August 2013

taco takeover

classic street fare breaks out of its shell

poppin' bot tles ∙ central table food hall ∙ top chef books s t. 2013 lo u is’ i n d e pe n d e nt cu l i n a ry au th o r it y August

sau c e m aga zi n e .co m

F R EI SAUCE E , augus t 2 013 saucemagazine.com MAGAZINE I1

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contents august 2013

13 A La Carte

Reviews 19 new and notable: Central Table Food Hall

by Michael Renner

19

13

23 Nightlife: Alpha Brewing Company

by Matt Berkley

24 Cook’s Books: Cook Like a Top Chef

by Catherine Klene

Home cooking 26 Vegetize it: Vegan brownies Feel-good Brownies

by Beth Styles

28 One ingredient, 3 ways: Eggplant Bold and Beautiful

by Dee Ryan

features

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32 Taco Takeover

30 By Popular Demand

Classic street fare breaks out of its shell

Brazie's Cassata Cake

by Matt Berkley

Last course 45 Stuff to do by byron Kerman

46 a chat with: YellowTree Farm’s Justin Leszcz

by Ligaya Figueras

cover details

37 was that cvapped?

The chef toy that's on fire by ligaya figueras Roasted duck taco at Mission Taco Joint p.32

42 pop that 10 sodas to try this summer

Photo by Carmen Troesser poppin' bottles p. 42 central table food hall p. 19 top chef books p. 24

= recipe on this page

August 2013

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letter from the editor

S

auce interns never know what a day has in store for them.

Sometimes they’re tooling around town picking up food from restaurants, or they’re lost, with shopping list in hand among the colorfully cluttered aisles of Jay International Food Co. Other

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days, they’re in the office kitchen, helping test a recipe. That’s where our intern, Will, found himself this month.

Will is a novice in the kitchen. Suffice to say that he’s more of an eater than a cook. Nevertheless, when asked to peel,

cut, measure and whisk, he managed just fine making a daikon, apple and edamame slaw for this month’s Make This (p. 14). And when we gave the dish a thumb’s up, his one-word response – “Cool” – made me smile. As the mother of two teenage boys, I realize that’s about as big a reaction as you’ll get from a teen who reserves his enthusiasm for friends and water polo rather than awesome flavor combinations (although he did take the test kitchen leftovers home for his family to try).

Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced home cook, when you feel like getting creative in the kitchen this month, there are quite a few recipes in our August issue that will entice you to pull out the cutting board and turn on the oven: from new ways with eggplant (p. 28) to a brownie fit for a vegan (p.

26) to the daikon radish that Will turned into one heck of a summertime slaw.

When your kitchen gets too hot during these scorching days of August, take a break and try tasty dishes around town, like some extraordinary tacos (p. 32) or creations made with the hottest chef toy in town (p. 37).

Happy cooking, happy eating!

Cheers,

Ligaya Figueras Executive editor

August 2013

slaw Photo by greg rannells; will photo by michelle volansky

The point, though, is that anyone, no matter the level of experience, can cook.

And when we have a hand in preparing what we put in our mouths, we gain a sense of satisfaction and confidence that spurs us to expand our culinary repertoire.

August 2013

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augus t 2 013 • VO LUM E 13, Issue 8 @allysonmace

Allyson Mace @ligayafigueras Ligaya Figueras Meera Nagarajan @meera618 Julie Cohen @julieannacohen Catherine Klene @catherineklene Ligaya Figueras Judy Evans Rosa Heyman Emily Lowery Michelle Volansky Byron Kerman Jonathan Gayman, Ashley Gieseking, Elizabeth Jochum, Laura Miller, Greg Rannells, Carmen Troesser CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR Vidhya Nagarajan CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Glenn Bardgett, Matt Berkley, Ligaya Figueras, Jamie Kilgore, Ted Kilgore, Cory King, Catherine Klene, Meera Nagarajan, Michael Renner, Dee Ryan, Beth Styles Events coordinator Rebecca Ryan Listings manager Rebecca Ryan ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER Allyson Mace Account Executves Rachel Gaertner, Bruce Prediger, Patrick Shaw Advertising Accounts Coordinator Jill George INTERNS Darren Arabie, Will Diemer, Jennifer Mozier PUBLISHER EXECUTIVE EDITOR ART DIRECTOR MANAGING EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR, DIGITAL SPECIAL SECTIONs EDITOR contributing editor Fact checker PROOFREADER PRODUCTION DESIGNER EDIBLE WEEKEND WRITER CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

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whole or in part, of the contents without permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. While the information has been compiled carefully to ensure maximum accuracy at the time of publication, it is provided for general guidance only and is subject to change.

The publisher cannot guarantee the accuracy of all information or be responsible for omissions or errors.

Additional copies may be obtained by providing a request at 314.772.8004 or via mail. Postage fee of $2 will apply.

Sauce Magazine is printed on recycled paper using soy inks.

St. Louis, MO 63103

editorial policies The Sauce Magazine mission is to provide St. Louis-area residents and visitors with unbiased, complete information on the area’s restaurant, bar and entertainment industry. Our editorial content is not influenced by who advertises with Sauce Magazine or saucemagazine.com.

Our reviewers are never provided with complimentary food or drinks from the restaurants in exchange for favorable reviews, nor are their identities as reviewers made known during their visits.

August 2013

August 2013

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After you read how Controlled Vapor Technology is revolutionizing area restaurant kitchens (p. 37), head to Saucemagazine.com/restaurantvideos to watch Farmhaus chef-owner Kevin Willmann demonstrate the many ways CVap is helping his culinary team up its farm-to-table fare.

Have you already exhausted your summer reading list? Tune in to St. Louis Public Radio 90.7 KWMU’s Cityscape Friday, Aug. 16 at noon and 10 p.m. Sauce editors will discuss their picks for freshoff-the-press cookbooks, culinary memoirs and other tasty food lit to feed your mind while you kick back in your poolside chaise during these last lazy days of summer.

We’re shaking up one of our longest-running online columns, Drink This Weekend Edition. Beginning this month, fresh faces among local oeno- and suds cognoscenti – including STL Hops ambassador Eric Hildebrandt (We know him as @Ericstl6 on Twitter.), Little Country Gentleman wine director Daniels Parseliti and Five Bistro beverage program coordinator Lauren BlakeParseliti – join our drink team to offer expert advice on what to pour into your glass. Go to Saucemagazine.com/ blog every Friday for comprehensive coverage of beer, wine, spirits and more.

facebook.com/saucemagazine | twitter.com/saucemag | pinterest.com/saucemagazine | instagram.com/saucemag

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cvap photo by carmen troesser; daniels parseliti photo by laura miller; eric hildebrandt photo by greg rannells

We’re (obviously) big proponents of print here, yet we can’t help but squeal at all that the digital age offers. Did you know how many ways you can enjoy Sauce Magazine these days? From your computer screen to your tablet, even your phone, the options are nearly endless. Here are a few new ways to connect with us all month long. Thanks, Internet. We owe you one.

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EAT THIS

Forget about your breakfast of champions and start thinking about a protein-packed lunch. We found ours in THE HOG BURGER at QUINCY STREET BISTRO. A giant juicy patty made from local pork, beef and ground bacon is seasoned Photo by carmen troesser

with Creole spices and topped with melt-y house-made pimento cheese and golden caramelized onions. Putting any other toppings on this thing (Ketchup? Bah!) would be like pumping steroids into a great athlete. Just don’t do it.

