September is Chästeilet, or cheese-parting time in the Berner Oberland

By Melanie McGaugh

During September, in small towns all over the Berner Oberland, the traditional Autumn festival of the Chästeilet, also spelled Käseteilet in some parts, takes place. It is the Justital Valley Chästeilet though, that is the grand-daddy of these events. This chästeilet, which has been occurring for more than 250 years high above the town of Sigriswil on the lake of Thun’s north shore, is definitely the least commercial one of its kind in the Berner Oberland. This event is not geared for tourists, although everyone is very welcome, because many of the visitors are local people who have come to purchase their cheeses by the wheel to keep and carefully age in their own cellars. This is the day that I, and other mountain cheese-lovers, have been anticipating for months. It is best to arrive early (8:00) in the morning in Sigriswil, where signs will point you to the car park, from there a large tour bus will take you part-way up the Justital valley to the point where the road becomes too narrow for the bus to go any further. Here you must make a bit of a walk up to the field where the festivities are occurring; good walking shoes are a must. Then the fun begins…there are literally hundreds of wheels of mountain cheese, and you can start sampling them. There are soft, young cheeses called Mütschli, along with 1-year, 2-year and sometimes 3-year-old hard cheeses, also available are raclette cheeses, along with an assortment of many others to taste and to buy. They all can usually be purchased by the piece or by the wheel. These cheeses are not to be found in any commercial grocery store chain like Migros and Coop, in fact, most of them will never be seen outside of the Berner Oberland, and priced at a mere 17-24 Chf a kilo, I consider them to be one of the best bargains in Switzerland. After you have made your choices, go over to the specially erected tent where refreshments can be purchased; there you will find soup, wursts on the grill, käsebrätel, soft drinks, wine and beer. The käsebrätel is a must…it is made with one of the raclette cheeses from this year, and to me there is nothing like the smell and taste of this freshly-melted cheese over good farm bread washed down with a glass of Swiss white wine. Maybe it has something to do with the magical mix of fresh mountain air, the incredible scenery and the laughter and good cheer surrounding me! This local event is both a celebration of thanksgiving for another year’s harvest, and the safe return to the valley of man and beast after months of hard work…and it is definitely an experience not to be missed!

A word of warning: If you wish to return via bus down the valley to the car park, be aware that the buses stop running before the cows start making their colorful procession down! (The time of the alpabzug varies, so it is best to ask the bus driver on your way up to the event, but it can occur shortly after lunch). It is a long walk down to the village…I know from experience, the first year we went we were caught unaware, and we became part of a long and rather messy (there are lots of cows!) trek back down to our car. This year it will be held on September 23rd 2011.

Here is a calendar with more information about other chästeilets: http://www.zalp.ch/aktuell/ak_ve.html

Eataly - Asti

The shop:

Eataly in Asti arrived about a year ago and we have been a little disappointed in the scale of the shop compared to Eataly in Turin. The Turin installment of Eataly is a mega-store and the Eataly in Asti is a more the size of a service station convenience store. Selection is limited and seems to be mostly focused on gift items like luxury chocolate and expensive jars of preserved vegetables rather than the raw ingredients that a serious cook wants to see. Gone is the huge vegetable stand and the beautiful salumis you see in Turin, not to mention the fantastic butcher's counter and fish market. In Asti we are treated to a half dozen different types of vacuumed-packed cuts of meat, an equal number of salamis and no fresh fish. In Switzerland when a big grocery store puts in a tiny convenience store they call it Coop Pronto instead of Coop or Migrolino instead of Migro. Eataly Asti is a mere shadow of Turin.

The restaurants:

On the up-side, they do offer two restaurants at the location. A trattoria that is open for lunch and dinner and a more formal restaurant that is only open for dinner. We met friends Canan and Umberto for lunch so our only option was the trattoria.

The trattoria consists of two rooms, both are light, airy and unpretentious. Menus for both restaurants can be found here. 

For starters:

Umberto ordered the Energetica vegetariana (picture below) a salad with mixed leaf lettuce, tomato, carrot, corn, fennel, artichoke and pomegranate, which he seemed to enjoy very much.

