Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Thursday 20 april 2017
Plant butchers use charcuterie techniques, mimic meat flavor

KELLI KENNEDY They sell their meats and rous Butcher, a brother-
Associated Press cheeses by the pounds, and-sister business out of
MIAMI (AP) — When Ryan along with deli sandwich- Minneapolis, is made in
Bauhaus first experimented es. Their main ingredient, small batches and hand-
with faux meats, he fixated wheat gluten, also known formed. The storefront,
on recreating that taste of as seitan, has an extremely which boasts 100 flavors of
blood, settling on a tomato high protein content and sausage, including coco-
paste blend to mimic the flavor profile similar to ani- nut and pineapple, has giv-
acidic, iron flavor. For the mal meat. en Aubry and Kale Walch
fat, Bauhaus boiled down “There’s this riffing on the a chance to get to know
mushrooms until he got the idea of the butcher shop the community. The siblings
desired texture similar to and what it means to com- said they originally opened
the fat cap on a roast. munities in the past,” said the butcher shop as a plat-
Calorie counting, gluten Chris Kim, executive chef of form for animal activism
banning and tofu bean Monks Food Co in Brooklyn. and to help people know
patties aren’t happening In this March 1, 2017, photo, chef Ryan Bauhaus poses for a pho- He disagrees with the eth- where their food is coming
at Bauhaus’ Atlas Meat- to at his Atlas Meat-Free Delicatessen, in Miami. ics of animal slaughter but from.
Associated Press
admires the skill and knowl- “A lot of our customers will
made cheese, made with edge of butchers: “When come to us with ridiculous
nut, soy and coconut bas- someone comes in we things that they’re craving
es rather than cow, goat or say, ‘What are you looking and we’re able to make
sheep milk.
Labor is intensive — a single
meatball can take nearly
20 hours to make.
“Most of my overhead is
labor,” said Bauhaus, who
could use a meat grinder,
but prefers to do it by hand.
The fare is popular among
vegans and vegetarians
who long for greasy com-
fort food, but abstain for
ethical reasons. Much of
the plant-based move-
ment has catered to the In this March 1, 2017, photo, chef Ryan Bauhaus prepares Burnt
Tips at his Atlas Meat-Free Delicatessen, in Miami. Associated
health-conscious crowd Press
that eschews gluten, Associated Press
fried foods and highly pro-
cessed fake meats. The for? What are you trying to that for them. That’s the
butchers are not to be con- make?’” fun,” said Kale Walch.
fused with vegan restau- Kim mixes two different Betsy Born and her husband
rants that create dishes us- types of wheat gluten in his love their shredded chick-
In this March 1, 2017, photo, chef Miguel Navarro inspects a ing meat substitutes. Plant spicy Italian meatballs — a en for tacos and use the
Le Bleu hamburger, made with caramelized onions and blue
cheese on top of portobello mushroom and lettuce, at the Atlas butchers are out to make red/dark meat style and ground beef for lasagna.
Meat-Free Delicatessen in Miami. products similar in texture one infused with an aspar- Often, they’ll use them on
Associated Press and flavor to real meat. agus puree. A seitan-based a simple meat and cheese
salami, cured for 12 hours in tray. Once they asked the
Free Delicatessen in Miami. a dehydrator, is added for siblings to create a beer
On the contrary, there’s six texture before the meat- bratwurst for a July 4th
ounces of peppery pastra- balls are hand formed, fried cookout.
mi and two kinds of kraut and steamed. “It was delicious,” said Born,
on top of the Rachel on Rye “We hear people saying this whose husband and three
sandwich. The Krispy Fried is the best meatball they’ve children are also vegan.
Chk’n sandwich is served ever had. That’s really the “My (extended) family is not
with a creamy garlic aioli goal. We’re not out to be vegan and they always grill
on a doughy pretzel bun. the best vegan food pro- out and I thought it would
It’s breaded and dipped ducers, we’re out to be a be nice to have something
in cashew buttermilk that great food producer,” said to grill out that was similar
turns into a golden crunch Kim. to what they were eating.”
when it’s deep fried, melt- His popular seitan steak in- The sibling butchers have
ing the house-made soy cludes pureed asparagus fielded tons of requests for
milk cheddar on top. and rosemary. The seitan more gluten-free products.
The world of meatless cook- ham is brined and smoked, They currently sell a meat-
ing has a new player: plant and they do a Kansas City- loaf made with mushrooms,
butchers. style BBQ seitan slab during oats and carrots and sev-
They’re gaining loyal fol- the summer. eral products using a jack-
lowings across the coun- They sell wholesale to res- fruit base, but are experi-
try, applying techniques taurants, caterers and indi- menting with a substitute
used with traditional meats vidual customers and are to make all their products
like brining, brazing, ag- In this March 1, 2017, photo, a handler tops a Krispy Fried Chk’n opening their first brick and gluten free.
ing and mesquite smoking. sandwich with a doughy pretzel bun in Miami. mortar shop this spring. “We’re definitely trying,”
The butchers also sell hand- Associated Press Everything at the Herbivo- said Aubry Walch.q