Stout for Straw; the 4th in a 6 part series focusing on BEER and the first of the group as a collaborative effort with Coast Culinary Collective.
Recently the people at Persephone Brewing teamed up with a local artisanal bakery and coffee company, Lone Wolf Provisions/ Lone Wolf Coffee Roasters. The result was an espresso infused, nitrogen oatmeal stout they’ve coined “Breakfast Stout”.
In times past, “Breakfast Stout” meant something very different to me. Typically it might be called the “cure” or “hair of the dog”. This is neither of those. This is far more noble.
In a fine example of our Coastal community supporting their own, both companies came up with this “good will collaboration” to support another local effort, The One Straw Society. Partial proceeds from the sales of the special, limited release go to help fund their efforts. If OSS isn’t familiar, here’s a quick snipit as per their site:
The One Straw Society has empowered the Sunshine Coast community for over 21 years.
The goal? To create vibrant, sustainable, local food systems.
Through mentor training, workshops, programming, and events, we bring people together to pass on valuable skills, share knowledge & resources, and celebrate our human connections around food.
Programs range from community gardens, food waste reduction initiatives and education to seed exchanges and potlucks. We also support emergency preparedness and building local economy!
As a collective, we sow and grow the partnerships, projects, programs, and policies needed to further food security and community resiliency on the Sunshine Coast.
For more on the One Straw Society, go to www.onestraw.ca
Before someone starts getting their nose righteously out of joint about that, the writer’s family comes from Tralee in Co. Kerry
Some basics on “Breakfast Stout”
I see the potential for some mail coming my way telling me I’m wrong about this but the first example of Breakfast Stout I’ve come across was Founders Brewing Co. in Grand Rapids, MI. in 2014.
Founders incorporated Kona & Sumatran coffee along with flaked oats to arrive at this “Start your day off right” stout. That should get me a few more letters. Whatever. “Nitrogen” is the small capsule inside the tin that when the tab on the can is cracked, releases the gas into the beer giving it the creamy head. A wonderful invention. I tip my hat to whoever you were and hope you made some money from it. In terms of flavour, coffee straight away along with chocolate, caramel and a bit of cherry are what hits your palate. At 6% ABV, this one has a bit of strength though and as is typical of this style of beer, it’s deceptively easy going down. Probably best to enjoy in your robe and slippers whilst skimming the morning newspaper. More letters…
Stout Glazed Halibut
As is the Coast Culinary Collective way, we’re providing you with a tasty dining choice to accompany. In this case, it’s a recipe for Stout Glazed Halibut. Our local halibut season is in full swing at the moment so this is a perfect time to test this out. We would of course recommend you incorporate the Persephone “Breakfast Stout” in but if you can’t bring yourself to part with even a few sips, we leave it to you to cook with another “Pint of Black”.
As adapted from Food & Wine Magazine
Ingredients
- 710ml or 1 & 3/4 tins of Persephone Breakfast Stout
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (Smoke on the Water perhaps…)
- Salt
- Four 6-ounce skinless halibut fillets
- 4 large carrots, cut into 2-by-1/2-inch sticks
Method
Step 1
In a skillet, bring the stout and honey to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat, skimming, until reduced to 1/2 cup, 25 minutes. Pour into a heatproof bowl and stir in the lemon juice, hot sauce and 1/2 teaspoon of salt; let cool to room temperature.
Step 2
In a shallow baking dish, pour half of the stout glaze over the halibut fillets and turn to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning a few times. Reserve the remaining stout glaze.
Step 3
Preheat the broiler. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the carrots and boil until just tender, about 4 minutes; drain. Pour the reserved stout glaze into the saucepan and boil over high heat until thickened and reduced to 1/3 cup, about 2 minutes. Add the carrots and simmer until glazed, about 1 minute.
Step 4
Remove the halibut from the marinade and arrange the fillets on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush the halibut with olive oil and season with pepper. Broil about 4 inches from the heat until richly browned and just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer the halibut to plates and serve with the stout-glazed carrots.