Quincy Street Bistro • 6931 Gravois Ave., St. Louis • 314.353.1588 • quincystreetbistro.com

August 2013

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MAKE THIS summer slaw active time: 15 minutes

Shake up your typical summertime slaw. Forget about dairy-based dressing and ho-hum cabbage. Inspired by Diane Morgan’s recipe for daikon and apple slaw in Roots: The Definitive Compendium with more than 225 Recipes, we went a step further, turning her creative picnic side dish into a spicy main event. To make daikon, apple and edamame slaw, first prepare the vinaigrette. Grind 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds to a powder. In a small bowl, stir together the ground sesame, 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons sesame oil and 2 teaspoons of sambal oelek. Add 4 thinly sliced green onions (use the white and green parts). Set aside. To make the slaw, add to a large bowl: 1 large, peeled daikon radish cut into 2-inch matchsticks; 1 medium Red Delicious apple, quartered, cored and cut into thin strips; and 1 cup of edamame. Pour the vinaigrette over the slaw. Toss and serve. — Ligaya Figueras

photo by greg rannells

Pick up sambal oelek at Jay International Food Co., 3172 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314.772.9393, Facebook: Jay International Foods

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restaurant playlist BBC ASIAN BAR AND CAFE

A Seat at the Bar Four experts tell us what to sip, stir and shake

When we were in BBC Asian Bar and Cafe sipping on pineapple sake, executive chef Heidi Hamamura’s playlist came on the speakers and transported us back in time. The songs are a collection of her favorite tunes from her high school days in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Listen and let it inspire you to put together your own high school playlist. But this right here? This one goes out to all the ‘80s babies out there.

Jumpin’, Jumpin’ Destiny’s Child Tearin’ Up My Heart NSYNC

ted and jamie kilgore

Someday Sugar Ray Ghetto Supastar (That is What You Are) Pras, featuring Mya and Ol’ Dirty Bastard

USBG, B.A.R. Ready, BarSmart and coowners/bartenders at Planter’s House (opening soon)

When sharing drinks with friends, nothing says carpe diem like a pitcher-perfect cocktail. Batch up a pitcher of The Weekender, a combination of 6 oz. Campari, 3 oz. orange juice, 9 oz. grapefruit juice and a topper of 9 oz. Champagne – all over ice. Add slices of fresh fruit to enhance the notes of floral citrus and slight bitterness bathing in tart, crisp bubbles. If you and your friends find your pitcher empty too soon, you’ll still have half of a bottle of bubbly to get you through the weekend.

Wonderwall Oasis Otherside Red Hot Chili Peppers No Scrubs TLC Men in Black Will Smith Bitter Sweet Symphony The Verve Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) Green Day

cory king

I’ve noticed a big change in my beer drinking habits in the last year or two. Now, I often find myself reaching for a “session beer,” a style that is normally stronger than 5-percent ABV, but brewed to be lower in alcohol and thus highly drinkable, or “session-able,” yet still fullflavored. Some of my favorite beers meant for session drinking are Founders All Day IPA, Deschutes River Ale and Odell Loose Leaf.

Certified Cicerone, head brewer at Perennial Artisan Ales and founder of Side Project Brewing

buy this

illustrations by vidhya nagarajan

cool cow cheese's edam cheese We can’t believe it’s not butter. This rich, creamy Edam from Cool Cow Cheese in Owensville, Mo., gets an extra layer of density from a three-month aging process. According to dairy farmer-owner Tom Blatchford, this process results in a gooier, more buttery Edam than most, with a subtle sharp, nutty quality. Elevate a simple grilled cheese like Blatchford does, using the Edam on sturdy whole-grain bread – if you have the willpower to wait for the cheese to melt. – Catherine Klene $6 per ¼ pound. Local Harvest Grocery, 12309 Old Big Bend Road, Kirkwood, 314.966.6566; 3108 Morgan Ford Road, Tower Grove, 314.886.5260, localharvestgrocery.com August 2013

glenn bardgett Member of the Missouri Wine and Grape Board and wine director at Annie Gunn’s

I recently escaped the dog days of summer by taking a three-day marathon tour of vineyards in the Arroyo Seco area, near Monterey, Calif. We tasted wines from two of my favorite wineries – J. Lohr in San Jose and Wente in Livermore – that are perfect for sipping during the sultry weeks of summer. The J. Lohr Estates 2010 Wildflower Valdiguié is deliciously fruity and is one of the very few reds that tastes really good when chilled; Wente 2011 Riverbank Riesling captures the full character of this classic variety with its sweet-tart balance of sugar and acidity. Whether you go red or white, these two $12-orless wines will make you much more inclined to wine in warm weather – instead of whine.

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August 2013

hit list

4 New Restaurants to Try This Month

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Veritas Gateway to Food and Wine 15860 Fountain Plaza Drive, Ellisville, 636.227.6800, veritasgateway.com In its new home on the northeast corner of Clarkson and Clayton roads, Veritas retains its original character – like an open kitchen with counter seating where guests can enjoy items from a changing weekly menu – while adding new elements, including a 20-seat bar area. The Mustard Bar (pictured), bedecked with vintage Viennasausage bar stools and mustard tins repurposed as lighting fixtures, features a separate menu of creative snacks and plates like can’t-miss, bacon-wrapped, cheese-stuffed prunes (pictured) and corn-fried ribs. And if your mouth has yet to meet the Veritas burger, make that happen. Wine still holds court at the familyowned restaurant and wine shop, but a full bar means you now can pair a farm-to-glass cocktail with chef-driven fare.

photos by michelle volansky

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Blueprint Coffee 6225 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314.266.6808, blueprintcoffee.com

August 2013

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Tripel 1801 Park Ave., St. Louis, 314.678.7787, tripelstl.com The newest gastronomic destination in Lafayette Square puts a spotlight on Belgian food and drink.

Try a traditional Flemish dish like kippenwaterzooi (chicken stew) and blinde vinken (stuffed veal cutlets), or enjoy mussels in preparations like moules a la marinière that arrive in an aromatic white wine-shallot broth. For a decadent treat, order escargots à la moelle and slip that roasted marrow straight off the bone, slather it on a slice of grilled baguette and top with buttery escargots, briny capers and fresh parsley. Pair this indulgent repast with a Belgian-style beer, a glass of French wine or a handcrafted cocktail. For more on Tripel, go to p. 37.

There’s no better proof that we’ve entered the age of the baristaowned coffee roasting company than Blueprint Coffee, a project by six coffee pros, most with ties to local roaster Kaldi’s.

When Blueprint opens this month, it will offer hand-brewed coffee using beans roasted in-house and from artisan roasters around the country. Sit in on cuppings (pictured) at Blueprint’s handcrafted wooden cupping table, stay for house-made snacks and don’t leave without checking out the roaster in action.

The Crafty Chameleon Bar 1384 Clarkson Clayton Center, Ellisville, 636.220.9144, craftychameleonbar.com

Between 40 rotating draft beers (and a strong showing among Missouri microbrews) plus 300 bottles or cans, you’ll find every style at Crafty Chameleon.

Feel like tempering the bitterness of that brew or lightening up the alcohol? Check out the “crafty concoctions” list of shandy variants and beer cocktails like the Dirty Heifer, made with your choice of wheat beer and a splash of fruity framboise. Watch the big game on one of 15 flat-screen TVs, or take your pint outside to the breezy, covered patio.

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reviews

new and notable: central table food hall p. 19 nightlife: alpha brewing company p. 23 cook’s books: top chef books p. 24

New and Notable: Central Table Food Hall

by Michael Renner • Photos by elizabeth jochum

D

escribe it as a food emporium.

Label it a communal dining experience. Compare the concept to New York’s The Plaza Food Hall, L.A.’s Umamicatessen or even Tokyo’s Takashimaya food hall. Say it’s a nightclub for foodies.

Just don’t call Central Table Food Hall a food court.

Central Table is St. Louis’ first experience with the national food hall explosion. Situated on the first floor of Barnes-Jewish Hospital’s newly constructed Center for Outpatient Health on the corner of South Euclid Avenue and Forest Park Parkway, the hall takes up nearly a city block.

