Boris_A

Quoting fom a conversation I had with master cheesemonger/grocer Steve Jenkins here on eG: Some of the best pure goat Robiola is from Roccaverano, SE of Alba, and you can buy it from completely fresh to fully mature. Unfortunately, most of the production is sold directly up there or to the top restaurants. And beware: the Robiola di Roccaverano "AOC" (DOP) - defined in the interest of larger producers - allows for a considerable amount of cow milk, which has not much to do with the traditional, best Robiola. For Valtellino cheese (notably from Bitto valley and and the adjacent Taleggio valley in the Alpi Bergamasci), "Giapponi" in Morbegno would be a good source. The century old shop is worth visit by itself.

Thank you. As a layman, I found it highly suspectible that in these days when economic considerations start to dictate virtually every aspect of life, such an important motif is not mentioned at all. "Cost-cutting" as a no-no word in the holy halls of flavour and texture?

During September, ther will be a fantastic oppotunity to sample Italian cheese from all over the country, and it's not limited to Italian ones. It's an every-two-year event organized by SlowFood. As I mentioned in the earlier post, I consider the Italian cheese production being very fragmentated and it's not easy to spot truly original products outside of the local markets or shops. The so called "Sagra" (dell polenta, dell fungho, stc.) - a food "fair" held in almost every village once or twice a year - sometimes includes markets with stands of small producers. Another very useful guide is the "Il Golosario" by Paolo Massobrio, a buyers guide for outstanding food shops and local specialities. It's available in Italian book shops and is a great starting point not only for cheese shoppers.

Two things I like to add: - IMHO, some of the best Italian artisanal cheese (Robiola, cheese from the Piedmontese Alps, Valtellino, Alpi Bergamasci, Trentino, Piave, etc) are produced in really small quantities only and can be found almost only locally in markets, on farms or the better restaurants that care about a cheese selection. - and I'm afraid that the EU regulations are going to do evevn more harm in Italy than in France. Italian bureaucracy can be as predictable as roulette when it comes to the application of regulations and laws. During the last two decades, their former apporoach of "situational" implementation is sometimes replaced by an almost German strictness. OTOH, I have seen production rooms of 100 sqft where 75% of the even knowledgable consumers would call for hygienic regulations (though not at all really necessary andf the goat cheese produced there was of really fantastic quality). But in all fairness, I can understand why some regulators think they are acting in very best interest of the consumer. Both, regulators and average consumers tend to be ignorants and "safety" and "security" are killer arguments, nowadays more than ever.

I was not very clear. I meant rather the craft and not so much the (cooked) product. OTOH, there are recipes (albiston told me about a neapolitanian dish, a lasagne del carnevale I believe) where several ingredients call for very long cooking times. This is desired not only to soften the tissue of meat or vegtables, but to attain a different, caramlized, "condensed" taste. Another example: many cooks don't like pressure cooking, because vegetables retain a "green" taste. And then some people didn't like my SV cooked meat, because they found the meat to be somehow too "raw", too "bloody", despite the fact is was cooked exactly according to temperatures/times given by Ducasse. Different tastes, obviously.

It's also about cooking in small, ready-to-serve portions and a kind of convenience food on highest level. It has considerable economic advantages (time shift end reproducibility) and interestingly there's absolutely no discussion regarding this fact. BTW, let's not forget, SV cooking was born by primarily economical considerations. You are right. From an aesthetical and sensual view, SV doesn't add anything to the art of cooking, to say the least.

After dilettantically playing around with my poor man's SV equipment, I think it's a rather complicated technique where you need to control some different parameters. And hiring a consultant at $2000 a day by true cooking masters isn't a hint that the technique is overly simple. I think it's better suited for pro kitchens where working with systematical, long series of trial and error is part of the game. I doubt that too many home cooks will engage in this kind of laboratory work. Of course, some simpler things like salmon or tuna prepared according the Roca recipe can produce nice results with very basic equipment (a vacuumizer and a large pot of water simmering at 50 C). SV took 20 years to gain the current level of, err, popularity. I doubt that there's another technique around and currently used by some cutting edge restaurants and which will be extensively reported in the NYT in 20 years from now.

Which is - when seriously done - a work (per se, I'm tempted to say) and I dont' see why this should be done by me, the customer. As in any other service business (airlines, retailers, etc ..) this should be done by a competent management. Customer appreciation can be done by the same "voting" system as anywhere else: by returning ot non returning to the restaurant. Another aspect maybe that a lot of gastro industry in Europe is linked to (international) tourism and it's a bit a stretch to expect every foreign tourist to know how and what a good service in a peculiar country has to be. To give an example: an attempt of "table turning" would be almost an offense for me. Under such aspects, "competent tipping" is close to nonsense.

