New Cheeses 2/18/2016

Alpha Tolman $7

Raw cow’s milk cheese from Jasper Hills Farm in Greensboro VT. Animal Rennet. Named for a historic dairy farmer in VT, Alpha Tolman is an alpine style cheese, the curds are cooked and pressed to expel excess moisture. The large 22lb wheels are washed with a cultured brine and aged for 8-11 months yielding a rusty orange rind and a semi firm interior. Rich, nutty, and buttery with notes of caramelized onions.

Manchego Pasamontes $7

Raw sheep’s milk cheese from La Mancha Spain. Animal Rennet. The pasamontes family has been making manchego for four generations, at their farmstead creamery in spain. They tend to their own flock of sheep and follow the most traditional methods of production, going above and beyond the requisites for DOP certification. The family does not coat the outside of the cheese in was as is common with large scale manchego producers, the wax protects from bacteria and mold, instead the cheeses are rubbed by hand with a cleaning solution to prevent mold growth, resulting in a natural tan colored rind. The use of raw milk allows this to be certified as an artisan manchego. Aged for one year, the cheese has a slightly crumbly texture and pockets of crystallization. All this extra care results in a cheese with an remarkable depth of flavor, milky, and grassy and a little bit piquant.

Mt Alice $7

Pasteurized cow’s milk cheese from the Von Trapp Farmstead Creamery in Waitsfield VT. This is THE Von Trapp family, as in the hills are alive. After leaving Austria in the 1938 (see Sound of Music for more details) the family settled in vermont and purchased a number of plots of land, one of which, a dairy farm has evolved over the years into a farmstead creamery. Mt. Alice is a camembert style cheese, aged for 3-5 weeks with a bloomy rind. Rich and buttery. Not ok for a penicillin allergy.

Casatica Di Bufala $7

Pasteurized buffalo milk cheese from Lombardy. Animal Rennet, aged 2-3 months. Made by Quattro Portoni, owned by a pair of brothers near bergamo produce traditional italian cheeses but substitute buffalo milk for a twist on tradition. This is a stracchino style cheese, rich creamy and a little nutty, with a bloomy white rind. 

Dating and Labeling, an illustrated guide

In this restaurant, because we care about the details, we cut our tape with scissors or a knife, we don't ever rip it with our hands. Please see below for clarity:

No!

Also No! (except for the sumac. good job with that one) 

Yes!

For more info on this subject, here's an article that pretty much sums it up. 

New Desserts (Bombolini, Chocolate Torta, Affogato Ventuno)

Bombolini

These are little donuts made from flour, sugar, eggs, butter, creme fraiche, whole milk, black pepper, and yeast. They are fried to order and tossed with a citrus sugar (orange zest, grapefruit zest, sugar). Served in a caste iron skillet with a brown butter caramel sauce for dipping (sugar, water, brown butter, creme fraiche).

Chocolate Torta

This is a gluten free chocolate cake made from (chocolate, butter, vanilla, salt, sugar, eggs and aperol). It is made light and fluffy by whipping the egg whites into a meringue and then folding them into the chocolate mixture. Baked in small mason jars, they're cut in half to order and 'filled' with a ricotta crema (ricotta, egg yolks, sugar, cinnamon, whipped cream), and candied pine nuts.  

Affogato Ventuno

This is a cross between a dessert and a cocktail and is an homage to the classic affogato (espresso, and ice cream). Affogato is Italian for drowned. We're replacing the espresso with a house espresso liqueur (sambuca, braulio, coffee), and pouring it over top of an amaretti cookie ice cream (amaretti cookies, cream, sugar, egg yolks).  Amaretti are cookies made from either almonds or apricot kernels, sugar, and egg whites. We're using ones made from apricot kernels which are therefore nut free. Apricot kernels do contain trace amounts of cyanide, but they're completely safe to eat. Some pregnant women avoid them, however these same pregnant women should be avoiding alcohol so no issues there. The plate is comes with a hazelnut and apricot biscotti (flour, sugar, eggs, hazelnuts, lemon zest, apricots, and grains of paradise).

2013 Roche de Bellene Coteaux Bourguignons "Cuvee Terrior"

2013 Roche de Bellene Coteaux Bourguignons “Cuvée Terroir ” $11/$44

Where: Coteaux Bourguignons AOC, Burgundy, France

Who: Nicolas Potel, producer in Nuit-St. Georges is the negociant for this wine

What: 80% Gamay, 20% Pinot Noir

Tastes like: Fruit forward, “baby Burgundy”.