It’s a concept that could only Central Table work in the densely populated Food Hall and mobile Central West End. 23 S. Euclid Ave., St. While its executive chef Nick Louis, 314.932.5595, Martinkovic was imported from centraltablestl.com Brooklyn’s popular farm-to-table Roberta’s, the food and the rest of the talent are locally sourced. Managing this mammoth operation is Matt McGuire, recently of Brasserie but best known as the man behind the departed – and terribly missed – King Louie’s. When Elliot Harris parks his Chop Shop sushi food truck for the night, he rolls maki and constructs beautiful displays of superb sushi and nigiri at Central Table.

Within this broad gastro-landscape, there is something for everyone – a statement that typically signals, “Warning: Boredom and Mediocrity Ahead.” Yet, Central Table keeps things interesting. Rather than the dozens of walk-up stalls that cram some food halls twice the size, Central Table is built around seven stations or “display kitchens” as they are called: deli, hearth, grill, sushi and raw, coffee, tea and booze. Wine and pantry staples are available for take-away from the market portion located at the front. I even spied a small cask of maple syrup being aged for bottling.

Two distinct service models drive Central Table’s approach. Breakfast and lunch are speedy as hospital staff, students and lunch-breakers flit between stations August 2013

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review new and notable: central table food hall Focaccia bread arrives at the table – soft, warm, chewy – with a chunky, spicy tomato spread bright with basil and course-cut Parmesan; not a bad way to kill time while waiting for a small slab of densely textured pig’s head terrine, its rich unctuousness cut by the tang of pickled carrots on top. Hunks of red, golden and pink beets – bathed in egg whites, herbs and citrus before being salt-roasted to concentrated sweetness – came arranged around a shmear of creme fraiche, with sliced bits of bright yellow, salt-cured, dehydrated egg yolk dotting the colorful plate.

Diavolo pizza

grabbing coffee, pastries, salads, sandwiches, pizzas and grilled items like burgers and tuna melts, both excellent; the former made from beef ground in the kitchen, the latter served open-face on sourdough bread.

For dinner, the hall switches to full table service with everything consolidated onto one menu. The atmosphere is relaxed with the industrial-chic space softened by candles and amber lighting and the drinks flowing freely. The bar is in the center of the large, open room. It’s a great spot to soak in the fading natural light from the large windows overlooking Euclid. With seats at four

kitchen stations, two communal tables, several banquettes, more tables both inside and along the sidewalk, the space is set for conversation and conviviality.

If you don’t trust yourself with a knife, I suggest the pork and skirt steak entrees. The former, a double-chop broiled to crimson juiciness, came sliced off the bone into rectangular bite-sized pieces, and arranged with dried apricots and a few leaves of grilled Belgium endive for a bitter counterpoint, all served over creamy polenta. The steak, cubed like stew meat, had good flavor and proper sear but arrived rare, missing the requested medium-rare temperature. The plate was scattered with the accompanying fingerling potatoes and onions as if a stir-fry; the vincotto sauce was a mere impression. Both dishes tasted fine, but the presentation did nothing to excite the eyes.

There’s a decent selection of oysters that you can wash down with an affordable glass of sparkling or white wine (No glass is over $11 and most are in the $6 to $8 range.). In fact, the entire wine list is affordable, with most bottles running between $30 and $40. Local beers are well represented on draft, and there are a handful of sakes to complement the wide assortment of sushi.

What does visually arouse is the two, thick tentacles of Spanish octopus. Arranged on the plate in two interlocking Cs, it’s a striking – shocking even – presentation. Braised for six hours and finished on the grill, the mild meat was tender, the suckers crispy. Surrounding the main feature were dollops of aerated fennel foam, fronds of fresh and caramelized fennel, and jiggling slabs of tomato water gelée. It was like having the ocean wash up on

your plate, complete with froth, seaweed and jellyfish. And it was delicious.

If you want to watch cooks in action, sit at one of the kitchen bars and listen to a lot of “yes chef ” as they work with precision timing. Order from any kitchen as I did while sitting at the grill eating a pizza and calzone from the hearth. The calzone, about a half-pound and looking like a halved football, came stuffed with spicy soppressata from Salume Beddu, house-made ricotta, basil and Peppadew.

A drizzle of honey on top helped tame the piquancy of the peppers and salami. The thin, charred, bubbly crust of the 12-inch diavolo pizza – another spicy choice – held up well to its toppings of tomatoes, roasted garlic, pork sausage and mozzarella.

The dessert menu is small and seemingly standard with chocolate bread pudding, house-made gelato and affogato, but there is a cold strawberry soup of puréed berries and buttermilk made whimsical with the addition of bits of cotton candy and floating flowers of meringue made from lime sorbet.

Delivering meals from different stations requires a level of coordination that only technology can solve, which is why cooks are fitted with earpieces to communicate like Secret Service agents between kitchens. During my visits, service was adept, knowledgeable and attentive with servers dressed in black, navigating the floor like advancing chess pieces. When a side of broccoli raab was too salty to eat, it was whisked off the table and replaced, no questions asked.

Call it what you like, but with cooking classes and farmers markets planned, a scratch kitchen, locally sourced ingredients and house-made products, I call Central Table Food Hall one of the most ambitious and exciting culinary destinations to hit town.

AT A GLANCE : central table food hall Don’t Miss Dishes Pork, roasted beets, Spanish octopus, and pizza and sushi offerings are worth exploring.

Vibe Relaxed and casual in a contemporary and stylish communal atmosphere.

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Entree Prices Large plates, $21 to $23; Pizza, $11 to $15; Small plates, $8 to $15

Where Central Table Food Hall, 23 S. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 314.932.5595, centraltablestl.com

When Coffee Shop: Mon. to Fri. – 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Lunch: Mon. to Fri. – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Dinner: Mon. to Thu. – 5 to 10 p.m., Fri. and Sat. – 5 to 11 p.m., Sun. – 5 to 9 p.m.; Brunch: Sun. – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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review

Nightlife: Alpha Brewing Company

nightlife: Alpha brewing company

by Matt berkley • Photos by jonathan gayman

scientist, emerges from his lab at the end of every work week for a “Firkin Friday,” with a special cask of one-time-only brew, which, minus the traditional refrigeration and CO2, must be served that day.

The beers - served in pint and tulip glasses - regularly run $5 to $6 each.

Personal favorites include the Alpha Hefeweizen, a light, wheat beer with a pronounced tropical flavor that the menu deems “banana and clove aroma.” For a stronger brew, try the Imperial Red Ale, which sports a heavy kick of roasted malt, or the hoppy White IPA. But the real standout was Alpha’s Berliner Weiss, a crisp, perfectly carbonated German sour mash wheat ale set off with a splash of either raspberry or woodruff, a herbal honey-tasting syrup. Less impressive: the Alpha Storter, brewed with chocolate malt. This one tries (and fails) to find a happy medium between a smooth stout and a thicker porter. Also missing the mark was the Raspberry Hefe. Though thoughtfully brewed with fresh raspberries (You can tell by the seeds in your teeth.), it tastes more like a flat, watered down smoothie than a summer ale.

order it: Alpha Brewing Company

Alpha Brewing Company 1409 Washington Ave., St. Louis, 314.621.2337, alphabrewingcompany.com

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lpha Brewing Company emerged this spring as the scrappy new contender in the ever-thriving St. Louis craft beer scene. There’s a distinct alternative appeal to this spot situated a block north of Washington Avenue.

Alone in a gritty, nondescript back alley adjacent to the City Museum on Lucas Avenue, Alpha is flanked by a handful of parking lots. As the sun sets on a Friday, gaggles of club-ready 20-somethings click past the joint with hardly a glance.

They’re not to blame, as the signage is almost purposely, yet fittingly, lacking.

Bellied up to the main bar is a herd of young guys – most in need of a shave, sporting flip-flops and T-shirts. Across from them in a dark leather sectional sits a brunette flipping through her smartphone, oblivious to her companions – two dudes in Polo shirts weighing in on politics.

