pizza arrived at our table in an oblong shape – this is a good thing. There is no reason for pizza to be perfectly round – a slightly misshapen pizza pie is a clear sign that caring human hands were involved in the pizza making process. An off-round pizza has far more charm and character than a perfectly round, and lifeless, pizza.

Aside from the pizza disappointment, my wife and I had a great evening and were able to enjoy some great local beer. Mission Springs’ current seasonal is a Red Ginger Ale (the ginger is actually very mild in this particular beer). The beer was served far too cold and was at first dominated by a spicy earthiness, after reaching a more appropriate ale temperature, a pleasing fruitiness became noticeable making for an enjoyable experience. My wife ordered not one, but two pints of the Bombshell Blonde Ale over the course of the evening, which she kindly allowed me to steal a taste of. Mission Springs’ Blonde Ale is one of my current favourite light craft beers, and is a great introductory beer to those not yet exposed to the craft beer world.

The real highlight of the evening was the gravity defying Black and Tan. Breaking the laws of physics and all things science this exclusive pub-only beer consisted of a rich Oatmeal Stout floating inexplicably atop a bed of well balanced India Pale Ale. The Black and Tan was equally impressive to the eyes as it was to the taste buds and stomach. A proper black and tan is a beer experience worth celebrating.

This was not my first visit to the Mission Springs Brewing Company,and nor will it be my last. They may not know how to make the perfect pizza, but the unique country-bar atmosphere and simple yet delicious beer offerings help to make up for their erroneous pizza pie.

Erik

Tags: black and tan, Bombshell Blonde Ale, India Pale Ale, Mission Springs Brewing Company, Oatmeal Stout, Pizza

Pizza and Beer – The Saga Continues

Saturday, April 11th, 2009 | Beer, Food and Recipes | 1 Comment

I realized how over the top my yeast obsession is after I had a sobering conversation with a friend while heading home from work this Thursday.  The conversation went like this:

Erik: “So, I’m making pizza for dinner”

Friend: “Oh – I love pizza, did you make your own crust”

“Yeah, but I’m a little worried It won’t turn out”

Puzzled look implying the question – what kind of  idiot doesn’t know how to make pizza?

“I used an unknown yeast strain to make the dough – I am a little obsessed with yeast.  I have been harvesting my own yeast since December; I have four different strains on the go at the moment”

Concerned look “umm…”

Awkward Pause – following by a nervous laugh – “Did that come across as strange?”

“Yeah… a little”

I then went on to better explain what I meant by “harvesting my own yeast” and that yeast is in the air surround us all the time and that some of the best breads and ales are fermented with wild yeast.  The tension was removed and the conversation carried on as usual – apparently harvesting wild yeast is uncommon.

I am fascinated by yeast – it is such an underrated and misunderstood little organism. Nothing captures the magic of this sugar loving, social lubricating creature better than proper pizza and real beer.  I made pizza last night with brewers yeast – it turned out good, but not over the top fists pumping in the air great.  The particular yeast I used, Wyeast 1968 ESB, imparts strong fruity esters during the brewing process and I was hoping that by fermenting and proofing the pizza dough for a solid 24 hours that the pizza would soak up some of these interesting flavour notes – but it didn’t.  Nonetheless, the pizza tasted great alongside its long lost friend and former partner, IPA.

I got out of bed this morning feeling unsatisfied and restless, which is a strange feeling to have on a long weekend Friday.   It only took me a minute of soul searching to find the source of this dissatisfaction – I was hungry and craving more pizza.  Upon this realization, I quickly shot out of bed and Googled “best pizza in Vancouver”.  I ended up heading to Marcello’s Pizzeria on Commercial drive- I was sold after reading about their wood fired oven.

Marcello’s is a great place for proper pizza – The authenticity that a wood fired oven creates cannot be matched.  I am now convinced more than ever that the only way to achieve perfection as a pizza master is with a hot wood fired oven.  A standard household electric oven is just not capable of pumping out enough heat to quickly cook a pizza leaving a crispy crust with an almost-but-not-quite burnt edge.

Marcello’s Pizzeria clearly knows how to make great pizza, but they have their own shortcomings and seem all too unaware about the magic that happens when a great pizza meets a great beer.  I was hopping to find a well hopped pale ale on the menu, but had to settle for Granville Island English Bay Pale Ale.  The beer was stale and almost offensive tasting and did nothing to complement the pizza.  What could have been the highlight of my week was turned into just a good lunch.  It saddens me to see a restaurant with such great potential fall short on such an important matter such as beer.

My search for the perfect pizza and beer combination carries on.  I think building a brick wood fired oven in my backyard may the next logical step.

Cheers,

Erik

Tags: Beer, Granville Island English Bay Pale Ale, IPA, Marcello's, Pale Ale, Pizza, Wyeast 1968 ESB, Yeast

Pizza and Beer: Did they just become best friends!

Thursday, January 8th, 2009 | Beer, Food and Recipes | 1 Comment

Pizza and beer, when put together create something magical. I know that pizza and beer paired together is nothing new, but every time I have the two I am blown away by how well they complement each other. Typically when I get excited about a meal, I pump my fists in the air like I just won some sort of medal – my wife thinks this behavior is abnormal, I think people don’t appreciate their food enough. Proper pizza and good beer typically get a two handed fist pump in my house.

Good pale ale, which I think is perfect with pizza, has a noticeable, but not overpowering hop flavour and a mildly sweet, sometimes fruity malt flavour. Good pizza is made with good quality hand made dough, fresh tomato sauce, and should adhere to the less is more principle when it comes to toppings. The more toppings placed on pizza, the worse it gets – a few quality ingredients is all it takes. Most pizza is over topped, hiding the flavour from the crust and sauce. The sweetness and bitter hop flavour from pale ale complements the sweetness and fresh herb flavour that a tomato sauce should have – if it doesn’t have those flavours it is not proper pizza. Beer and bread is a natural combination that should always go well together and carbonation helps cut through the greasiness from the cheese. This is a perfect combination.

For anyone in BC, I highly recommend Central City Brewing Red Racer Pale Ale; it has a great hop kick and a good malt flavour, plus it is one of the cheapest six packs available in a BC liquor store. For the pizza, I suggest visiting Jamie Oliver’s website for a great pizza dough recipe. If you want a great pizza dough, follow Jamie Oliver’s recipe, but use a sourdough starter instead of commercial yeast. As far as toppings go, always remember to keep it simple and that less is probably better than more.

Like myself, I am sure most of you have tried pizza and beer together; they are best friends after all. Next time you enjoy this combo, take a minute to appreciate how special this amazing combination is. And do not feel any shame in celebrating with loud cheers and fist pumps; I believe this too be normal behavior, it would be almost weird not too.

Erik

Tags: BC Liqour Store, Beer, Central City Brewing, Jamie Oliver, Pizza, Red Racer Pale Ale