Unfortunately, it seems that even flawed wines can be great wines: However, there are some negatives to consider. For example, some of the prodigious 1947 Bordeaux (....), most notably Cheval Blanc, has residual sugar, elevated volatile acidity, extremeley high alcohol as well as pH levels that would cause most modern day oenologists to faint. Sadly, despite all the improvements that have been made, few modern day oenologists would permit a wine such as 1947 Cheval Blanc to ever get into the bottle under the name Cheval Blanc Anyone who has tasted a pristine bottle of this recognizes why most competent observers feel this is one of the most legendary wines ever produced in Bordeaux, All of its defects are outweighed by its extraordinary positive attributes. It is also the defects that often give the wine its singular individiuality and character. So, a word of warnig ... despite all the techniques to make higher qualitiy, there is still a place for wines with a handful of defects that give them undeniably character as well as greatness. Somehow, all these techniques need to make an allowance for wines such as these 1947s." Robert M. Parker jr., The Wine Advocate 146 , p. 4 "Still confused, but on a much higher level" we are, no?

Just to give an input about gray-in-gray solutions: A tipping charge of 14% was introduced in Switzerland about 30 years ago (by federal law). Today, when service is mediocre to poor/indifferent (but no reason to really complain), you don't tip. When service is correct, one tips additional 2-3%. When service is excellent, one adds a tip of up to 10% (usually a personal tip collected individually by the waiter). Wages consist of an guaranteed part and the 14% tip. Some restaurants calculate the tip individually, others pool it.

I did the beef cheeks too (the Ducasse recipe at 54C/72h) and I found them relatively firm as well, though not terribly (and they developped a taste not unlike tongue, BTW). For several times, I did veal breasts (tendrons de veau) at 62C/ 19-24 h and found the results to be uneven. My general impression is that the quality of the raw material is very important with SV cooking over extended time. Maybe the cheeks of a well stored/matured Charolais beef is a different matter. For me, beef cheeks are difficult to obtain (on order only) and I presume they came directly from the slaughterhouse with absolutely no storage. I have to try to get some first class material - for cheeks and for tendrons as well.

As a side note, it seems that this kind of cultural export of "typic" restaurants was a real fashion of that time. In many cities of Europe, you can still find German "beer halls", Spanish bodegas, Viennese coffeehouses etc. all founded at the end of 19th century. I believe this was strongly influenced by the "world exhibitions" which have been very fashionable at that time.

The Simac GC 4000. Powerful 250W machine and compressor, ~ 1.8 quarts finished ice cream (more than 2lbs liquid raw material per batch), a removable, easy-to-clean mixing container (stainless steel). Nice design, BTW. Picture and description for example here: http://66.70.211.12/store/product200.html

And his motto: mankind deserves better than the 5 (3?) varieties offered by the supermarkets of this world. (OTOH: that's, err, freedom of choice and the power and wisdom of the invisible hand)

A quality laboratory venturi pump will cost > $100 new and can prodcue pressures as low as 12 mbar (!), provided enough water pressure and flow. However, when destilling/reducing liquids, pumping capacity might be not enough to maintain low pressure against the vaporising liquidities. Besides drying/desiccating of solids, one could use a vaccum pump for destilling and reducing at room temperature (to retain a "raw" aromatic profile) and for filtering with micropore filters to obtain crisp clear juices.

Which leads to the question whether it's possible to cook dishes the way they were cooked one century ago. "Impossible" would be the answer of Heraklit.

Well, I tried to make veal breasts (20 hours of simmering at 62 C in a laboratory water bath). The first time, when I added the garlic and the rosemary (with EVOO) as raw as it was, I got strange tastes (62 C might be fine for veal, but not for these spices, for ma taste) and the liquid EVOO was sucked out (when trying to get a sufficient vacuum) and sealing became a PITA. So I started to cut away of some veal (tiny pieces), searing it and to preparing a classic reduction of seared veal, garlic, rosemary, white wine, salt, pepper and EVOO. I put this in very small containers, froze it for an hour or two and added the well frozen, hard pieces of "jus" (cracked up with a fork, if necessary) to the meat in the bag. Then vaccumize and seal quickly. After letting it rest for some minutes at room temperature, it gets liquid again and you can "massage" the liquidity a bit around your meat. In order to resolve the sealing problem, I do this with EVOO/pepper mixes for salmon (or EVOO/pepper/ seared garlic for tuna) "en sous-vide" as well. Usually, as soon as the oil melts, it starts to spread around the fish automatically or with very soft manipulating. It's a workaround for the recipes from the pros (like Roca) who can afford a $2000 vaccum chamber machine where you don't have this problems with liquid stuff.

I do some "sous-vide" and I'm applying fatty and spicy reductions (of garlic, rosemary, wine, etc). I 'm freezing the liquid stuff before putting it in the bag together with the meat.

