Vol 2 No 5
Italy’s Fontina Hales From Valle d’Aosta
In 1100 BC, Valle d’Aosta cheese was called Caseus which means cow’s milk. You can visit the beautiful steep-sided pastures of Valle d’Aosta in the northwestern corner of Italy, near the French and Swiss borders. Dominated by the Italian Alps (the highest mountains in Europe), overlooked by Mont Blanc, and aided by the very dry summers, these high altitude pastures provide a wonderful variety of lush, unique grass species. Genuine Fontina is made only in Vale d’Aosta, and is the ideal expression of this territory’s inimitable character, its history, its hard-working people, and their love for the mountains where they live. During the summer, the cheeses are made at the chalets in the alpine pastures, and in the winter months, they are made in creameries lower down in the valley.
The Very Best Fontina Is Made From May To September
Only fresh milk from Valdostana cows is used. It must be raw and come from a single milking (the cheese is made twice every day). The cheeses are matured for at least 3 months in a natural environment. Each cheesemaker has his own favorite location for ripening his cheeses… caves, grottoes, tunnels, and former military bunkers. The co-operative dairy even uses an old copper mine! In my opinion, Fontina is perhaps one of the best Italian flavor experiences around… exotic, earthy, even magical. Unfortunately, most Fontina available in this country is a pale imitation. But the cheese you are about to taste is the real thing!
Italian Fontina is made in large, 17 to 22 pound wheels, about 4 inches thick, and 18 inches in diameter. Its flavor is due in part to the incredible richly flavored milk it is made from… a natural result of cows feeding on the wide range of plants in the Italian Alps and the absence of chemicals. Fontina is 45% fat and has a creamy brown to terracotta rind that is lightly oiled, uneven, and thin. The paste is smooth and buttery, almost spread able, when young. It has a pale straw color and a few small holes fairly evenly distributed throughout. As the cheese matures it becomes darker and much drier. The young cheese is milky and lightly scented from the alpine meadows. The older cheese develops an earthly but fruity aroma with a mellow flavor of nuts and fruit.
Mountain Fontina… a very difficult Cheese to make successfully
There are several explanations for this cheese’s name. Of course it is linked with the mountain pastures of Fontina in the municipality of Quart, but were the pastures named after the cheese? Others say its origins stem from the place named, Fontinaz, or the surname of a family of cheesemakers. Whatever the truth, this is Valle d’Aosta’s cheese par excellence.
Today, the name Fontina is used exclusively… and most proudly, to identify cheeses produced in the Valle d’Aosta. The best of these are made in mountain chalets between May and September, when the herds graze the Alpine meadows. Authentic Fontina Valle d’Aosta has a mark on it that is unmistakable. Stenciled in purple of one side of the cheese will be a large circle with a mountain in the center of it, and the word “Fontina” printed across the mountain. Each cheese has its name and that of the local cooperative stenciled on the rind.
Fontina is a splendid cheese for cooking and is a pristine table or dessert cheese. It melts into a creamy mass that is good for sauces. Fonduta, the Piedmontese version of fondue, is based on Fontina with butter, eggs, and wild mushrooms. Wonderful in Risotto, it can also be substituted for Swiss Raclette cheese. Actually I would describe Fontina as a perfect anytime cheese that marries well with ham, salami or pate. When melted, as it frequently is, the flavor is earthy and adds a depth of flavor to any dish that calls for cheese. Serve with celery or grapes, or use in toasted sandwiches.
Fontina Impersonators
Fontal, an imitation of Fontina, is a second class cheese. Its production area is poorly defined, falling partly in France and partly in Italy, therefore the flavor is not consistent. It is often used for raclettes. Fontinella, Fontella, and Fontal are all brand names used by the big creameries of the Po Valley for their look-alike Fontina cheeses. They are mildly pleasant, but they are definitely not Italian Fontina!
Danish Fontina is a red-waxed cheese is very bland and rubbery. Roth Kase Fontina comes from an American creamery in Monroe, Wisconsin, that uses a heat-treatment technique that does not steal all the flavor from the milk. The cheese is very good. Did you realize we are in the midst of a Cheese Renaissance, here in America?
So, just what is Arborio Rice?
