Our last day made us sad; we didn’t want to leave Piedmont.  Where did we go for our last morning coffee and pastry? Barolo of course.  While so close to the fresh pasta shop that had been closed for several days in Barolo, we zipped by to find it finally open.  It was interesting to see that the pastamaker’s shop did not have as many different types of his own pastas as there were in the small pasticceria in the nearby town of La Morra!

It was time to go back to the Scavinos in Castiglione Falletto for a tour and tasting with winemaker Elisa Scavino and Director of Marketing, Weston Howard.  We tasted 2005 Carobric, Cannubi, Bric del Fiasc, and Bricco Ambrogio, along with a 2003 Rocche dell’Annunziata.  Then we tasted a vertical of Bric del Fiasc  2006, 2007, and 2008 with 2005 for comparison.  Elisa then offered a blind tasting of 2008 Bricco Ambrogio that had been aged with three different fermentation methods in casks  – one as fermented in old time casks, one in new casks for 7 days and then another in new casks for 23 days! What an interesting comparison.

Our group then went for lunch in the Alta Langa at Trattoria La Coccinella in Serravalle Langhe.

Trattoria La Coccinella

What a wonderful place with three brothers, Alessandro, Massimo, and Tiziano, who run the restaurant.

Brothers

– one manages the front of the house, one oversees service, and one is the Chef!   The food was very good and offered some different types of food than what we had been served during the week so far.  They use fresh seasonal local products, complemented by a large, well-versed wine list.   We had an antipasto and then 5 different courses, with our favorites being a Veal Carne Cruda with White Truffles, 

Veal Carne Cruda with White Truffles

a Porcini Pasta, 

Porcini Pasta

and a Pork Tenderloin with Pumpkin Sauce.

Pork with BBQ Sauce

The last dish even reminded us of the creation by Chef Martin Weaver, winner of 2009 Chefs Under Fire as selected by Chef Kent Rathbun.

And we of course had to wrap up the meal with several amazing desserts!

Something special for you devoted Keeper followers; we saved the best for last. We ate our weight through Piedmont in Vitello Tonnato, so we want to share the recipe we brought back jotted down on a note pad straight from Italy to you. The recipe isn’t quite as refined as our typical Keeper cookbook recipes, so when you try it, let us know what you did differently than the recipe and how it worked best.  Ciao!

Vitello Tonnato

(Serves 8-10)

800 gm lean veal, well tied into a roll, 1 medium onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk, 1 clove garlic, 1 bay leaf, parsley (?), 2 “glasses” dry white wine

Sauce

2 egg yolks, 250 cc olive oil, ½ lemon, juiced, 100 gm tuna, 2 tablespoons washed and salted capers

Vitello Tonnato

Put onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaf, salt, and wine in pot. Heat to boil. Put meat in a braising pot. Bring to a boil for 90 minutes. Cool to room temp. Slice thin for serving & sauce.

Sauce

Prepare mayonnaise with egg & oil & lemon. Chop tuna & capers. Make into paste. Mix tuna and caper paste into mayonnaise.

Serve mayo on sliced meat and garnish with parsley.

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344 West 11^th Street

New York, NY 10014

ph:212.352.2300

Chef Name: Kurt Gutenbrunner

Type of Meal: Brunch

What we Ordered: Download the Menu

Breakfast Breads Market Greens, Radishes, Pumpkin Seed Oil

Spätzle, Braised Rabbit, Wild Mushrooms, Tarragon

Hungarian Beef Goulash, Fresh Herb Spatzle

GET THE BEEF GOULASH RECIPE HERE

Wiener Schnitzel, Potato-Cucumber Salad, Lingonberries

Steak Rösti, Spiegelei, Fava Beans

Salzburger Nockerl

Thanks also to a talented New York sommelier and our good friend Jordan Salcito, we enjoyed a surprisingly delectable brunch at Wallse.

Favorite Dish: We started with the breakfast breads which were such a treat and really fantastic, especially with a good cup of java.  Our overall favorite dish was the Hungarian Beef Goulash with Fresh Herb Spätzle.  It was the texture and taste of the spätzel with the spices used in the goulash that made us want a second serving!  Since demonstrating the Beef Goulash on Good Day New York, this dish has become a pretty popular dish from Chef Gutenbrunner, but it was a special treat to get to enjoy it with the Fresh Herb Spätzle as well.

