Valdostana Fondue – Fonduta Valdostana

This is a simple Fontina cheese sauce. Simple, that is, for those who know how to make it. The basic ingredients are Fontina, butter, egg yolks and milk. The trick is to change the viscosity from a stringy cheese into a smooth and velvety sauce. The origins of the Fontina Fondue are not clear. Some say that Cavour is the father and that Fontina Fondue is from the royal kitchens of Turin or Geneva. Others insist that its birthplace is the Canton Ticino in Switzerland.

The first historical reference is in 1854. Giovanni Vialardi included the Valdostan Fondue in his cookbook, “Trattato di Cucina”. Giovanni Vialardi was the royal chef to king Vittorio Emanuele II and Carlo Alberto. There is a reason why this sauce is an important part of high cuisine. It is considered an “appropriate death” for Truffles and Gnocchi, mainstays of the sophisticated palate.

The consistency and delicate flavors of the Fonduta Valdostana make most Piedmont wines, such as Barolo, Nebbiolo, Barbaresco and Barbera, the perfect accompaniment.

Ingredients for 4 people:

1 lbs (454 g) Fontina
¼ stick (30 g) Butter
4 Egg Yolks
3 cups of milk (actually the amount of milk required will change according to the pan you soak the cheese in. The exact amount is enough milk to completely cover the cheese cubes)
Fresh ground Pepper

Preparation:

Cut the Fontina into cubes. Place the Fontina in a bowl and cover with the milk. The cheese should be completely immersed in the milk. Cover the bowl with a towel and let the cheese-milk combination soak for 5 hours.

In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks. Cut the butter into slices.

Choose a heavy pot with a thick base. The pot should be large enough to hold the milk and cheese mix. Place the cheese-milk mixture in the pot and begin to heat over medium low heat. This is a slow cook do not be in a hurry.

Stir slowly with a whisk always in the same direction. Add the butter. Once the cheese has completely melted, add the egg yolks. Continue stirring until the Fonduta Valdostana becomes creamy. The cheese will first melt. It will then cling together in a mass and finally it will dissolve into the milk sauce. Do not stop stirring and do not be in a hurry.

Remove the Fonduta Valdostana from the cooking pot and pour the sauce into a heated terracotta serving dish.

Tags: Italian Recipes Gnocchi Truffles Cheese Sauces Gourmet Foods Travel Italy

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Vallée d'Aoste Petite Arvine Vigne Champorette 2005 Les Crêtes

How about a wine that you have never heard of? A wine that is considered one of the top Italian wines. Vallée d'Aoste Petite Arvine Vigne Champorette 2005 Les Crêtes is difficult, if not impossible, to find here in the US. A heirloom white wine that is exclusive, for the few truly passionate wine lovers. Vallée d'Aoste Petite Arvine Vigne Champorette Les Crêtes has been one of the top Italian wines almost every year for the last 10 years. It is a wine so strange that looking at its label you are convinced that it is French. Not because the vineyard wants to play the French game instead it is their local dialect. An Italian wine, a white wine no less, a close cousin of a chardonnay, truly a hidden treasure.

My friends, who are gainfully employed in the wine business, do not think I should write about wines that cannot be found. After all, why write about something that cannot be purchased. Since I am not in the wine business and could care less about the ups and downs of sales, I can talk about unknown wines. This is my personality. I search for things others do not have. I would never fill my cellar with every vintage of Lafite-Rothschild. I will leave that to the experts. A wine is like a woman, when you find one that is special, that has the characteristics that make your head swoon, you do not want everyone to have her. Your cellar should be filled with wines that you love. Somehow they speak to you. You choose a wine because of its personality and you match it with an appropriate food.

This is not the wine for those who want to show off their knowledge of wines by buying wines on the highly pimped rating sites. This wine is for the true wine connoisseur. This is a wine worth taking a trip to Courmayeur, eating some Fontina, trying some of the local dried meats and buying a case to bring home. Think about the marvelous flavors of the Valle d’Aosta and this is what Vallée d'Aoste Petite Arvine Vigne Champorette 2005 Les Crêtes represents. I compare it to a Gaja & Rey. Valle d’Aosta boasts 6 primary wines. They range from the ice wine, Il Chaudelune, harvested only after the first snows to the exclusive and famous Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle, of which only a few thousand bottles are produced every year. Quality and Quantity rarely move in the same direction. Great wines, except in a few instances, are produced in reduced quantities. Great quantities usually translate to McDonald’s quality production.

Finding this wine will require work. It may even require a trip to Italy. If you find this wine, prepare Gnocchi alla Bava, cut a few pieces of Fontina, and perhaps a Veal filet with a mushroom sauce. Hold it for the best of friends and enjoy something that few in the world know about.

