The Canterno Fantino Wine Cellar

It was a wonderful experience when I was shown the personal wine cellar of the Canterno Family in Italy. The Canterno Fantino family are well known Piemontes winemakers (they earned a Wine Spectator 99 for their 2001 vintage, an incredible wine). We wanted to buy the 2001 from them for our tasting but they would not sell it to us. In the end they opened up a bottle for us all to try. I am am drinking it in the picture on the “Power of Passion” post down the page a little bit. It was so wonderful that before we left the mother gave us a half bottle of the wine. I have referred to this day as the best day of my life. The picture at the top of my blog is a picture of the town Serralunga taken from another winery I visited that day (Rivetto).

On the right are some bottles from something like 1920. They will never be drank but it was so cool to see. I also thought it was cool to see the hams hanging too.

Just Hangin Out in the Walk-In

For the James Beard Foundation Dinner Michael Ginor (of Hudson Valley Foie Gras) served a torchon dish. So a couple of days before the dinner my job was to roll it up. It was a wonderful compliment when twice he told me I did a great job on the torchon. There are so many of them that it practically covered the wall of the walk-in (Thats a lot of Foie). Some times it is okay to have your hands all dirty if it is Foie.

On the right there are some of the other charcuterie things that I hang in the walk-in. In the middle there is my first charcuterie that I did on my own. It is called “Lambcetta” (also a name I came up with). I take the flaps of meat from the saddles and cure them with a scent of anise. Ideally you want them to hang for at least a week but they have lasted two months before (they are cured with pink salt). To the right of the lambcetta there is Kobe Brasoala (Brasoala is an Italian cured meat made from horse) this was my favorite salami from Italy so I tried to recreate it with Kobe. I love this stuff and soon I will have “Salambi”!!!hahaha

“Salmon Belly Tartare, Fennel Seed and Pine Nut Croccante, Preserved Lemon and Honey Gelee, Fennel Syrup”

The latest amuse bouche. The salmon belly was beautiful and fatty and seasoned with a little sea salt and preserved lemon. The croccante gave it a great sweet texture and a nutty fennel flavor. I loved the taste of the preserved lemon and Honey gelee and it just melted with the fat when put in your mouth. The fennel syrup is made from fennel bulb juice reduced with sugar and salt.