Opposite, a handful of middle-aged friends in button-downs hover over a narrow communal table stretching nearly the length of the entranceway. Outside, a small patio decked out in high-top tables teems with smokers, smokers’ friends and smokers’ dogs. Hardly an A-list, glitzy crowd, this is just the type of scene where anyone might comfortably blend in.

August 2013

As you might expect from a fresh-faced endeavor deep in loft country, Alpha Brewing has a funky, laid-back look. A bright, abstract mural welcomes guests to a cozy, minimalist tasting room dressed with little more than a handful of wooden tables and a couch. From the center of the main bar, barkeeps pull on 10 taps – imposing pieces of custom metal (artwork in themselves) from which flows the real lifeblood of the place.

The “Alpha” moniker is a nod to the science background of 26-year-old owner and head brewer Derrick Langeneckert. With a master’s in biology and a serious homebrewing hobby, last year Langeneckert upgraded his homebrew kit for more substantial hardware and put together a business plan. And while he’s the first to cop to his amateur status, Langeneckert has devised some clever takes on traditional brews. A single-page menu card breaks down the 10 or so options. Highly approachable, the menu is dominated by full-bodied brews, heavy on the hops – “aggressive ales,” as Langeneckert calls them. Don’t expect to find any easy sipping pilsners or stale lagers.

Likewise, don’t expect the beer menu to collect dust with a gaggle of experimental brews, seasonal insertions and even a guest spot on the tap line for the winner of a quarterly homebrew contest. Langeneckert, ever the mad

The Berliner Weiss is a crisp, perfectly carbonated German sour mash wheat ale.

Picks for any non-beer drinkers may be a bit of a let down (Only a handful of wines are available by the bottle.). Likewise, anyone hoping to catch the last few minutes of the Mizzou game will be disappointed; there are no televisions. Yet, TV is not the point at this upstart brewery; rather, on most nights, the scene is set to the beat of indie rock, boisterous conversation and drunken merriment. In keeping with the communal spirit, management is known to break out the on-site barbecue and host impromptu open-air, open-invite gatherings throughout the week. The rest of the time the bar has an official open food policy, allowing patrons to bring in carryout or snacks from home.

Though still in the experimental phase and hardly ready to start bottling its suds for retail, Alpha Brewing Company is a labor of love for Langeneckert and crew. As a great antidote to the banal neon jungle of Washington Avenue, there’s a lot of fun to be had at this unconventional little microbrewery. Aggressive ales, indeed.

With an 8-percent ABV, the Imperial Red Ale is a stronger brew with a heavy kick of roasted malt.

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review Cook’s books: top chef books

Fabio’s Italian Kitchen by Fabio Viviani

Fire In My Belly: Real Cooking by Kevin Gillespie and David Joachim

Cook Like a Top Chef The food (and the feuds) on Bravo’s Top Chef makes for one delicious hour of TV. Yet, viewers, unable to try these creative dishes, are left hungry.

Lucky for us, contestants have rolled out cookbooks, some even featuring favorite show recipes. This month, we check out what these top chefs shared after they were told to pack their knives and go.

Join us every Tuesday at SauceMagazine.com/ blog as we cook and reveal recipes from these books. Then, enter to win a copy to add to your own collection. – Catherine Klene

Smoke & Pickles: Recipes and Stories from a New Southern Kitchen by Edward Lee Try This at Home: Recipes from My Head to Your Plate by Richard Blais

Edward Lee is coming to St. Louis! Meet Lee in person at the next Sauce Celebrity Chef Series event, held at Taste Aug. 13. Go to p. 45 for details.

Expert pick: Larousse Gastronomique

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illustration by vidhya nagarajan

Christopher Lee is no stranger to culinary competitions. The banquet room chef at River City Casino won the Taste of St. Louis Chef Battle Royale in 2012, and he’ll defend his title at this year’s Taste in September. When searching for inspiration or advice, Lee turns to the classic encyclopedia of gastronomy, Larousse Gastronomique. “The Larousse was the bridge for me from short-order cook to a classically trained chef. When I was an apprentice, it was my bible. I trained under a French chef, and he spoke in technique and terms when it came to cooking; the Larousse translated. Though I don’t use it as much anymore, if I have any questions on techniques or need to brush up, it’s the first book I go to.”

August 2013

August 2013

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vegetize it: vegan brownies p. 26 one ingredient, 3 ways: eggplant p. 28 by popular demand: cassata cake p. 30

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August 2013

Feel-good Brownies BY beth styles Photos by Carmen Troesser

ripe, mashed banana for every egg, but the flavor of the fruit was way too strong.

Round two: applesauce. It’s something a lot of baking recipes call for to add extra moisture, and it has a similar thickness to whisked eggs without tainting the flavor of the final dish. All of these traits worked perfectly in this dish.

I

t seems like once August rolls around, we fill the remainder of summer with a frenzy of picnics and barbecues. And while burgers, brats and beer are certainly the holy trinity of these outdoor get-togethers, there is one more “b” that makes a frequent appearance, thanks to the person who realizes we’ll need something sweet to balance the savory. That we’ll need brownies ... vegan brownies.

That’s right. This month we’re taking things a step further by not just omitting meat, but all animal products.

And if there is one thing I’ve learned about tweaking baking recipes, it’s that keeping it simple is the way to go.

For this brownie recipe, three dairy components needed replacing: eggs, butter and chocolate chips. Since eggs would be used more for thickening (instead of leavening), I tried two ways to replace them. The first was to use one

August 2013

As for the butter, it’s like the bacon of the meat world; you just can’t find something that gets the exact same taste and texture. So I hit the “easy” button and picked up a tub of Earth Balance buttery spread, which is available at most grocery stores around town.

I treated the chocolate much the same as the butter, although my fingers were crossed that I could find something besides carob, a member of the pea family frequently substituted for chocolate whose taste I’ve never been able to swallow. Luckily, while walking down the “healthy eating” aisle at my local supermarket, I found non-dairy chocolate chips made from cocoa, which are every kind of “free” you can imagine: dairy-free, gluten-free, wheatfree, peanut-free, soy-free … and the list goes on.

So there I was, my three ingredients replaced. I went home to double-check my research before I started baking.

And it’s a good thing I did.

Until this article, I wasn’t aware that when it comes to vegan baking (and vegetarian, for that matter) you have to look at where your sugar comes from.

Most brands in this industry process their product using bone char, which

is made from the bones of cattle and used to decolorize sugar cane. This is why granulated sugar is bright white.

Bone char also is inherently used in the brown sugar and confectioners sugar processes because both have refined sugar as an original ingredient.

Now, before your head starts to spin thinking about the products you use containing refined sugar, let me relay some options. First, you can call the company and ask if the sugar they use is processed with bone char. Second, when you have the ability to add sugar yourself, you can use substitutes such as Sucanat, turbinado sugar or beet sugar. Or, you can hunt down the refined sugar made by bone-char-free companies (PETA has a list on its website.). I found organic cane sugar produced by Florida Crystals at my local Schnucks, so it isn’t a difficult task.

The end result of all this work will yield thick, rich, fudge-y, oneand-done brownies – leaving you completely satisfied after a long day of summer barbecuing.

Vegan Brownies 1 8-by-8-inch pan 8 oz. non-dairy mini chocolate chips, divided into 7 oz. and 1 oz.

8 Tbsp. vegan butter 3 Tbsp. cocoa powder ¾ cup applesauce 1¼ cup bone-char-free sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract ½ tsp. salt 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place oven rack in middle slot (or lower-middle slot for ovens that have four slots). Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line bottom and sides with parchment paper.

• Melt 7 ounces of the chocolate chips and the butter in a double boiler with barely simmering water.

Stir occasionally until smooth, then whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth again. Remove from heat and set aside.