Grape: 100% Petite Arvine.

Color: Limpid hay yellow.

Bouquet: Pleasantly fresh scents of Apple, Grapefruit, Pear and a hint Jasmine.

Taste: Clean, intense and persistent. In the mouth it is dry and smooth. This is a uniquely flavorful wine with a citrus and a sensation of salt in the finish. This wine is more intense than most whites.

Alcohol Content: from 13.5 %

Serving Temperature: 8-10 c.

Aging: This wine can age 3-6 years.

Decanting: None.

Pouring: No special indications.

Glass: White wine glass.

Petite Arvine Les Cretes Heirloom Wines White Wine Italian Wine Valle d'Aosta Sommelier Food and Wine Travel Italy

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Courmayeur – Hot Italian Winter Vacation with snow on the Ground

Whether for the New Year’s Eve Bash or for a white week vacation to interrupt the long month at work, the white vacation is a unique opportunity to rejuvenate. Courmayeur is one of the preferred winter vacation spots for Italians. It is not just because it offers some of the best ski slopes in the world but it is also a fantastic place just to hang out and chat with new friends. Nestled in the Italian Alps in the shadow of the famous Monte Bianco, Courmayeur is a paradise of breathtaking views.


On any given day on the streets of Courmayeur you can find numerous individuals of the European “Who’s who”. This quaint destination caters to the traveler who wants to find all the excitement of the big city along with the personalized service of an esclusive vacation destination. Do not despair if skiing is not your thing. The shopping in Courmayeur is an experience in itself. The local hospitality infrastructure offers numerous winter activities, nightspots and generally fun activities. Needless to say most hotels offer complete spa treatments and some have created wellness packages ranging from a few days to a full weeks of decadent pamering.

I would suggest staying at the Hotel Courmayeur, Via Roma n°158 11013 Courmayeur (AO), if this is an adult vacation. For a family the Dolonne, Via della Vittoria n° 62 - Loc. Dolonne 11013 Courmayeur (AO), is a perfect spot. For those who may want to spend more time alone, with a great view the hotel Mont Blanc Village, Loc. La Croisette 36 11015 La Salle (AO) is definitely the way to go.

This is one of the reasons the rich and famous make Courmayeur one of their must visit destinations during the year. For the holidays, Courmayeur is going all out, a fireworks display on the 30th and every hotel is throwing some type of party. Food is an important part of any quality vacation. Courmayeur offers a selection of restaurants from fine and fancy dining to mountaineer trattoria. The area produces an frizzy Chardonnay that goes extremely well with the Fontina and Saouceusse e bdeun, a local version of dried meats.

It would be sin not to speak of the wide range of winter sports. There are instructors, classes and entire schools dedicated to Downhill skiing, cross country, snowboarding, ice climbing, and off trail. There are 25 slopes within a few minutes by bus. The courses offered go from novice to professional. This is the opportunity to learn from the best in the world and perhaps participate in some friendly competition.

Evenings in Courmayeur are no less exhilarating than the day on the slopes. Hot chocolate sipped gently in front of a full wall fireplace quickly turns to Caffe Valdostano. Dinner and Dancing are also part of the everyday activities so rest well before thinking about a vacation in Courmayeur. Finally Courmayeur is romantic. Whether it is your first trip with your partner or you have been together for a lifetime, Courmayeur is passion. It is your dream of cuddling on a cold winter’s night. It is beautiful people living the best of life. It is peace of the soul.

Tags: Winter Vacations Courmayeur Valle D'Aosta Skiing Hotels Travel Italy

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Caffe Valdostana – Coffee from Valle d’Aosta and the Friendship Cup

Christmas Traditions and Winter Holidays sometimes become confused. The Coppa dell’Amicizia, Friendship Cup, is an antique after dinner tradition of this region hidden in the Italian Alps. Traditionally Caffe Valdostana is served only in the winter months.

The birth of this specialty is accredited to the "Marroniers" or "Soldats de la neige" of Saint Rhemy En Bosses who patrolled the mountains of the Gran San Bernardo from 1100 through 1930. These mountain soldiers acted as guides and offered refuge to travelers. Caffe Valdostana became a tradition because not just the soldiers needed extra energy to fight the cold and hostile environment. This coffee was the favorite of lumberjacks, miners, bricklayers and farmers who would prepare a pot of Caffe Valdostana, or simply with grappa, for a nice pick me up during the cold winter days.