Canan, Melanie and I ordered La battuta di Vitello de "La Granda", which is essentially steak tartar accompanied with a mache, tomato, fennel and carrot salad decorated with a balsamic glaze. The Granda is an association of stockbreeders from the region around Cuneo raising the Piemontese breed of cattle. http://www.lagranda.it/index.asp (only in Italian). Eataly is among their selected retail network. They do not feed their animals food from animal origin nor food stored in a way that modifies their pH (ie no fermented food as the silomais (corn choped and kept under plastic to promote fermentation) and they promote phytotherapy and vaccination rather than traditional medicines. La Granda is the best Piemontese beef available. Granda is the Cuneo province. The dish was delicious. (thanks Umberto for this information)

For the main course:

Canan ordered Faggottini ai carciofi al profumo di timo which turned out to be very under-cooked and was sent back after a "discussion" with the waitress. Apparently, she wanted us to believe that they are supposed to taste like flavorless little balls of hard dough!

Umberto really enjoyed his Agnolotti "Antignano prodotto tipico" alle erbe fini, which are small meat-filled ravioli made by a local company and available around the world at your nearest Eataly location.

Melanie and I had Filetto di Maile al pan speziato which turned out to be a piece of rather chewy pork coated in a non-descript, mushy, bread-crumb coating. There was a hint of Chinese five-spice in the sauce and I enjoyed the flavors but the presentation was weak because of the breading on the pork, a rather sad re-warmed baked potato and some dessicated aubergine.

The wine:

Eataly has a very good reputation for stocking good wine so we decided to opt for the house white and the house red. The wine list is viewable here.

We tried to order the house white but it was sold-out and they did not offer us a substitute, so we ordered a half-bottle of nondescript Gavi. I don't know how much it cost, there was no price listed.

The red was a Barbera Sfusa Cantina sociale Castelnuovo Belbo which was good but not remarkable. The pricing was curious however, 2€/glass, 4€/2.5dl, 5€/5dl and 6€/liter. Needless to say, we opted for the liter.

Just desserts:

The dessert selection was written on a chalkboard without prices. Melanie and I just had a coffee for dessert and Canan had creme brulée which was soupy and slightly curdled. (sorry, no picture) Umberto had coffee-flavored panna cotta which he thoroughly enjoyed.

Service:

Considering that the restaurant was only about 40% full, service was slow, mildly impersonal and we were disappointed that we had to debate the fagottini with the waitress. The total was 104 euros after we asked them to remove Canan's fagottini which was still calculated in. When we paid we asked the cashier to split the bill 50/50, which he did, but we were not given an itemised version of the bill, only told what to pay and then given a receipt for what we paid. We had no idea how everything tallied.

In summary:

Eataly prides itself on presenting exceptional quality food carefully prepared. We have eaten in Turin and it has always been a pleasure. Using the Turin model as a benchmark we were disappointed in our experience in Asti. It wasn't that bad but we had hoped for more.

Thank you to Canan and Umberto for taking  the pictures. (my camera's battery was dead)

Le Bouquet Garni in Village-Neuf, France

Melanie and I had to go to Basel on business today, so we decided to hop the border to France and have lunch at A L’Aigle in Village Neuf where we had had a fantastic dinner back in May.

Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed, but the restaurant “Le Bouquet Garni”, located right across the street, was open and it looked charming, so we decided to give it a try.

Lucky decision for us! The restaurant is as charming on the inside as it looks from the street. Although the decore is out-dated and well-used, we found it a delightful change from those “not-a-hair-out-of-place” restaurants we usually encounter in Switzerland.

When we arrived at 12:15 the restaurant was about 1/3 full. By the time we had our apero, there wasn’t a seat left in the house. Everything, from our aperos to our desserts, was hand-made and executed with a high attention to detail.

Here are some of the highlights: (click on any of the pictures to enlarge)

Above: a slice of foie gras with a salad of endive and sprouts with a fig and nut compote and orange peal marmalade.

Above: Escalopes of pan-seared foie gras de canard served over a tartelette tatin of apples.

Above: a feuillete of wild champignons.

Everything was just perfect, including our 22 Euro bottle of Saint Chinian.

For all of you frugal gourmets, the lunch menu will be irrestible! For an amazing 10.50 Euros you get:

• A lovely pumpkin soup with smoked bacon lardons…
• A very delicious (but slightly plain looking) plate of incredibly tender pork ragu and spiral noodles…
• And a delicious, home-made, apple strudel.

Here is our bill. Click on it to enlarge.

We have programmed the address into our GPS and we will return soon!