It’s fat pearly grains of rice traditionally used in the Italian classic dish, Risotto. Until recently Arborio was always imported from Italy, but now Australia is also growing Arborio rice. Risotto is served as an entree in Italy, but in Australia, it’s trendy to make Risotto a tasty and creative one-course meals. Try combining it with your leftovers for a tasty super.
I give up… can’t find Bain-Marie in my dictionary?
Bain-Marie is the French term for "water bath" cooking, in which a container is placed in heated water to gently warm the food. A Bain-Marie is similar to a double boiler, except the container in a Bain-Marie sits in the water itself, and the container is typically made of porcelain or ceramic rather than metal. The Bain-Marie technique is traditionally used for preparing delicate items such as custards, milk-based sauces, mousses, and other foods that need to be gently warmed without scorching, burning, breaking, or curdling.
Bain-Marie pans are often made of fine French copper. FrenchCopper.com sells Bain-Marie pans in a variety of sizes.
What does the term Raclette mean?
Raclette is derived from the French word racler… to scrape off. This style of cooking/eating dates back centuries to the Swiss Cowboys who moved their herds into the high Alpine meadows for grazing during the summer months (They must have migrated from France?). Their evenings were usually passed in front of a campfire, where this egalitarian, some say primordial, tradition was born. A half wheel of cheese was placed on a rock near the fire’s edge, and as the cheese melted, it was scraped onto a waiting plate of potatoes and pickles.
Although we use grills, the preparation of raclette is still popular. The basic ingredients are the same: melted Raclette Cheese served with boiled potatoes, pickles, onions, gherkins and lots of wine. A contemporary version might include many different kinds foods… your guests will entertain themselves with unlimited possibilities for creating unique and scrumptious combinations.
Classic Piedmontese Fonduta
Spero che la ricetta é buona
10.5 ounces Fontina Cheese
2 egg yolks
1 clove of garlic
Milk
3.5 ounces butter
1 white truffle (carefully selected)
Thinly slice the Fontina then place it in a terrine with the crushed clove of garlic. Cover with milk and leave to rest overnight in a cool place. Drain the Fontina and discard the garlic. Put 2/3 of the butter and the drained Fontina into a Bain-Marie and cook over the lowest flame, stirring with a wooden spoon until the cheese becomes a cream.
Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining butter in pieces and the egg yolks, then return to the heat for another 5 minutes. Season with plenty of ground black pepper. Dust the top with flakes of a white truffle that have been rinsed in white wine. Serve the Fonduta in small hot bowls accompanied by small pieces of toasted bread.
Chimay, The Divine Curd
Despite its small size, Belgium has a remarkably varied landscape, and an extraordinary rich culinary culture. Although better known for its beers and chocolates, its many wonderful cheeses are a bit of a secret. Belgian food reveals a variety of influences from other countries. Their cheeses are most directly influenced by the French, because many Trappist Monks fled to Belgium from France in the 19th Century.
Historically, Christian religious orders were the source of many original European cheeses and wines. The Monasteries and Nunneries prided themselves on their hospitality, and the high quality of food and wine that they served their visitors. The cheeses made by these religious orders, most of which were founded in France, Belgium, and Switzerland, share a basic recipe and milk type… they are semi soft, cow’s milk cheeses made from uncooked curd with washed rinds. And each has a pronounced flavor and considerable aroma.
Just north of the French border lies the town of Chimay (she-MAY), perhaps best known for the Trappist brewing monasteries. Not far from the town of Chimay, near the hamlet of Forges, the Abbey of Notre Dame stands on a small hill called Scourmont. The Abbey was built in 1850 in the Romanesque style, and in 1862 the monks added a dairy and a brewery to generate funds for their livelihood.
It was a natural transition for them to make cheese produced from their dairy’s milk, and it became quite popular at the local marketplace. As with beer, the role of the Monasteries in the development and production of Belgian cheese has been vital. During the Middle Ages, there were fifty Abbeys in the territory now called Belgium. In vying for political and economic influence, they also vied for superiority in the cheeses they produced. And so now we would like to introduce you to a cheese that has been perfected over these last 150 years.
The Belgian Forest of Mont du Secours is the point of origin for Chimay Cheese
Monastery-style copycat cheeses are everywhere (each with a religious-sounding name, of course), but they are consistently flavorless. You’ll certainly want to avoid Austrian Sebastian and Trappist, and German Bruder Basil. Unfortunately, the best such as Belgian Chimay and French Pierre-Qui-Vire (pee-AIR-kee-veer) are not yet exported to the USA with any frequency.