What to pair with: birds of all sorts, lighter charcuterie

The name “Bellene” comes from “Belenos,” an ancient Gallic god of sun and beauty. It is the origin of the city name, Beaune. In order to faithfully capture the “sun and beauty” of Burgundy’s terroirs and grape varieties, Masion Roche de Bellene practices very traditional, respectful winemaking.

The Pinot Noir portion of this wine is made in the classic way: a brief, cold maceration, followed by native-yeast fermentation in open vats. The Gamay is done in the traditional manner of the south, with a semicarbonic maceration and whole-cluster fermentation in order to preserve the naturally bright, pure fruitiness of the variety. The wines are matured in large, old oak barrels for four to five months. This allows them to develop a more full mid-palate texture without any new oak, which would destroy the delicate fruit character. After racking and a light filtration, the wines rest for a few weeks before the assemblage and bottling.

Roche de Bellene winemaker, Sylvain Debord, follows the Biodynamic calendar, and each phase of the winemaking process is done at the end of the lunar cycle, when there is no moon. He calls this gentle approach “the careful guidance of the human hand.” The inaugural 2013 vintage The exact cuvée will vary with each vintage, but in 2013 it is 20% Pinot Noir and 80% Gamay. The wine is delicate and fruity on the palate, with delightful raspberry, blackberry and Morello cherry notes. The firm tannin of the Pinot Noir gives the wine a fine structure that beautifully complements the rounder, softer fruitiness of the Gamay. Cuvée Terroir is meant to be drunk young, but can be kept for two to three years. Served at cellar temperature (55° F) it is an excellent choice for the dinner table — a lovely accompaniment to white meats, poultry and different types of fish.

2011 Izadi Rioja Reserva

2011 Izadi Rioja Reserva $10/$40

Where: Rioja Alavesa, España

Who: Lalo Anton, son of the

What: Tempranillo!

Izadi is based in Villabuena in the Rioja Alavesa, the highest part of Rioja…

The hillside winery (the precipitous slope allows for gravity assisted production) was founded in 1987 by Gonzalo Anton as a modern breakaway from the traditional style of wine produced by other members of his family. As his son Lalo, who now runs the estate, says: "the whole concept of Izadi really started around wanting to produce wine to satisfy the needs of our friends over a meal". Izadi produce modern, international wines that are true to their roots and a natural expression of the area, which is unhindered by the sort of deviant flavours that are all too common in Rioja.

Vineyards

Izadi sources their fruit from 186 hectares of vineyards in Samaniego, Abalos and La Puebla de Labarca, all located in Rioja Alavesa. The vineyards are all either owned or leased on long-term contracts, so they have full control over production. The vines are traditionally trained bush vines, a method which Izadi believes gives better exposure to the grapes, something which in turn leads to better ripeness and softer, fuller wines. The vineyards are 600 metres above sea level, so warm days give way to cool nights which encourage the aromatic qualities in the grapes to develop.

Tasting Notes

Shiny ruby red in colour. Rich aromatic intensity and a nice balance of red fruit, liquorice and spices, with hints of smoke in the background. Elegant and round on the palate with a long aftertaste full of floral and ripe fruit notes.

1/20/2016 New Menu (Prosciutto Cotto, Squash Salad, Rigatoni, Pappardelle, Pork Tasting)

Prosciutto Cotto
Prosciutto cotto, literally cooked prosciutto is the Italian equivalent of American Ham. We’re using boneless fresh hams which are liberally rubbed with salt, pepper, sugar, and lemon zest. The ham is allowed to marinate for 24 hours before being rinsed and placed in a brine made from salt, sugar, water, white wine, whole lemons and rosemary. The ham is then brined for a week. The brined ham is then rubbed again with salt, sugar, rosemary, thyme, pepper and lemon zest, trussed and slow cooked for about 20 hours until it reached an internal temperature of 63 c. The sliced ham is garnished with a citrus and black pepper salt.

Warm Squash Salad
This is a warm plated salad containing spaghetti squash (roasted, pulled, and tossed with house made cider vinegar, cinnamon, chili flake, nutmeg salt, and pepper) roasted acorn squash (tossed with olio verde and a house made ras el hanout (a north african spice blend, cumin, caraway, black cardamom, cinnamon, white pepper, and sunflower pollen made in house), roasted butternut squash (tossed with browned butter and fresh sage), and a squash puree (brown butter, black walnuts, butternut squash, water). Plated on top of the squash are lamb sweetbreads, sweetbreads are thymus glands they have a delicate almost sweat flavor and a slightly creamy texture. They’re poached in stock, peeled of an outer membrane, dredged in a mix of flour and semolina flour and fried until crispy and warmed through. Finishing the plate are preserved autumn olives (poached in simple syrup with white wine vinegar, black pepper, bay leaf, and orange peel), wilted butternut squash (salted for 15 minutes then soaked in water), and a black walnut dukkah (black walnuts, roasted golden raisins, smoked pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds toasted and topped with ras el hanout).