Le Bouquet Garni
94, rue du Général De Gaulle
F-68128 Village-Neuf
France - Alsace
Tél +33 (0)3 89 69 88 05
email contact@bouquetgarni.fr

Open for lunch from 11h30 to 14h, dinner from 18h30 to 21h30
Closed Sunday evening and Monday. Call for reservations or you will get stuck in the backroom (like us), which is ok, but the main room is nicer.

Restaurant Le Corte in Odalengo Grande

Piedmont is a place where extraordinary restaurants are not rare and yet, once in a while, you stumble on a restaurant that completely catches you off guard and thoroughly delights you in every way. Le Corte is just that sort of restaurant.

We had eaten at Le Corte once, and it was good, and we had been meaning to return but for one reason or another we never got around to doing it. Well recently some friends visited and we decided it was high time to go back. A quick check on the web page and it was easy to see that everything had changed. Formerly owned by Anna Cortevesio and Corrado Calvo, Le Corte has been operated by chef/owner Marco Casalini since March 2010.

Le Corte is an old school house and is well off the beaten track in Vallestura a frazione (comune) of Odalengo Grande. It’s remote country location ensures you of a quiet dining experience, especially during the week. We arrived on a Wednesday evening and Marco greeted us at the door with an enthusiastic welcome and from the first introduction we felt his natural honest warmth and graciousness. We were seated on the screened terrace which seats 15 or 20 people in a tasteful minimalist modern décor and we had the terrace to ourselves.

Moments after we were seated, Marco brought us a bottle of “Corteranzo Spumante” a delicious sparkler made just a few kilometers away at the winery Isabella http://www.isabellavini.it/ in Corteranzo. Made of Chardonnay and a touch of Moscato, it was refreshingly dry and delicious and the perfect way to start the evening.

Although there is a menu on the webpage, we were happy to put ourselves in Marco’s hands and let him bring us a tasting menu of everything he had prepared that day.

To say Marco is a passionate Italian chef barely scratches the surface. He is a local produce fanatic and spends all of his spare time looking for interesting and seasonal local ingredients. Marco cooks and serves all the dishes himself with the help of Simone Gennaro his sous-chef. During the evening’s conversation he told us about finding an outstanding source of eggs nearby and confessed to paying one Euro each for them, but ‘the price isn’t important, quality comes first’ he told us. One of our courses contained one of these precious eggs and I can vouch for their outstanding quality. His Euros were well spent!

Course after course, the food came out. Some of the highlights were: A poached egg topped with a fillet of “tinca gobba” (a local fresh water fish) and guanciale a kind of bacon made from pig's cheek. (sorry, no picture)

A roasted red pepper flan, over roasted yellow peppers and very mild anchovies and onions (I think). (unfortunately my picture did not come out very well). We drank an outstanding Isabella Carpe Diem Chardonnay with the first few courses.

Then came the main course which was house made Tajarin with black truffles, bacon bits and a fonduta di toma (local cheese) sauce. Tajarin is a fettuccini type of pasta and the traditional recipe is 40 egg yolks and one kilo of flour and a pinch of salt.

We drank a beautiful bottle of 2008 Ruché by Cascina Tavjin 14% with the pasta course. The food was delicious but there was simply no way we could eat a roast course on top of all this.

Dessert was a tartlet filled with crème anglaise and topped with poached apple and gianduja chocolate.

 
Followed by two very nice grappas from Antica Distilleria di Altavilla. The first was a 1997 Grappa di Moscato and the second was a 2001 Grappa di Ruché. Both were lovely but the Moscato was softer and easier to drink.

The price was 45 euros per person wine, tax and tip included and worth every penny, but just as important as the food was the warm and passionate reception we received from Marco.

MARCO CASALINI - OSTERIA LE CORTE

ttp://www.lecortedicasalini2010.com/

Via Odalengo Grande, 2

15020 ODALENGO GRANDE (AL) Fraz. Vallestura

Telephone: 0142 949044 - Marco understands a little English but is shy to speak. If you say "prenotazione questa sera per quattro, ad otto", he will understand and you reservations this evening for four at 8:00.



Suprêmes de Volaille Farcies Duxelles

If I think about traditional French flavors, mushrooms, thyme and cream are the first things that come to mind. This simple recipe captures all of those traditional flavors and will give you lots of pleasure. 