Other Highlights: One of the highlights was getting started with the Market Greens, Radishes, and Pumpkin Seed Oil beacuse it was so simple and fresh.  It was a nice way to ease us into the heavy dishes we had ahead.  Also, it’s always nice to be able to recreate some restaurant dishes at home for yourself or others. Chef Gutenbrunner is nice enough to share several of his menu item recipes on the Wallse website.  Below you can find the recipe for the Salzburger Nockerl – we haven’t tried this one in the Keeper Kitchen yet, but it sure sounds simple enough to try it out soon and trust us, if it is anything like the restaurant version, it’s worth it!

Salzburger Nockerl

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Lemon
• 1 pint Raspberries
• Soft butter and sugar
• Large platter
• 10 Egg whites
• 4oz Sugar
• 4 Yolks
• 2oz All purpose flour

Pre-heat oven to 380F

DIRECTIONS:

1. Brush your platter with butter and then sprinkle sugar on top, so it covers the plate except for the edges.

2. Then mix raspberries with lemon juice and put them in the center of your buttered platter.

3. Start to whip egg whites, when they get a little foamy, slowly add the sugar and finish whipping until stiff peaks.

4. Take meringue out of mixing machine and carefully fold in yolks followed by the flour. Use a rubber spatula. Also be careful not to mix too much so you don’t lose too much volume.

5. Then, scoop three quenelles of batter next to each other – on top of raspberries.

6. Put it in the oven for about 12 min – or until golden brown at 390F.

7. Serve as soon as it comes out, with powder sugar on top. It will be soft still in the center.

Ultimate Question – would you go back if you lived in NYC and often?: We would absolutely go back, the service, presentation, and flavors in the dishes were all fantastic. We would love to see if they could repeat this awesome experience of good food and great service.  We’d also be interested to try Wallse for a different meal since they are open for lunch and dinner as well.

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Fresh Pasta with Crawfish Ragout

The wonderful surprise in this dish was Morel Mushrooms and Fava beans – yummy!  It was paired with a nice 2008 Livio Felluga Map Label Pinot Grigio.  We were told that this PG is left on the lees for 6 months, providing an interesting depth to this varietal. So, what would Besh do next but Chicken and Dumplings with Chanterelles?  Most interesting in his rendition of the classic Chicken and Dumplings was the use of fresh ricotta to make the Dumplings and oh, were they good and perfectly textured.  It’ll be hard from here on out to eat dumplings prepared any other way.  His use of fresh stock for his broth, combined with the chicken thighs and peas made this dish impressively balanced. This was paired with a 2007 Numanthia, which is a well-regarded wine, but we didn’t feel paired well with this particular course, as the tannins overpowered the delicacy of the dish.  But that’s just our opinion.     

Chicken and Dumplings with Chanterelles

The finale was a Warm Berry Tart, and quite a finish this was.  This was a simple, but beautiful dessert, both on the eyes and on the palette.  Chef Besh spoke often of the importance of his family growing up and his family now (his lovely wife, Jennifer, who attended the class and his 4 boys, ages 5-14).  He spoke of his grandmother making a dessert like this, and it sure reminded us of something our grandmothers made as well.  The “clean plate club” arrived for this round!  This tart crust had great texture and taste, combined with fresh berries and not too much sugar, made it splendid.  (see recipe below) This was paired nicely with a glass of Chandon Sparkling Riche.   

Warm Berry Tart

You can tell that Chefs Besh and McHugh enjoy what they do and working together.    

Chef Besh and Chef McHugh

For our evening pleasure following the class, Crave Communications threw a great bash at Parkside for Chefs Besh and McHugh.  Again, the resounding message from both Chefs for their restaurants is quality and consistency in their dishes using fresh, seasonal products. Chef Besh believes that we need to “understand where our food comes from so that we can connect with the food, allowing us to cook with passion”.   