There were numerous other coffee drinks around at the time but Caffe Valdostana was the favorite. Passed down from generation to generation each family developed their own special recipe. Other than the basic ingredients listed here there are numerous other things that can be added to the basic recipe. Cognac, Rhum, Genepy, Plum Grappa, Butter and Orange peel are some of the ways to personalize your caffe Valdostana.

This hot coffee drink has its own way to be served. The Friendship cup is a hand carved wooden cup. The cup has numerous spouts. The Caffe Valdostana is prepared, poured into the Friendship cup and the cover placed on. The cup is then passed around and each member of the group drinks from a different spout. The Coppa Amicizia, Friendship cup, is a novelty for Italians across the peninsula. The workmanship is unique and the cups are purchased as collector's items or as decorative objects to be shown off with pride.

The tradition requires that the each individual of the group must continue to drink a small amount of coffee from the Coppa Amicizia. The cup is then passed to the next individual in turn. This continues until all the coffee is consumed. While there is Caffe Valdostana the cup must never be put down. There is also a saying, “He who drinks Caffe Valdostana alone, will choke.”

Ingredients:

2 cups long coffee. I make a “6 cup Moka” and add boiling water to make up the difference.
¾ cups strong Grapa, at least 45% per volume, preferably from Valle d’Aosta
¼ cups Genepy or Cointreau (some areas use red wine)
2 tbsp sugar
Orange Peel

Preparation:

Place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Pour into the Coppa Amicizia.


Wet the rim of the spouts with Grappa. Crust the rim of the spouts with sugar. I use a teaspoon with sugar and quickly press it on the rim. Light the Caffe Valdostana. Allow the alcohol to burn until the sugar caramelizes. Cover the opening with its top and drink hardy!


Tags: Valle d'Aosta Coppa Amicizia Caffe Valdostana Gourmet Coffee Grappa Friuli Italian Holiday Traditions Food and Wine Travel Italy

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Zuppa di Cipolle – Onion Soup Valdostana Style

Gourmet foods and gourmet cooks, terms often misused to indicate someone who cooks elaborate dishes. In reality gourmet cooking is about understanding balance and consistency. Fresh ingredients put together in a way to compliment each other. Sometimes very delicate where your mind has to stop and think about what it is tasting. Other times explosions of flavor. In either case it is all about the balance. Traditional recipes, matured and refined over the centuries are the true expression of gourmet cooking. Their simplicity surprises us. We cannot believe that something so exquisite was so easy to prepare. The Zuppa di Cipolle Valdostana is one of these recipes.


Onion soup is an integral part of French Cuisine, in particular it is widely used in Paris. Onion soup casseroles are also found in numerous regional diets across the world, so it is easy to think that the Valdostana “seuppa de s’eignon” finds its origin elsewhere. However, there are various factors supporting the thesis that this is a homegrown recipe. A close look at the ingredients and the plants grown in home gardens during the first millennium AD leads to believe that the recipe grew out of available ingredients and necessity. Every garden had onions and a small amount of Fontina or Tome cheeses.

Further supporting evidence is that Valdostana bread was cooked only once a year in jointly owned, town ovens. The bread would then be consumed throughout the year but as the year progressed it would begin to get harder and harder. Now that is “day old” bread! Bread has always been a mainstay during hard times and when times were really hard it was the only form of nutrients available. Making a broth from an old bone to give it some flavor and throw in a few vegetables and you have substance and flavor. More importantly you went to bed with a full stomach, something not to be taken lightly when you are hungry.

Whether this gourmet soup, once a lifesaving meal, was born in Valle d’Aosta or somewhere else in the world is not important. It is marvelously flavorful, simple and nutritious.

Ingredients:

5 or 6 medium sized sweet onions
Tuscan or other home style loaf bread
1 ½ quart meat broth
½ lb (200 g) Fontina
½ stick unsalted, sweat cream butter
salt and pepper

Preparation:

Clean the onions. Slice them very thin and sauté with butter, over low heat in a heavy skillet. Add salt and pepper to taste. I prefer using fresh cracked pepper. I add the pepper to the butter before adding the onions. This will take about 40 minutes.

Slice the Tuscan bread about ½ inch thick.

In a high rimmed casserole pan, place a few slices of bread. Spread the ½ the onions on top of the bread. Place another piece of bread and cover again with the remaining onions, again sprinkling salt and pepper.

Top off with the Fontina cheese slices. Finally pour the broth into the casserole and fill to the top.

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake until the top is golden brown. This will take 15-20 minutes.

For white wine lovers accompany with a Sauvignon Bianco. For red wine lovers accompany with a Barbara, Barolo, or Barbaresco.

Tags: Gourmet Foods Onions Soup Italian Recipes Food and Wine Valle d'Aosta Travel Italy

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