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the applesauce, sugar, vanilla and salt until well combined, then whisk in the chocolate mixture. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour until just combined, then stir in the remaining 1 ounce of chocolate chips until just combined (If you stir too much, the brownies run the risk of becoming cakey.). Pour the mixture into prepared pan, making sure it reaches the corners and is level on top.

• Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few crumbs.

Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let the brownies come to room temperature before cutting and serving.

saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 27

home cooking one ingredient, 3 ways: eggplant

Bold and Beautiful

By Dee Ryan | Photos by laura miller

E

ggplant comes in colors ranging from albino white to midnight purple, and in shapes from Gwyneth Paltrow skinny to Rubenesquely rotund. Its shiny skin belies a bitter flesh, but once you give it a little help, it’s just as lovely on the inside as it is on the outside. Here are three ways to celebrate the complex flavors and meaty texture of this summer beauty.

Stuffed Eggplant with Lamb and Pine Nuts Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Halve 4 1-pound eggplants lengthwise. Arrange in a large baking dish, cut sides up. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the upper third of the oven for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned. In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1½ teaspoons cumin and 1½ teaspoons sweet paprika. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add 1 cup chopped onion and half the spice mixture, cover and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add 1 pound ground lamb and cook 4 minutes longer. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat. Stir in 3 tablespoons pine nuts, 2 teaspoons tomato paste, 1∕8 cup chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the filling onto the eggplant.

In the small bowl with the remaining spices, whisk together ½ cup water, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon molasses, 2 teaspoons of sugar and a pinch each of salt and pepper and pour into the baking dish. Add 1 cinnamon stick. Cover the dish with foil.

Bake for 50 minutes, basting with the pan juices, until very tender. Transfer the eggplant to a platter and discard the cinnamon stick. Pour the pan juices over the eggplant and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

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Sichuan Eggplant with Pork In a bowl, mix ½ pound ground pork with 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry. In a wok or large skillet with a lid, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over high heat until smoking. Add 1 tablespoon chili-bean sauce, 2 to 3 cloves minced garlic, 1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger and a pinch of salt, and cook over high heat until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the pork and stir-fry until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 pound Japanese eggplant cut into ¾-inch cubes, and stir-fry until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon soy sauce and cook, stirring, about 30 seconds. Stir in ½ cup chicken broth, cover and cook over moderate heat until the eggplant is tender, about 10 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar. In a small bowl, make a slurry by mixing 2 teaspoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water.

Add to wok. Stir until the sauce thickens, about 15 seconds. Drizzle 1 teaspoon sesame oil over the eggplant and transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions.

Some cooks salt eggplant before cooking it in order to leach out water and bitterness.

Just slice or cube the eggplant, put it in a colander and sprinkle generously with salt. Let it sit for an hour, then use a paper towel to pat dry and remove excess salt.

Eggplant, Tomato and Mozzarella Salad Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush two rimmed baking sheets with olive oil. Slice 1 eggplant into ¼-inch rounds and arrange in a single layer on the sheets. Brush tops with additional oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until eggplant is tender, about 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. On a serving platter, layer 1-pound sliced tomatoes, followed by 1 pound sliced mozzarella and then the roasted eggplant. Top with ½ cup fresh torn basil leaves. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 minced garlic clove, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Drizzle over the dish.

August 2013

August 2013

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home cooking

By Popular Demand: cassata cake

By Popular Demand

Brazie's Cassata Cake I have been dying to know the exact recipe for the unusual cassata cake at Brazie’s. I ask the waitstaff every time we go for clues as to its magic, and the most I’ve gotten is that the cake itself is actually from a mix, but the filling and top icing are what make it amazing.

There is a prominent amaretto taste, clearly some cream and sugar, but the entire thing together is spectacular, and my sleuthing isn’t doing the trick!

– Erin Schreiber

photo by carmen troesser

Elmer Chocolate Gold Brick Topping is available at General Candy Company, 4800 Oleatha Ave., St. Louis, 314.353.1133, generalcandycompany.com

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August 2013

Eaten a dish at an area restaurant that you’d do just about anything to make at home? Email us at pr@ saucemagazine.com to tell us about it. Then let us do our best to deliver the recipe By Popular Demand.

Cassata Cake Courtesy of Brazie Mazzola of Brazie’s Ristorante 2 9-by-13-inch cakes 1 box Betty Crocker yellow cake mix 1 box Betty Crocker chocolate cake mix 2½ quarts heavy cream 6 oz. cornstarch ¼ cup cinnamon 2 cups sugar 11 oz. (¹∕³ liter) amaretto 1 jar Elmer Chocolate Gold Brick Topping • Bake the yellow cake and the chocolate cake in separate 9-by-13-inch pans according to package directions. Set aside to cool.

• In a large saucepan, whisk together the heavy cream, cornstarch, cinnamon and sugar over medium heat until thickened.

Remove from heat and whisk in the amaretto until blended.

• Slice the cakes in half, crosswise.

Cover the chocolate layers with half of the warm frosting and then top with the yellow cake layers. Cover the yellow cake tops with the remaining frosting.

Refrigerate for 2 hours, until set.

• Before serving, heat the chocolate topping in the microwave or on the stove until melted. Drizzle the desired amount of chocolate on the cake and allow it to cool and harden.

Brazie’s Ristorante 3073 Watson Road, St. Louis, 314.481.5464, Facebook: Brazie’s Restaurant

August 2013

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Barbacoa at Taste

Taco Tak

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August 2013

eover August 2013

Classic street fare breaks out of its shell by matt berkley photos by carmen troesser

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Chick en tacos at K im chee se

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August 2013

Formerly a take-it-or-leave-it option for

platos especiales and pick-three platters, nowadays, tacos are not just experiencing a boom, but a renaissance. By elevating the plebian staple, returning it to its street-vendor roots and reimaging it with exciting new twists, chefs across the country have re-energized the Mexican food scene with their singular focus on tacos.

Their tacos bear little resemblance to the hamburger-filled, deep-fried tortilla shells that were a fixture at every Chi-Chi’s and Casa Gallardo during the heyday of Americanized, fast-casual Mexican-food chains. It’s safe to say that Chevys will never feature grasshopper tacos, a staple on the menu at Gringo in the Central West End. The taquería, which opened this spring, imports grasshoppers by the kilo from Mexico, where they are munched like beer nuts in cantinas. “I’ve probably sold tens of thousands of these bugs,” said Steven Caravelli, corporate chef of Gringo and Pi Pizzeria. “It’s a strange business I’m in right now.”

On an average day, Gringo’s kitchen goes through roughly 900 to 1,000 freshly made tortillas. Some fillings are familiar – chicken, shredded pork, even ground beef – and some – octopus, red snapper and, of course, grasshopper – are less so.

Caravelli is an Italian-American who learned about classic Mexican fare in the kitchen of celebrity chef José Andres’ Oyamel, a restaurant in Washington, D.C., that focuses on traditional small plates called antojitos. Caravelli watched as Mexican women made mole sauce, pressed tortillas and employed authentic preparations such as rubbing ancho chiles into grass-fed beef that is slow-cooked into tender barbacoa. But to really get him going, ask about the salsas. He ages them 48 hours before serving, allowing spicy flavors to mellow and bring forward a medley of tastes before delivering a punch of heat.

Salsas are likewise a preoccupation of Jason and Adam Tilford, who recently opened Mission Taco Joint in the Delmar Loop. Jason Tilford, Mission’s executive chef, roasts poblano chiles for his signature salsa on a wood-fired grill, achieving an earthy and flavorful smokiness.

For contrast, he serves each bowl of his poblano salsa alongside a significantly spicier August 2013

salsa fashioned from a rotation of chiles like arbols, habaneros and moritas.

“There are so many different kinds of chiles like these that make great sauces but really don’t get utilized too often,” Adam Tilford said. “People tend to stick to basic ones like jalapeños and ancho chiles.”