We asked Chef McHugh if the menu at Lϋke San Antonio would be the same as Lϋke New Orleans.  He said that the menu at Lϋke San Antonio would be different as he would be using fresh, seasonal products from the San Antonio area rather than New Orleans.   Ok, they mean what they say. We look forward to a Keeper trip to Lϋke San Antonio in the near future.   

And one more thing, another “coming soon” spot to look forward to in Austin – Chef Shawn Cirkiel told us that he will be using the space where the Besh VIP Party was held for a new place next door to Parkside to serve oven pizza.  Can’t wait to see Chef Cirkiel’s Austin expansion as well!  We know Crave will keep us posted on the details.

Warm Berry Tart Recipe   

(Serves 6)   

This recipe is easily adaptable to all sorts of berries, use those local to you. I love serving this hot, just out of the oven, or removed from molds and reheated in a warm oven just before serving. Use your favorite ice cream to serve over it, in my home it’s home made vanilla.   

• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 Basic Pie Dough
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 cups berries
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare one 9-inch tart pan or 6 individual 3-4 inch pans by greasing each with softened butter using almost 2 tablespoons. Then dust the molds with one tablespoon of flour.   

Roll the basic pie dough on a lightly floured surface to a thinkness of 1/4 inch. Fit the large pan or 6 individual pans with pie dough, making sure to trim the excess dough around the edges.   

Beat together the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, the granulated sugar and the egg, in a mixing bowl, until smooth and creamy.   

Fold in the berries, the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour, and lemon zest into the sugar. Fill the larger pie pan, divide the berry filling between 6 prepared tart pans. Arrange the tarts on a baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and dust with powdered sugar.   

Basic Pie Dough   

(Makes one 9-inch crust)   

Every one of our pastry Chefs comes up with his own “better” pie dough, but none has stood the test of time like this one. Here’s the secret: make sure not to handle it too much. Once you’ve added the ice water, stop. You can roll it out in advance, then wrap it and store in in the freezer for a couple of days, if you wish. Or make the dough ahead, shape it into a disk, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for a few hours before you need it. If your’re using this basic dough for another recipe, follow directions in step 1.      

• 1 cup all purpose flour, plus  more for dusting the pan
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 7 tablespoons cold butter, diced, plus softened butter for greasing the pan

Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles cornmeal. Sprinkle in ice water, as needed, as many as 4 tablespoons, mixing it into the dough until it comes together into a ball. Press the dough into a round, flat disk, then wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before rolling it out.   

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For a taste of these videos, take a look at How to Trim an Artichoke by Chef David Bull.  Chef Bull told the Keeper Team, “If you’re anything like me, the task of trimming artichokes is daunting and tedious.  From my experience in restaurants when I’ve had to trim cases of artichokes at once, here is a quick and simple technique to help you out.” This video, among others, can be found in Chef Bull’s Crisp Sea Scallop with Artichoke Ragout recipe. 

For other similar “how-to” videos and general recipe demo videos, check out recipes like Pan Seared Lobster with Citrus-Onion Confit, Beef Tartare with Fried Oysters, and Chocolate Almond Silk Tart.

Also, Bull’s Eye on Food is announcing the release of Chef Bull’s famous Pepperoni Soup (or as many people call it, “Pizza Soup”) recipe! The Empty Bowls event in Dallas benefiting the North Texas Food Bank was a huge success, raising a total of $164,102 in just two hours!  He prepared this soup for event attendees and was blown away by the response – so naturally, he wanted to share this Bull family recipe with his cookbook subscribers. Enjoy!

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Uchiviche is a seafood dish with refreshing texture and flavor and a top seller at Uchi.

Uchiviche

Kai Mushi, which is sake steamed mussels in a Miso Kaffir Lime Broth, is a delicious and creative example of how Uchi chefs play with flavors.

Peanut Butter Semifreddo is a dessert that plays on your favorite childhood tastes, easy to make, and is their most popular dessert on the menu.

Peanut Butter Semifreddo

So if you are craving a sushi fix or have an aching sweet tooth, one of these recipes is sure to do the trick without even having to leave home! But of course for those of us who have the good fortune to be able to pop in to Uchi whenever we want, we know the real thing is too good to resist!

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