paired with Settlement Brewing’s Railtown IPA
Executive chef Andrew Hounslow says Settlement Brewing is the third component of culinary creativity making up the Settlement Building Brand Collective, located in Vancouver’s Railtown Design District. Influenced by the West Coast lifestyle, the teams that make up the collective share a love and passion for fresh local food, B.C. wines, and craft beer and cider.
“We first opened in 2012 as Vancouver Urban Winery, adding Belgard Kitchen in April of 2014,” says Hounslow. “The brewery followed a few months later in June 2014.”
Hounslow notes while the three businesses weren’t necessarily influenced by one another, they were certainly designed to complement each other.
“The food was created to incorporate the beer and the beer to be food friendly,” he says. “Originally, we wanted to create seasonal beers that could be enjoyed in every aspect of one’s daily lifestyle. And now, we have several dishes using beer as an ingredient.”
Hounslow says the inspiration behind pairing the Salmon Gravlax Hash with IPA Beet Purée was the colour.
“As I was developing this dish, it was quite colourful and I thought that purple beets would add both in flavour and visually,” he says. “I was also looking for new ways to incorporate beer into our dishes in unique ways and tested adding IPA to the purée. The hoppy bitterness in the IPA complemented the earthy sweetness of the beets. And, a beautiful swipe of the purée was a great visual addition to the dish.”
“The brew team also just finished their first test run on a funky Dragon Fruit Sour. And, we are always experimenting and developing new beers and dishes,” he says. “So safe to say you’ll find something unique to try on the menu at any given time.”
—Sandra Thomas
Ingredients
Salmon Gravlax
• 80 g white sugar
• 80 g salt
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp loose leaf green tea
• 1 side sockeye salmon (skin on, pin bones removed)
Pickled Onions
• 500 ml rice vinegar
• 4 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 pcs star anise
• 2 red onions (finely julienned)
Parmesan Cream Sauce
• 500 ml whipping cream
• 1 serrano pepper (charred over an open flame, stem removed)
• 60 g grated white cheddar
• 60 g grated parmesan
• 1 tsp salt
IPA Beet Purée
• 460 g red beet (roughly 2-3 beets)
• 70 mL Settlement Railtown IPA
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2.5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
Assembly
• 1 heaping tbsp IPA beet purée (see step 4)
• 1 portion of your favourite brunch potatoes/hashbrowns
• Handful of arugula (10-15 pieces)
• Pickled red onions (see step 2)
• 1/4 avocado (diced)
• 30-40 g sliced salmon gravlax (see step 1)
• 2 eggs done to your liking (preferably poached soft)
• 4 tbsp parmesan cream sauce (see step 3)
Directions
1. Cure the salmon
Combine sugar, salt, lemon zest, black pepper and green tea and stir until well mixed. Lay salmon, skin side down onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Cover with gravlax cure ensuring all flesh is heavily coated. Wrap up the salmon in plastic wrap. Place into a suitable sized baking sheet/pan. Place another baking sheet/pan on top and place a couple of canned vegetables or sauces on top to weigh it down. Refrigerate for 48 to 72 hours. Check each day and pour off any liquid that accumulates. Once salmon is firm to the touch, it’s ready. Rinse off all excess cure from the salmon under cold running water. Using a sharp knife, slice salmon as thinly as possible.
2. Pickle the onions
Place the first four ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil. Immediately pour over sliced red onions and allow to cool at room temperature. Refrigerate until fully cooled, preferably overnight.
3. Make the Parmesan Cream Sauce
Bring whipping cream to a very gentle simmer and reduce for 15 minutes until slightly thickened. Stir in remaining ingredients until the cheese is melted. Transfer to a blender and purée until smooth.
4. Make the IPA Beet Purée
Place beets in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until fork-tender. Let cool, peel, and chop into smaller pieces. Combine beets with remaining ingredients in a blender and purée until smooth. Yields 500 mL. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
5. Assemble
Swipe IPA beet purée across a large plate. Pile the potatoes onto the center of the plate. Neatly pile the arugula on top and garnish with pickled onion and avocado. Lay out the salmon gravlax on and around the entire dish. (Roll into little roses for style points!) Top with eggs and parmesan cream sauce and serve immediately.