The Tilfords’ focus on variety carries over to Mission’s taco fillings. “A lot of proteins we use you really don’t see in traditional Mexican restaurants – things like chile-braised duck tacos, pork belly, lobster or soft-shell crab,” Adam Tilford said, all of which are served on housemade corn tortillas. Meats are marinated, then slowly braised or roasted over the wood-fired grill.

It’s a demonstration of classic Mexican cooking techniques at a restaurant that keeps an eye on authenticity while pushing the culinary envelope.

The Tilfords label their fare “Mexicali street food.” What they’re serving, said Adam Tilford, is the kind of fresh bar food they experienced while living in Southern California. He added that while many casual Mexican restaurants are just places to get food, Mission, fueled with craft cocktails and specialty beers to complement the a la carte tacos, has a fun, late-night vibe.

Creating an alcohol-centric modern cantina was a similar goal for Ami Grimes and Gurpreet Padda when they created Diablitos Cantina, located in Midtown. When refining their shrimp tacos and tacos al pastor, Padda and Grimes relied on the notes and recipes they collected during culinary scouting missions to Mexico City and small towns on the east coast of Mexico. “What we wanted more than anything was to have authenticity and freshness,” Padda said. Many of their ingredients come from Foundation Farms in Belleville, Ill. As added enticement, they stocked their tequila bar with about 150 brands, many limited-batch and barrel-aged. Some of those, Padda said, have flavors as complex and delicious as a good Scotch.

Home-style comfort food crafted with an artisan’s flair is the standard at Taste in the Central West End, where some of the city’s finest cocktails can be paired with some serious tacos. Moroccan-style braised lamb neck, pork shoulder al pastor and mole-braised chicken leg are among the rotating fillings wrapped in fresh, hand-pressed corn

tortillas. The crowd favorite is barbacoa. While not exactly traditional (The meat sits atop little masa cakes rather than inside a tortilla.), executive chef Matt Daughaday’s barbacoa pays homage to the tacos he enjoyed while living in San Francisco and frequenting taquerías and Mexican food trucks.

The toppings – braised beef cheek, pickled red onions, queso fresco and roasted tomatillo salsa – build authentic flavor, evoking memories of traditional Mexican street fare.

Americans also are showing a growing appreciation for fusion tacos, especially Korean barbecue-style. David Choi, co-owner of Seoul Taco, put his food truck on the streets of St. Louis in the summer of 2011, filling tortillas with the intense flavors of Korean barbecue. Choi was certain that his food, though unfamiliar, would quickly take root. Today his food truck is booked with private lunches and catered events, and last fall he opened a brick-and-mortar location in the Delmar Loop, where patrons line up out the door in their quest for spicy pork, bulgogi steak, chicken and tofu stuffed in corn tortillas and accompanied by pungent side orders of kimchee.

The Korean taco trend has radiated westward to Chesterfield, where Sean Moon, the owner of Kim Cheese, is finding success turning out Korean barbecue tacos and other fusion fare.

His chicken tacos are made with moist chicken thigh meat, while cuts of tender, flavorful ribeye fill the steak tacos. Those meats soak in a rich marinade for more than 24 hours to let the flavors infuse, while Asian pears give the sauce a subtle sweetness. He credits his attention to detail and adherence to traditional Korean cooking methods with converting his patrons’ palates to his unusual food.

Authenticity is not without its challenges. It’s a rare day, Caravelli said, that he doesn’t hear a complaint about Gringo’s use of corn tortillas. The same goes for some of the less familiar ingredients. But Caravelli, like his colleagues in St. Louis’ new taco restaurants, continues to win fans.

“We’re doing something unique and interesting, but not so far gone that somebody doesn’t understand it,” Caravelli said. “We don’t want this to be the thing that you have to be a foodie to enjoy.” saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 35

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August 2013

Was that

CVapped?

Pulled pork sandwich at PM BBQ

August 2013

the chef toy that’s on fire by ligaya figueras | photos by carmen troesser

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evin Nashan, chef-owner of Sidney Street Cafe, adores it. Farmhaus chef-owner Kevin Willmann saved for more than a year to buy his. The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park currently offers a course on how to use it, while even the most traditional toqued, double-breasted jacket-wearers across the nation are becoming converts. Yet, the rest of us don’t even know how to pronounce it.

CVap (PRONOUNCED “see-vap”), short for Controlled Vapor Technology, looks like a cross between a bank safe and an oven. Although the most pioneering chefs in the country are clamoring to own this cutting-edge piece of kitchen equipment, created by Winston Shelton in the early 1980s, it was actually invented to aid the fast-food industry. With a conventional oven, moisture evaporates as food is heated, drying it out, but the CVap holding oven produces a humid, rain forest-like environment that surrounds the food with vapor, preventing it from losing or gaining any moisture. For a restaurant like KFC, an early owner of a CVap holding oven, chicken fried in the morning and then placed in the CVap stayed crisp and tasted the same no matter when it was served.

porchetta from

farmhaus

Serious barbecue joints – like Rudy’s in Austin, Texas and Dreamland in Birmingham, Ala. – adopted CVap holding ovens next, enabling the restaurants to keep their slowsmoked meat succulent all day. But it wasn’t until CVap maker Winston Industries developed cooking capabilities for the CVap, rather than simply holding food, that the myriad possibilities emerged for fine-dining kitchens.

In the early-to-mid 2000s, the CVap Cook & Hold caught fire in progressive restaurants such as Wylie Dufresne’s wd-50 and Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck. Since then, it has developed a near cult following among chefs with an eye for innovative kitchen toys. Considering that the CVap Cook & Hold model offers the ability to bake, braise, confit, dehydrate, ferment, poach, roast, sous vide and steam and then hold the food unchanged until needed, it’s no surprise that the CVap machine is a workhorse at local venues like Annie Gunn’s, Elaia, Little Country Gentleman, Farmhaus, The Libertine, MX Movies, Niche, Sidney Street Cafe and Tripel, with a handful of other restaurants having recently purchased or currently testing out this techno-wonder.

A different style of thinking “Love CVap,” said Nashan, when asked about the sophisticated oven that has occupied a place at Sidney Street for the last four years. Nashan was one of the first in St. Louis to purchase a CVap and sing its praises to his peers.

During mornings at the Benton Park restaurant, the CVap might be used to proof bread or ferment foods ranging from charcuterie to kimchee to sauerkraut to chiles. As the day goes on, sheet pans filled with meat may get cooked in the CVap sous vide-style at a low temperature.

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“The CVap is just a whole different style of thinking,” explained Jake Sciales, kitchen manager at Farmhaus. “At home, you’re going to cook something, [so] you put it in the oven at 400 degrees. That’s not how the CVap works.”

Instead, Sciales, Willmann and chef de cuisine Andrew Jennrich spent four months learning to control air and water vapor temperatures with the CVap before they felt confident enough to serve anything made with the machine.

“You can’t think about it conventionally,” said Willmann as he explained how the restaurant uses the CVap to make its popular porchetta steamed bun dish. “Essentially it’s a roast, but it’s such a wet roast it’s like a broast – a hybrid braised roast. It’s not like you’re braising because it’s not submerged in a flavored liquid. It’s not like you’re roasting because it’s not dry heat. There’s no transition of moisture from the food to the environment. So what’s happening is that moisture is staying in the product.”

What’s in that CVap? Proteins are the most common foods seeing action in a CVap. At Prasino in St. Charles, executive chef Tony Marchetto’s St. Louis pork steak is prepared in the machine in a sous vide manner. To make stoofvlees, a Flemish-style beef stew offered at newly opened Tripel in Lafayette Square, chef Max Crask puts the meat in a CVap for 22 hours before braising it conventionally. At Annie Gunn’s, CVap neophyte Lou Rook is using his machine to slow roast corned beef in a pickle brine

Is the CVap destined to become a household name – the kind of gizmo adopted by the same home cook who owns an immersion circulator and an induction stovetop?