Rigatoni
Rigatoni are hollow tube shaped pasta (from the italian rigato meaning ridged). Ours are made in house using 00 flour, semolina flour, durum flour, and water. The sauce is made by pan searing a pork sausage (pork, red wine, juniper, mustard, garlic, and ginger), then deglazing with stock. We then add fresh garlic, house made sauerkraut (cabbage, salt, juniper), and red cabbage soffogare (suffocated cabbage) which is essentially braised in its own juices, along with a littler bit of white wine, and stock, sautéed onions, garlic, pork fat, thyme, and rosemary. The pasta is finished with a litter bit of butter, parmesan, and olio verde

Saffron Pappardelle
This dish is a play on the classic osso bucco, which is traditionally served with saffron risotto. Instead of a risotto we’re making a saffron pasta dough (00 flour, durum flour, whole eggs, egg yolks, water, and saffron), which is then sheeted and cut into pappardelle (from the italian pappare meaning to gobble, pappardelle are long noodles cut by hand to about 1” wide). The pasta is tossed with a sugo made from braised beef shanks, mirepoix, garlic, tomato paste, white wine, stock, bay leaf, thyme, and whole lemons. The braised beef is shredded by hand and mixed with the cooking liquid, along with the cooked veg which is pureed and added back into the sauce. The pasta is finished with fresh lemon juice, butter, parmesan cheese, olio verde, and a gremolata made from pine nuts, lemon zest, parsley stems, garlic, and fresh black pepper.

Pork Tasting
As always three rotating cuts of meat one of which is always pork loin. The pork is plated with seared black trumpet mushrooms, and sunchokes done 4 ways (hay roasted, sunchoke puree, chips, and shaved raw). The hay roasted sunchokes are tossed with oil and salt placed in a bed of hay and fresh thyme, then smoked over apple wood and roasted in the oven. Hay roasting is a classic peasant technique found across europe that can provide a grassy aromatic flavor. The roasted sunchokes are smashed and pan seared to order. The sunchoke puree is made from sliced sunchokes, cooked in a litter water with a sachet of hay, once cooked the hay is removed and the sunchokes are pureed with salt and olio verde. Also on the plate is fresh picked mint, garlic chips, shaved black radish and red frill mustard greens tossed with a vinaigrette made from preserved lemon, garlic, olive oil, whole grain mustard, and rice wine vinegar.

New Red Sauce Items 1/17/2016

Chicken Parmesan
This is a very true to form version of chicken farm. We are using green circle chickens, the breasts are deboned, cut in half and pounded into cutlets. The cutlets are then breaded (flour, egg wash, bread crumb with parmesan and oregano) and pan fried in olive oil. Once crisped on the outside the cutlets are topped with our crushed tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese and baked in the pizza oven. The two cutlets are plated and garnished with fresh basil, parmesan, sea salt and olio verde. A portion is one single chicken breast, this is a slightly smaller portion than a standard entree as it does not come with any sides. We’d encourage our guests to order a small portion rigatoni or conchiglie as an accompaniment


Conchiglie AlfredoWe’re using our house made semolina conchiglie for this dish (semolina flour, durum flour, whole eggs, and egg yolks). The cooked pasta is tossed with a buttermilk mornay sauce (butter, flour, buttermilk, parmesan and pecorino cheese) along with a little heavy cream,  and olio verde. It is garnished with parmesan cheese and fresh cracked pepper.

Rigatoni PomodoroPossibly most classic red sauce pasta sauce literally rigatoni and tomato. Rigatoni is a circular shaped pasta, ours is made in house using 00 flour, durum flour, semolina flour, and water. For the sauce we’re using san marzano tomatoes, cooked with olive oil, garlic, and basil. We use both crushed tomatoes that have been cooked for about 45 minutes to enhance their sweetness, and food milled tomatoes that are only cooked very briefly to give a bright fresh acidity. the pasta is finished with parmesan cheese and olio verde.

Torta Rustica
A classic Sicilian Easter dish this 'pie' is made using pizza dough as a base. The dough is used to line a small cast iron skillet, and is then filled with fontina, mozzarella, sliced potato, speck, rosemary, roasted garlic, and broccoli rabe. Then torta is then capped with more pizza dough and baked. It is served whole, garnished with parmesan, oregano, and fennel pollen, along with a side of crushed tomato sauce (san marzano tomato, garlic, olive oil, basil).