I visited the Rigoletto about a month ago, and their hotel was just opened. It's adjacently situated. The cooking style of Rigoletto is very elaborated, and the quality, the service, and the wine list is 2 star without any question. It was a very friendly atmosphere, and our limited knowledge about Italian language and history and social environment of the region helped to fire an almost familiar discussion at the end of the meal. Highly recommended indeed for those in search of fine dining. A week ago, when we had our "Corelli event", and eGulleteer "francesco" suggested an excursion to the "Ristorante Il Sole - Antica Locanda del Trebbo" in Trebbo di Reno, about 5 miles to the north of the tangentiale of Bologna (and with guest rooms as well). It has a michelin star and they could be heading for more. The cooking style is simpler than the one of Rigoletto but they marvelled with a clear cut and well defined zuppa di parmigiano and with two dishes made with phantastic (but really phantastic) porcinis. A dessert with gelato di basilico is my favourite as dessert of the year until now. Service and sommelier was correct and what you can expect of a one star. I liked the place very much. We had almost exclusively local wines (of the Emilia Romagna, that is) and the "Sangiovese di Romagna" are really fantastic food wines if you stick with the ones below the top line (less alocoholic, less concentrated, less barrique). Also very recommended are the wines made from the native Albano varietal. For €100 per person for a multi course menu and a fine selection of these local wines, there's no room for any complaints, of course. Great price/performance ratio and very recommended for the ones interested in a somewhat simpler and more traditional cuisine than Rigoletto.

Very true. An excellent tasting method is to buy some bottles of a certain type of wine (German riesling, Bordeaux bourgeois, whatever), to cook some nice food and to invite some (hopefully nice) friends. Everyone is allowed to drink whatever he prefers, and in the end you'll have some empty bottles, some half empty bottles and some almost untouched bottles. Swallowing is mandatory of course, and you can rate the wine by simply measuring the bottle level. Hint: the winner is not necessarily the "95+(?)" wine designed for tastings and spittings.

THE classic meat served with spätzle is jugged (?) venison: "Hirschpfeffer" and "Rehpfeffer". It's venison marinated for several (up to 10) days. Traditionally, after cooking the venison, the marinade is reduced and thickened with the jus of the roasting and fresh blood. Intensive stuff! It's a seasonal dish (hunting season) and in autumn you'll find it here on the menu list of many, many traditional restaurant. Standard meat outside of this season are pork/beef/veal roasts. I think those who invented it centuries ago were not overly concerned with too rich dishes.

BTW my collegue just said he thinks spätzle (or knöpfle, another expression to simplify matters) are much better when spread, cooled down and rewarmed - or slightly fryed - with butter (and cheese, if you like) in a pan with - important!- covered with a lid. It's convenience food in the old way. @Behemoth: the idea of the "Neue Rechtschreibung" was simplification, but reforms are seemingly no simple business today. Most of it is optional anyway. Switzerland kicked out the "ess-zet" (ß) long time ago, so I'm not qualified to comment.

You got me. Spätzle is (are?) already plural. "spätzles" is an english pluralisation of a German plural. Sidenote: in German, we know "Kekse" (brownies, etc.) which is derived from "cakes" and then "double-pluralized" with an "e" at the end. On topic: there are Italians gnocchi (somehow related to spätzle) made with flour, spinach and - fresh - ricotta. The ricotta replaces the the eggs there. "Käsespätzle" are made with grated hard cheese, in Switzerland with Emmentaler or Greyerzer (Swiss German word for gruyère )

It's called "Spätzle", to be pedantic. In South Germany and Austrian Voralberg there's special "Spätzlemehl". It's coarser then the usual. Type 405, some websites say. (I think 1000 is fully grinded). For "Käsespätzle" (cheese spätzle), you mix after boiling the spätzles, AFAIK, and make a gratin or mix in a pan.

Ed, I don't know about you time constraints, but maybe you can combine a bit. I visited the Piedmont many times, and for my taste Aqui is a really cute town. It's the home of the sweet, bubbly, ruby Brachetto d'Aqui wine, a "twin" of Moscato d'Asti. Some of the producers make also very decent Barbera. Also, check out the producers of the Nizza Monferrato region, just NW over the hill from Aqui. Aqui is situated at the entrance of the upper Bormida valley, which is - at least for me - the most beautiful, poetic landscape of the eastern Langhe region. There are some very nice restaurants - admittedly not the ultimate top notch league of the Piedmont - as "Caffi" in Cassinasco, "Madonna delle Neive" in Cessole (20 km westwards from Aqui), "La Violetta" and "Bardon" in Calmadrana/San Marzano Oliveto or the very traditional "Da Posta di Camulin" in Cossano Belbo. The ride to the relatively nearby (20km SW) mountain village of Roccaverano (really spectacular views) can be rewarded with some of the best pure goat cheeses of Italy, the Robiola di Roccaverano. "Cascina Caramello" of Gianfranco Nervi is an excellent producer among others. As a guide for adresses of wineries, I'd recommend the "Vini die Veronelli" and for restaurants and food shopping a copy of "Guida Critica Golosa" di Paolo Massobrio. You'll find these books it in every library there. If you're going to visit and revisit the Piedmonte - an I'm sure you will - these guides are very fair investements. Anyway, over there you are a bit off the well beaten paths.