The day may be closer than we think.

Winston Industries is currently testing a model for the home market. Price tag: $3,000.

August 2013

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moisture can’t leave.” Now the loss is less than 10 percent.

Willmann may be smiling about losing less precious product, but there are plenty of reasons we diners can grin alongside him.

One win-win: expedited service, since a CVap enables restaurants to prepare a dish long before you place your order. That’s one reason why Three Kings Public House, which does 500 to 600 covers on a weekend, is considering the purchase of a CVap. “It can cut down on ticket times,” summed partner Ryan Pinkston.

watermelon cocktail from

tripel

In addition, a CVap means we can eat out beyond the walls of a restaurant. When Galliano consulted for MX Movies, he advised for installation of a CVap Cook & Hold since the theater’s kitchen doesn’t have a hood system, stovetop or fryer. With the CVap, we still get to nosh on shrimp tacos, pulled pork steamed buns and flatbreads while watching a summer blockbuster.

Learning curves that end in a verb Cooking with a CVap is not without challenges. “It’s been a huge learning curve for us,” said Rook. His model arrived at Annie Gunn’s this spring, but he’s still tweaking his CVap technique with fries and honing its use to prepare roast beef for sale next door at The Market. “This is brand new technology for me,” he said. “I’ve always been superconventional.”

and to prepare salmon and halibut that come out “like butter.” And CVap maniac Josh Galliano of The Libertine uses his machine to put proteins on a pedestal with pig tails, chicken pâté, squid cracklins and octopus all getting time in the magic box.

Yet the cooking possibilities extend far beyond chicken, beef, pork and creatures of the sea. Restaurants are using the CVap for proofing and baking bread, preparing custards and canning. Tripel co-owner and bar manager Terry Oliver even sees the CVap’s potential behind the bar. Oliver is using it to sous vide watermelon rind to use as an edible cocktail garnish.

Beyond cooking experiments, quality control is a major reason restaurants gravitate toward the machine; chefs view the holding feature of the CVap to be just as important as its cooking ability. “Instead of having a sauce sitting in a steam table, it can be

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in a squeeze bottle held in an optimal temperature in a humid environment where it’s not going to deteriorate or continue to cook,” Willmann explained.

chefs are attracted to the CVap Cook & Hold, but this kitchen tool also makes business sense – despite the price tag, which hovers around a whopping $5,000.

That desire to maintain a quality product for longer periods of time is exactly why local barbecue joints like Pappy’s, Bogart’s, Windowsills Cafe & Marketplace, Andre’s Ribs-Julie’s Way and PM BBQ have plunked down the money for a CVap holding cabinet.

“We bring brisket and pork butt off the smoker in the morning,” said Paul Lamers, co-owner of PM BBQ and owner of two CVap 4000 series holding cabinets. “The technology allows us to hold those all day long. The quality is virtually identical [in] the morning [as] at 8 o’clock at night.”

“For a year and a half, we’d been drooling over the opportunities of this thing. It’s just a matter of being able to afford it,” said Willmann, who pulled the trigger on a purchase last fall. “We just kept socking away every couple hundred bucks that we could.”

Happy chefs, happy customers The breadth of cooking techniques and an outstanding end product are key reasons why

A CVap is an expensive purchase for an independently owned restaurant like Farmhaus, but the return on investment is paying off. Cooking with the CVap results in less product loss, which translates into real dollar savings. For its porchetta, for example, the restaurant used to lose anywhere between 25 and 40 percent of the meat when cooked in a traditional oven.

“You go to CVap and that can’t happen because the environment is so humid that

“We’re babies here,” echoed Willmann.

“We’re just kind of figuring it out, and we’ve had it for almost a year.” But Willmann and his crew are experienced enough that now, when they prepare dishes in conventional manners, they wonder whether the CVap might be a better route. Case in point: boiling pig skin for chicarrones. “We’ve gotta try to CVap the pig skins,” said Willmann.

In a period when CVap is being verbified, the controlled vapor craze doesn’t appear to be ending any time soon. Yet, is it destined to become the all-in-one machine that enables chefs to ditch their traditional appliances?

“We’re not throwing away our cast-iron pans,” replied Sciales.

“The CVap can’t be the end-all, be-all of cooking,” echoed Jennrich.

Their boss Willmann nodded assent, but added, “It’s a heck of another tool. It elevates what’s possible.”

August 2013

Sous vide

One machine, many techniques How many cooking applications can you tackle with a CVap? Sidney Street Cafe’s “BBQ” Cornish Hen, an Indian-style take on barbecued chicken, illustrates the versatility of a CVap. Here's what it can do.

Pickle

Steam

Dehydrate

"bbq" cornish hen from

sidney street cafe

August 2013

saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 41

Pop That 10 sodas to try this summer

Virgil’s root beer

Layered with notes of black licorice, this one is root beer for grown-ups.

Baileys’ Range, 920 Olive St., St. Louis, 314.241.8121, baileysrange.com

empire raspberrylime rickey

Lime hits first, followed by hints of raspberry and a carnival finish that tastes like cotton candy.

Lukas Liquor Superstore, 15921 Manchester Road, Ellisville, 636.227.4543, lukasliquorstl.com

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vess pineapple soda

It has an unbeatable citrusy zing. To boot, it’s local.

Gustine Market, 3150 Gustine Ave., St. Louis, 314.932.5141, gustinemarket.com

ski

Meet a fresher Mountain Dew that’s punched up with a splash of lemon and orange.

Parker’s Table, 7118 Oakland Ave., Richmond Heights, 314.645.2050, parkerstable.com

fitz’s grape soda

It’s what all other grape sodas aspire to be.

Randall’s Wine & Spirits, various locations, shoprandalls.com August 2013

Its mild sweetness but full-on blackberry flavor make you reconsider the definition of soda.

Veritas Gateway to Food and Wine, 15860 Fountain Plaza, Ellisville, 636.227.6800, veritasgateway.com August 2013

Wang Gang 8 ball ornge

The local guys hit the corner pocket with this full-flavored, neon orange-colored soda.

Wang Gang Asian Eats, 4 Club Centre Drive, Edwardsville, Ill., 618.655.0888, wanggangasian.com

blue sky jamaican ginger ale Ginger ale meets spicy ginger beer when you pop open a can of this carbonated goodness.

Local Harvest Grocery, 3108 Morgan Ford Road, St. Louis, 314.865.5260, localharvestgrocery.com

oogavĂŠ agave grapefruit

Light, crisp and refreshing, it’s grapefruit soda without all the junk.

Central Table Food Hall, 23 S. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 314.932.5595, centraltablestl.com

Cheerwine

Think Dr. Pepper with more root, less spice and a hint of cherry.

Blues City Deli, 2438 McNair Ave., St. Louis, 314.773.8225, bluescitydeli.com

Photo by elizabeth jochum

spindrift sparkling blackberry

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August 2013

stuff to do:

this month

by Byron Kerman

Serbfest Aug. 3 – 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Aug. 4 – 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Holy Trinity Serbian Eastern Orthodox Church, 1910 Serbian Drive · 314.776.3263 · serbianchurchstlouis.org Sarma, raznjici, cevap and ustipci are all on the menu at Serbfest. The annual ethnic blowout includes sales of beef-and-pork cabbage wraps, pork kebabs, sausages and Serbian doughnuts, plus much more.

Get your grub on while enjoying live music, folk dance, church tours and appreciating one of the area’s most vibrant communities.

Missouri State Fair

·

Aug. 8 to 18, Missouri State Fairgrounds Sedalia · 800.422.3247 mostatefair.com

The Missouri State Fair is a bonanza of fun, and you just might just be able to take home a blue ribbon in one of hundreds of cooking contests. With competitions including peanut brittle, biscuits, enchiladas, mac-ncheese, and dishes made with rabbit, wild game, Missouri wines, and many more, the fair sends home an awful lot of winners.

