 |
    
| ||||
RECIPE OF THE MONTHINGREDIENT OF THE MONTH BABBO MENU |
DOLCI |
by Gina DePalma, Pastry Chef
In February, travelers from all over the word will be heading to the Northern Italian region of Piemonte to attend the XX Winter Olympics in Torino, but this is not the only event that draws an international roster of visitors to the region. Every September, the city of Bra plays host to the annual Bra Cheese Festival, organized by Slow Food. This chees-ey extravaganza is officially known as Cheese, La Forme del Latte, proving once again that everything sounds sexier in Italian. For the past seven years, the Festival has attracted elite producers and purveyors of cheese from around the world, along with passionate gourmands and the merely curious, to a four-day celebration of the finest cheeses from Italy, Europe and the Americas. The Festival commands the entire centro storico, or historical center of Bra, where cheese makers set up stands to showcase their products to food professionals, purveyors, chefs, as well as curious and enthusiastic lovers of all things related to ilformaggio. On the “Street of the Shepherds”, attendees are given the opportunity to meet “the shepherds,” small cheese makers who singularly tend to their flocks of sheep and goats and produce a very limited quantity of extraordinary cheeses that rarely make it out of their home region. Leading a life of relative isolation and solitude, the festival provides a way for them to put a public face on their hidden lifestyle. How many times can you say you had a chance to chat it up with a shepherd? That alone seems well worth the airfare to me. Tasting booths, conferences, a “Cheese Presida,” discussing latest technological advances as well as the preservation of traditional methods, The House of Goat Cheeses, with over 100 different goat cheese products from all over the world, paired in a special tasting with so-called “SuperWhite” wines from Friuli-Venezia Giulia, are just some of the fabulous events open to all attendees. And of course, there is the historic city of Bra, with its fine restaurants, museums, art, and culture, providing plenty of interesting things to do and see (provided you can tear yourself away from the cheese). Bra is the capital of the Roero, the DOC zone nestled in the north easternmost portion of the province of Cuneo; it is a city that looks proudly back at its past while keeping an eye towards the future. The Slow Food movement is headquartered there, and Bra itself was one of the first cities to be declared a Slow City, a designation that aims to turn around the pace of modern, urban life. Focusing not only on food and drink, Slow Cities pledge to reduce traffic and noise, increase green space, and encourage a strong connection to unique cultural traditions. The City of Bra has also bestowed its name upon one of the wonderful cheeses made in the region. Bra Tenero is a younger, semi-soft cheese that is aged about 45 days, while Bra Duro is aged 3 months or longer, with a stronger flavor and firmer texture. Both cheeses are made within the province of Cuneo, and have been given the coveted DOP classification, meaning that production is strictly controlled, connecting the product to a specific region of production, and guaranteeing adherence to specific, traditional methods. The entire region of Piemonte produces some of the best cheeses of Italy, from the well known to the obscure, and many varieties have been granted this coveted DOP status. The good news is that many of Piemonte’s cheese are available here in the U.S. from quality cheese purveyors and specialty markets, including both varieties of Bra. Anyone who loves blue cheese will love Gorgonzola; whether it be the soft, creamy, lightly-veined Gorgonzola Dolce, or the densely blue-green Gorgonzola Piccante, both made from cow’s milk. I especially like either variety with chestnut honey and toasted brown bread. Raschera is another one of Piemonte’s grand DOP cheeses, made predominantly with cow’s milk, with minute amounts of sheep and/or goat’s milk added for subtle flavor. Raschera has a bright, sharp, flavor and salty finish, perfect with fresh fruit and nuts. Toma Piedmontese is a cow’s milk cheese with a nutty, rich flavor and slightly bitter, grassy edge. Like Raschera, the texture is lacy, with tiny “eyes” that dissolve into a rich, creamy sensation on the tongue. Piemonte is also rightly famous for its wonderful variety of fresh and aged Robiolas, which are made with cow, sheep or goat’s milk, or in combination. Fresh Robiola can be firm and chalky, like goat cheese, or slightly aged, with bloomy, runny rinds that ripen from the outside inward. Their full, rich flavor speaks of the earth, mushrooms and green grass, and the creamy, soft consistency makes for an elegant, contrasting addition to any cheese plate. Robiolas are especially wonderful with the grand red wines of Piemonte, such as Barolo, Barbaresco and Gattinara. Piemonte is an undiscovered gem of Italy; I almost want to keep it a secret for fear it will suffer from the same crush of tourism that Tuscany has experienced. The Olympics might just blow the lid off of this treasure so while you can, head on over and experience some of what this region has to offer. The Bra Cheese Festival is a great reason to book your Piedmontese visit; the links below can help you make your plans. In the meantime, visit your local cheese purveyor and enjoy some of the best of Piedmonte cheeses. For information on travel to Piemonte and the Bra Cheese Festival, with links to the City of Bra and Slow Food: http://www.cheese.slowfood.com/ The Region of Piemonte’s English-language page has lots of information on tourism and culture: http://www.regione.piemonte.it/lingue/english/pagine/cultura/cultura.htm To purchase the specialty cheeses of Piemonte, check with Murray’s Cheese in the West Village: http://www.murrayscheese.com/ If you are in New York, don’t hesitate to stop by:
.
|
|
||