A trip to the Chimay brewery and dairy is truly a spiritual experience. The monastery and surrounding forest and farmlands are among the most picturesque areas in all of Belgium. In my humble opinion, the melodies of the monastery bells calling the monks to afternoon prayers were exquisite, and only surpassed by the magnificent aroma coming from the brewery.
Belgium makes 300 cheeses…one for each of its beers
Churchill said, Any country with two hundred cheeses must be in good health, and DeGalle said, Any country with three hundred cheeses is ungovernable. Which leads to the probable conclusion that Belgium, with as many cheeses as France, but only 1/5 the population, is in a revolutionary state of fitness.
Belgians consider beer an eminently suitable partner for cheese, and any self-respecting Belgian knows that the pleasure of his beer will be greatly enhanced by the taste of Chimay cheese. In Belgian the most common bar food is a version of an amazingly simple fare, first suggested by Dom Perignon… cubes of semi-soft cheese sprinkled with celery salt. The result of this pairing is unquestionably alchemical, as the godfather of Champagne well knew. To quote him… a sandwich prepared in this way made bad wine drinkable, and good wine heavenly. And of course it serves great beers quite as well.
Drunken Goat A Culinary Treasure
This amazing goat cheese is made in the village of Jumilla in the Murcia region of Spain, which is on the southeastern coast. It is most unusual, and in fact it is very difficult to find. The name Drunken Goat conjures up images of goats weaving about the pasture… perhaps even snoozing on their backs with their hooves pointed to the blue sky. But just in case you were wondering… wine, beer, or any other form of spirits are not fed to the goats. Rather the cheese is soaked in wine.
The Murcia region is especially famous for its Doble Pasta wine, as well as for its excellent goat’s milk. The milk used to make this cheese comes exclusively from Murciana goats, and is both high in fat and protein, which gives this cheese its amazing creaminess. Drunken Goat is aged for a short period of time before being immersed in the Doble Pasta wine for about 72 hours. This imparts an incredibly stunning violet color to the rind. Usually rinds are various shades of brown or cream… it is exceptionally unique for a cheese to have such an artfully colored rind.
This wine is young and pronounced. It colors the cheese and the flavor also permeates it… you can smell the aroma and taste the wine in the finish. Drunken Goat is then aged for an additional 75 days. Serve it with for desserts or as an appetizer.
Tasting Notes:
Fontina - This cheese has enough flavors on its own to summarize the characteristics of the entire region of Italy called Valle d’Aosta. Fontina is dense, smooth and slightly elastic. The straw-colored interior, with its small, round holes, has a delicate nuttiness with a hint of mild honey. This supple cheese’s flavor hints of pristine forest floors, then shifts to a lovely yet powerful lingering scent of wild mushrooms.
Chimay - While its aroma is quite strong, the taste of the cheese itself is somewhat mild, but certainly not bland. It’s semi-soft and has a nutty, well-finished flavor. This is a good cheese to take your time tasting… it will help you to cultivate your palette.
Drunken Goat - The flavor begins as mild and sooo creamy, but finishes with a wonderful tangy sweetness and a fruity, lusciously, grapey aroma.
An Exceptional Recipe
from an old issue of Sale e Pepe (a significant Italian food magazine)
1 1/2 cups rice
8 ounces Fontina
2/3 cup milk
1 quart broth
1/2 an onion
A small black truffle
1/2 cup dry white wine
Unsalted butter, and salt and pepper
Thinly slice the cheese and set it to soak in the milk for several hours. Bring the broth to a boil. Slice the onion into wedges and sauté it in a walnut-sized chunk of butter over a medium flame until it becomes translucent. Warm the wine, and in the meantime stir the rice into the onion and sauté it too for a couple of minutes, stirring briskly with a wooden spatula, lest it stick and burn. Splash the wine into the pot and continue to cook, stirring, until it has evaporated. Begin adding broth a ladle at a time, always gently stirring.
When the rice reaches the al denté stage fish out and discard the pieces of onion. Stir in the cheese and the milk, check seasoning, and cook for about 3 more minutes. Divvy the risotto into dishes and serve, dusting the bowls with thinly sliced truffle. If you don't have truffles, you can use truffle paste, adding it when you add the cheese. In terms of a wine, I'd go with something sparkling.