Suprêmes de Volaille Farcies Duxelles

(serves four)

4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts

Stuffing
1/2 cup of shallots
2 Tb butter
1 cup of finely chopped mushrooms
3Tb Madeira
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme
Salt and Pepper

Sauce:
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1/4 cup of Madeira
1/3 cup of heavy cream

Procedure:
Melt butter in a pan and sweat the shallots until translucent
Add the mushrooms and continue cooking.
Add Madeira and allow to reduce.
Add Thyme
Allow mixture to cool before stuffing the chicken.

Pound 4 medium chicken breasts until they are 1/4 of an inch thick and place 1/4 of the mushroom mixture in the center of each breast. Wrap the mixture with the chicken and lay in a buttered backing dish and cover with foil.
Put in a medium hot oven for about 20 minutes or until done.

Remove the chicken and keep warm.

Add a teaspoon of lemon juice and 1/3 of a cup of Madeira to the juices remaining in the pan the chicken was cooked in and  reduce to nearly a syrup. Add 1/3 of a cup of heavy cream and reduce a little more then pour equally over the chicken.

Peperoni alle Nocciole

The beauty of Italian antipasti is the combination of simplicity, balanced and flavor. This simple recipe is one of the best and typifies Piemontese flavors.

Peperoni alle Nocciole
(Appetizers for four)

2 large roasted red peppers (pealed, stemmed and seeded)
¼ cup of finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
¼ cup of oregano
Zest from ½ a lemon
¼ cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 small clove of garlic finely chopped
1/3rd cup of roasted hazel nuts, roughly chopped
3 Tablespoons of hazelnut oil (canola oil will work too)
Salt and pepper

Split the roasted red peppers in half and lay on a tray.
Mix the rest of the ingredients spread over the peppers and serve.

Boccondivino - Bra

It has been a few years since our last visit to Bra so we stopped by Boccondivino again...
Click on the pictures to enlarge (it's worth it).











I needed to take a test picture to start things off... so this is the bread basket ;)











This is "Lardo, salsiccia di Bra e carne cruda battuta al coltello": €8.00.











My picture of " Insalata di pomodori e fagiolini" didn't come out very well but I hope you get the idea. €4.00.











Coniglio "Grigio di Carmagnola" allArneis: €11.00.











This is "Tortino di zucchine con burro e parmigiano": €8.00.


















Our wine was a Roero Arneis from Cascina Pioiero: €11.00.


















A special treat was a glass of the 1927 Alveria sherry at €4.50.










Semifreddo al croccante e pistacchio di Bronte: €5.00.











Budino al torrone e miele: €5.00.

In summery: everything was perfect but we were surprised to see that there were only 14 covers for a Saturday lunch (about 1/3rd full).

Lanterna Blu in Gaminella

Pasquetta is the day after Easter when most Italians in our area head for the country side and have a picnic and barbecue but we were short on time and decided to visit Lanterna Blu in Gaminella.
Since we had stuffed ourselves at the Canon d'Oro the day before we decided to give the frito-misto a miss but we ate everything else. The place was packed with jovial locals, the food was just as good as the Canon d'Oro and the service was very friendly.
Antipasti:
- A soft cheese spiral rolled in prosciutto cotto
- A puff choux filled with Montemagno mousse
- Cotechino
- Insalata de carne crudaParmigiano flan
- Asparagus terrine
- Pastry nests with fonduta and a fried quail egg
- Branzino in a puff pastry shell
Primi:
- Veal lasagna
- Mushroom risotto
Secondo:
Big platters of Frito misto were offered but we gave it a miss.
Dolce:
- Pistachio cake
- Bunet
- Pineapple cake
The Wines:
- 2 bottles of Barbera Monferrato (vivace)
- 1 bottle of Malvasia
- 1 bottle of sparkling brut

30 Euros per person all inclusive (it would have been 5 euros higher if we had eaten the frito misto).

Lanterna Blu
Frazione Gaminella
15020 Mombello AL
http://www.ristorantelanternablu.it/default_eng.htm
info@ristorantelanternablu.it
Tel: 0142 944120
Fax: 0142 944120
Google map
GPS: 45.1196283, 8.2435416