The livestock competitions, the midway of festival foods and tractor show are a hoot – and you can even kvetch at Gov. Nixon at the Governor’s Ham Breakfast.

Dishcrawl Aug. 13 - 7 p.m., Clayton; Aug. 27 - 7 p.m., Soulard, 314.363.1899 · dishcrawl.com/ stlouis Dishcrawls are progressive, get-to-know-the-neighborhood August 2013

dinners, and this month, St. Louis hosts two – one in Clayton and one in Soulard.

On a single night, guests trot between four clustered restaurants, which are kept secret until just before the event. The events are a veritable stay-cation for gourmets and a great way to make new friends, too.

Cochon Heritage BBQ Competition Aug. 25 – 7 p.m.

Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis, 999 N. Second St. cochon555.com The Heritage BBQ Competition sponsored

by Cochon 555 is serious business. The traveling showcase features five chef teams that each utilize every part of a heritagebreed pig to create four meat dishes and two sides. For the first time, STL hosts the event, and Kevin Willmann (Farmhaus), Kevin Nashan (Sidney Street Cafe), Gerard Craft (Brasserie, Niche, Pastaria, Taste), Fabrizio Schenardi (Cielo) and Matthew Accarrino (SPQR in San Francisco) will compete hog-head to hog-head. The sampling of 30 gourmet, pork-based dishes should be amazing.

Slow Food Saint Louis Food on Film Series Aug. 26 - 7:30 p.m. · Schlafly Bottleworks, 7260 Southwest Ave. · slowfoodstl.org The annual Slow Food St. Louis film series is back with documentaries guaranteed to make you rethink what’s on your plate. This month’s film, American Meat, contrasts small-farm grazing/ranching operations with bigger corporate ones, and it takes a hard look at feedlots and confinement operations. Will a sustainability

renaissance ever change the way the average American carnivore eats? Other films are shown the fourth Monday of each month through November. A suggested $5 donation benefits Slow Food St. Louis’ Small Farm Micro Biodiversity Grant.

Local Social: Central West End Every second Friday through September – 5 to 9 p.m. participating shops and restaurants · cwescene.com

Thirst for Life

Local Social showcases shop owners, chefs, artists and more in one of the most walkable neighborhoods in St. Louis. Enjoy live music, visual feats, discounts, sips and snacks highlighting all things CWE.

Aug. 29 - Times vary 314.333.6671 · stlefa.org

Kookin’ for Kids

For one day, more than 50 area restaurants and pubs will donate a portion of their beverage proceeds to PAWS (Pets Are Wonderful Support), a nonprofit affiliated with St. Louis Effort for AIDS. Participating restaurants include Annie Moons Bakery, Clementine’s, Hamburger Mary’s, HandleBar, Hendricks BBQ and many more. The Art of PAWS Kickoff Party Aug. 17 at 7 p.m. at The Factory offers live entertainment, a local art auction, hors d’oeuvres, desserts and a cocktail contest featuring area bartenders.

Aug. 11 – 4:30 p.m., Chase Park Plaza Hotel · 314.261.6011 x124 · kookinforkids.com Twenty-five local restaurants and bars provide tastings of their signature dishes and drinks to raise money for at-risk children.

Sauce Celebrity Chef Series: Edward Lee Aug. 13 – 6:30 p.m., Taste · 314.772.8004 edwardlee.brownpapertickets.com Celebrity chef Edward Lee will mingle with guests over hors d’oeuvres as he discusses and signs his first book, Smoke & Pickles: Recipes and Stories from a New Southern Kitchen.

Top Chef: The Ultimate Burger Challenge

sponsored events

Aug. 18 – noon to 4 p.m., Circa Properties, 5501 Pershing Ave. · 314.772.8004 · saucemagazine.com/topchef.php

Sauce Magazine’s Food Truck Fridays

Six local chefs go head-to-head in this ultimate burger faceoff. Attendees will enjoy six mini burgers, two complementary beverages and live entertainment.

Aug. 9 – 5 to 8 p.m., Tower Grove Park · 314.772.8004 saucefoodtruckfriday.com

Glennon Gallop

Why chase food trucks when so many of them convene at this free monthly event that also boasts live music and activities for kids? The fun continues at the after-party at Atomic Cowboy at 4140 Manchester Ave., from 8 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

Aug. 24 – 3 to 9 p.m., Blue Heron Polo Club, Defiance 314.577.5605 · glennon.org/glennon-gallop Treat yourself to a fun-filled affair with delectable wine, delicious food, great friends and a polo match, all to benefit Danis Pediatric Center at Cardinal Glennon. saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 45

Where does the name YellowTree come from?

When I was in the car business, I had the receptionist do it – I was trying to come up with business names. She just spouted that out.

What is your favorite farming tool?

It’s called a Choremaster. I think it’s a 1947.

The world’s smallest tractor. It’s a one-wheel tractor that has a mercury clutch.

Why do you care so much about the brix level in foods you grow?

The brix level is the sugar content

Tell me all the foods you’re growing.

I don’t think I could. There’s so many!

Here, I got a list of what I got this week: [pulls out crumpled piece of paper] Green cabbage, Napa cabbage, pickling cucumbers, regular cucumbers, small zucchini, big zucchini, Asian mustard greens, regular mustard greens, collard greens, Japanese white sweet potatoes, regular sweet potatoes, small onions, Chinese broccoli, bok choy, yu choy and all the popcorn products.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever grown?

It was the toothache plant, or Sichuan button. It’s got a chemical in it … The capsaicin’s really hot. This is a feeling you’ve never really experienced before.

It’s almost like a numbing, tingling … some people say battery acid. It’s definitely interesting. Mike [Emerson, co-owner of Pappy’s Smokehouse] came over, wanted to see what I was up to.

That was one of the first things I gave

him. It completely blew his mind. It really started a good relationship between us.

And you forage, right?

Yes, I do that, too. Chanterelles are just starting to come out right now.

What will you sell in the next few months that you will forage?

Some kind of bark. Like for a tea. You can make a liquid with the bark and poach a fish in it. Every bark is a little different.

Do you do a lot of educating?

That’s all I do. Case in point: a young girl, 18, 19 years old. She bought my collard greens. She says, “Thank you for coming to this market. It’s so great to have organic farmers here.” I said, “How the hell do you know I am an organic farmer? You didn’t even ask me how I grew my stuff, what I do to my crops, what I do to my soil.”

Did you lose a client for life?

Oh, no! She’ll be back. How else do you educate people?

How does your past as a car salesman help you now?

Just dealing with people. It’s sales still. I’m sitting on 150 pounds of cabbage. Next week, I’m gonna have another 150. I gotta get people to start making some coleslaw.

Anything else you want to tell me?

I’ve got winter projects. I have a potter’s wheel, so I’m gonna make pottery. I’ve been gathering wood at the farm. I’m gonna make tables and end tables.

And vinegar: I have three different citrus wines and a cushaw squash wine. I’m gonna put a vinegar mother in it, turn the wine into vinegar and bottle it.

– Ligaya Figueras

Photo by carmen troesser

YellowTree Farm’s Justin Leszcz on growing

It started as an urban farm five years ago. Now YellowTree is a common name among area chefs and locavores. Owner Justin Leszcz juggles his time between three plots of land and selling his products at the Tower Grove and Schlafly farmers markets. Here, Leszcz shares his growing pains – and pleasures.

of produce. It’s been proven that the higher the sugar level, the better it tastes. A higher brix level correlates with somebody who’s growing more sustainably. The more you’re putting into the soil, the higher your sugar content.

That’s why I’m on different plots this year.

The hardest thing I’m learning right now is how to do that on a bigger scale.

YellowTree Farm, Yellowtreefarm.com

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August 2013

August 2013

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