Meet the Chef: Bryan Satterford's Juke joint is jumpin'
Credit to Author: Randy Shore| Date: Sat, 26 Oct 2019 18:00:20 +0000
Bryan Satterford is an outside-the-box thinker. His jumpin’ Chinatown chicken joint Juke hits on all cylinders as a southern comfort diner with some elevated tricks. The ribs are sticky, the sides are downright dirty and the chicken is gluten-free. Wait, what? It’s true. For now, sink your teeth into his Crispy Fried Brussels Sprouts:
Q: What motivates and inspires you as a chef?
A: I will always be growing, either by learning a new technique or by trying to master the ones I already know. Cooking is kind of like golf, you could play it every day for the rest of your life and you will never be perfect. It might be good, it might even be excellent, but it will never be perfect. The process of completing those mundane, everyday tasks to the best of my abilities gives me extreme enjoyment.
Q: How would you describe the type of food you like to cook?
A: I try to make everything I cook to taste as bright as possible, and I rely heavily on balancing the hot, sour, salty and sweet. While layering flavour, I try and pack in as much as I can. Every piece of protein is marinated for at least 24 hours, every roasted vegetable has its own spice rub before cooking, all vinaigrettes are heavy on the acid and heat. Also, whether it’s crushed nuts, seeds or something fried, a variety of textures is important.
Q: What might diners not know about you?
A: I’m a big soccer fan — specifically of Liverpool FC — and they’re the reigning European champions, so I’ve got a lot to celebrate.
Q: Describe a couple of your most recent creations.
A: The menu at my newly opened vegan diner Beetbox gave me an opportunity to test quite a few recipes that took me out of my comfort zone. The two trickiest items to get correct were the seitan for the ‘Chick-Un Sandwich’ and ‘cheeze’ for the burger. The ‘cheeze’ involved creating a product that would melt like real cheese while being firm enough cold to be sliced thinly and getting the fried seitan we use in the sandwich to the correct consistency.
Q: What’s your favourite local product and how do you use it?
A: I have recently really gotten into foraging for mushrooms. Most of the mountains around Vancouver are covered with wild mushrooms, and, over the years, I’ve discovered a few choice spots to find chanterelles, pine and lobster mushrooms, and morels.
Q: If there’s one important piece of advice you might have for home cooks, what might that be?
A: Actually, I have several — have a relationship with the food you eat. Be aware of where it comes from and how it was grown or raised. Source as much as you can that is local and in season, and support your local farmers. Also, buy a new ingredient or condiment every week and learn how to use it. Get out of your comfort zone, and try eating new things — most of the time, you will find that those green eggs and ham aren’t so bad after all.
Crispy Fried Brussels Sprouts
Crispy Fried Brussels Sprouts, by chef Bryan Satterford.
4 ½ cups (400 g) Brussels sprouts
1 cup (250 mL) Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette (see recipe below)
½ cup Crispy Bits
2 tbsp. (30 mL) canola or grapeseed oil
Clean the Brussels sprouts by trimming their stems and cleaning off any loose excess leaves. Cut each in half lengthwise. Place oil in a large thick-bottom frying pan on medium high heat. Once oil is hot, place the Brussels in cut-side-down in the pan. Allow to slowly cook on the sliced side until golden and crispy. Monitor the heat and caramelization closely. Once all the Brussels sprouts are cooked, toss with the vinaigrette to your taste. Finish them with any crispy garnish you like: Seasoned nuts, seeds, toasted breadcrumbs, crushed Ritz crackers or potato chips.
Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette
1/4 whole preserved lemon, seeds removed, either store-bought or homemade
2 anchovy fillets
1 ½ tbsp. (22.5 mL) confit or roasted garlic
3 tbsp. (45 mL) fish sauce
Chili flakes, to taste
¼ cup (60 mL) lemon juice
2 tbsp. (30 mL) white wine
1/3 cup (80 mL) olive oil
2 tbsp. (30 mL) granulated sugar
Place all ingredients minus the oil in a blender and blend on high speed until smooth and uniform. Slowly drizzle oil while the blender is running to make an emulsified dressing. Adjust the dressing to your taste, it should be a nice balance of salty/sweet/spicy.
Makes 1 cup.