Canon d'Oro in Cocconato

We had Easter lunch at Canon d'Oro in Cocconato yesterday. It was my first time at this restaurant and we had a great time. Food quality was very high and service was very friendly and presented table-side.
The courses were as follows:
Antipasti:
- Liver paté with toast points and a tiny salad
- Castelmagno cheese mousse sandwiched between dried apples
- Insalata de carne cruda with parmigiano and celery slivers
- A tiny salad with a sliver goat cheese wrapped in Bresaola
- Artichoke flan
- Asparagus with fonduta
Primi:- Agnolotti in broth
- Risotto Parmigiano
- Tajarin with vegetable sauce
Secondi:
- Guinea hen with Carrots
- Bolito (cotechino, testa, lingua, reale)
- Roast leg of lamb
- Veal roast
Dolce:
- Vanilla gelato
- Bunet
- Fresh fruit
- Lemon torte
Wines:1 bottle of Bava Cortese.
3 bottles of very nice 13.5 % house Barbera
1 bottle of Malvasia
1 bottle of a spumante brut
Bosso grappa (open bottle on the table)

Note: you can eat every course there is no "or" in this list
The total was 48 Euros per person, all inclusive.

Cannon d'Oro Hotel & Restaurant
Piazza Cavour 21
14023 Cocconato (Asti) Italy
e-mail: cannondoro@cannondoro.it
Tel. +390141.907794
Fax +390141.907024
Closed on Monday and Tuesday
http://www.cannondoro.it/
Google Map
GPS: 45.0860831, 8.0401561

Cascina Martini in Coteranzo

We have been continuing our string of fine dining and the latest restaurant on our hit-list was Cascina Martini in Coteranzo where Gianluigi Giachino bends the traditional Piemontese ingredients into stylish and fresh new creations. Amazingly there were only six covers (including us) the Thursday night we were there. The restaurant decor is what I would call sophisticated Italian country and a great deal of attention is paid on all levels without becoming fussy or pretentious. There was a 40 Euro tasting menu but we had all been spending too much time at the dinner tables over this Easter weekend so we decided to just have a starter and a main course. In retrospect I think this was a mistake and we should have ordered the tasting menu but that is how it goes, sometimes you just can't go that extra mile.

The food:
Amuse bouche was a frito misto of assorted fried things: cod balls, aubergine cubes and asparagus, accompanied by an herb frittata and thick sliced of salami.

Primi: We all ordered the delicious duck breast salad and we all very happy we did.

Secondi: Melanie ordered a orozotto made with whole wheat orzo, fresh peas and cream. It was superb. Our friends ordered the rabbit with tajarin pasta. I didn't try theirs but it smelled fantastic and sent their eyes rolling back. I ordered boccatini of veal which turned out to be large chunks of veal in two sauces and was delicious and delicate.

Dessert was a grappa for me, Melanie had a 67% dark chocolate souffle with a soft gooey center. It was perfect.

Ristorante CASCINA MARTINI
Via Gianoli
1515030 Murisengo Fraz.Corteranzo (AL)
Tel:0141.693015
Fax:0141.693015
cascinamartini@cascinamartini.com
http://www.cascinamartini.com/
Closed on Monday - dinner only - lunch by appointment
Their home page is a bit difficult to navigate but there is a really nice blog entry with lots of good pictures: here
Google map
GPS: 46.1644103, 10.0657473

Cascina Rosengana in Cocconato

Cascina Rosengana is a lovingly restored farm that has been converted into a restaurant and B&B. The food is locally grown and organic and all of a very high quality. Our waiter was Massimo and I suspect one of the owners. He spoke English well and was warm and welcoming. The dishes were presented without fuss or pretention and the whole experience was a delight.
The full menu with all the dishes listed below, grappa and coffee was €24 per person.

Antipasti:
Salami crudo & cotto. (No picture)

Crispy parmesan cannolli filled with a goat’s cheese mousse.

Spinach quiche with cheese.

Carpaccio with a creamy gorgonzola sauce.
FYI: Carne Cruda Monferrina means ground or chopped raw meat (like tartar) and Carne Cruda “Albese” means slices raw meat (like carpaccio).

Primi:
Agnolotti plin with sage and butter. 

Tajarin with ground veal sauce.

Secondi:
Vitello con salsa nocciola.

Roasted Guinea hen with its sauce.

Fried potatoes and spinach was served with the meats.

Dolce:Bavarian cream with moscato raisins.
Hazelnut torte with a thick cream sauce.
Chocolate torte with a thick cream sauce.

Our grappas and coffee were included in the price of the meal.

Cascina Rosengana

Via Liprandi 50

14023 Cocconato

Italy

Tel.: +39 0141907857

Fax: +39 0141907914

Webpage: http://www.cascinarosengana.it/
Google map

GPS: 45.0830724, 8.0573741