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Two Cape Town chefs share their culinary secrets using their fave brews

WHY BEER Two Cape Town chefs were tasked with using beer as the main ingredient in creating a culinary masterpiece. Both rose to the occasion and produced fish and chicken dishes not often associated in the cooking of both — one uses beer to marinate the fish, the other features beer as the perfect accompaniment. Chef Ekinde de Vos of Den Anker on Cape Town Waterfront, renowned for their vast selection of beers and Blouberg's popular eatery Salt & Sage's chef Sarah Oldridge happily 'played with their food' to create perfect harmony using beer to create delectable food. DEN ANKER Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town CHEF EKINDE DE VOS KINGKLIP MARINATED IN MAREDSOUS TRIPEL I chose fish because it is a difficult ingredient to pair with beer. If you think of fish, you think of white wine, the classic French combo that works so well; this time I wanted to challenge myself to create a perfect pairing experimenting with different brews. The malty brew of the Maredsous Tripel is a strong amber beer with a creamy white head. The bouquet is a complex combination of fruit (banana), alcohol, notes of raisin and other dried fruit, with a hint of caramel, slightly reminiscent of sweet syrup — which worked well with fish offering that almost lightly sweet/savoury flavour South Africans love. I chose to marinate the fish in the beer for about two to three hours, it doesn't make the fish tough — actually beer is great for marinating meat, chicken and seafood because it adds flavour without taking away from the integrity of the ingredient. The fish pretty much melts in your mouth with a soft bitterness in the background and a lingering flavour which leaves one with a pleasant and warm feeling, perfect for a wintry dish. KINGKLIP MARINATED IN MAREDSOUS TRIPEL Serves 2 2 portions of kingklip Marinade: 330ml bottle of Maredsous Tripel, 30ml (2 tbsp) mustard, 15ml (1 tbsp) honey, pinch of salt and 1 stem of fresh rosemary Sauce: 1 x 330ml bottle Maredsous Tripel 10ml (2 tsp) wholegrain mustard or more to taste 15ml (1 tbsp) honey Pinch of salt and pepper 150g butter 200ml cream 5ml (1 tsp) each of soft butter and flour, mixed 1. Bring a bottle of the beer to the boil for the marinade to allow the alcohol to evaporate. Add remaining ingredients for marinade, then cool before pouring over the fish and set aside. 2. For the sauce bring the beer to the boil to evaporate the alcohol. Reduce heat to a simmer and whisk in mustard and honey until fully mixed in. Add the cream and gently whisk in the butter, adding a little at a time. Season to taste and add a butter and flour roux to thicken slightly and stir until it coats the back of a spoon. 4. Remove fish from marinade and dry with paper towel. Gently fry in butter till just cooked through and then serve with the sauce poured over and add seasonal vegetables and serve. SALT & SAGE Blouberg, Cape Town CHEF SARAH OLDRIDGE CHICKEN ROULADE WITH LA CHOUFFE My Chicken Roulade with La Chouffe has become a popular addition to our menu, it has taken off so well this winter. Chicken is certainly one of South Africa's much-loved proteins and I've given it the edge by deboning the bird and turning it into a roulade with a mushroom farce and a rich stuffing.I then butter roast till it is deliciously crisp and serve it with a mushroom cream, tender stem broccoli, broccoli purée, a portion of crisp chicken skin and creamy chicken jus (a gravy). The detailed plating and intricate components of this dish demand a pairing of a special brew which is complimented by the full flavours of the La Chouffe, a Belgian blond ale with fruity notes, a hint of citrus which cuts the richness perfectly with warming spicy undertones and a delicate sweetness.