Cetamura Chianti 2011

I got off work early the other night and stopped by More Home Slice, an NY style walk up pizza place, to get a couple of slices of white pie with spinach as a snack.  The staff recommended I try this wine and lured me in with a sample.  I bought the entire bottle.

Hailing from a 1,000 year old Italian wine making estate, Badia a Coltibuono, this wine’s intention is to approachable for every day drinking.  Its best young, hence the 2011 vintage being served in 2012.

The name, Cetamura, is the name of an estruscan settlement on the property and the grapes are sourced from all over Chianti.  Sangiovese and Canaiolo grapes to be exact and the family uses journals from their ancestors and techniques begun by the monks who ran the abbey on the land from 1000- about 1800 A.D.  At that time Napoleon annexed the church’s property and in 1841 the Stucchi family purchased the land.

Emanuela Stucchi and her siblings are 7th generation stewards of the property and retaining the cultural heritage is so important to them.  That is why they moved to organic farming, clonal farming, retrained use of new oak barrels and a focus on the less dominant varieties.  They intend to make each vintage more expressive of the terrior and heritage that has enriched the land for over a thousand years.

I really respect wine makers who use techniques that are good for the land and that will allow many future generations the pleasure of making great wine.  Organic wines to me are more intense, more expressive at times and definitely better for our bodies.

At $10 per bottle, there is no reason not to try this wine.  It is absolutely delicious to drink.

Chambers and Chambers Wine Merchants published the following review and I couldn’t agree more:

Stephen Tanzer                   Badia a Coltibuono                       2011 Coltibuono Chianti Cetamura 90                   “Bright light red. Enticing aromas of red cherry, cinnamon, flowers and licorice. Juicy and vibrant in the mouth, with harmonious acidity framing the red fruit, spice and floral flavors. Finishes long and crisp. Great entry-level wine.” –July 2012

Crisis Management in the Restaurant

When I studied Public Relations in college the number 1 crisis rule of thumb that was imbedded into my mind was, “Tell it all and tell it fast”.  Meaning when your client or company has a sensational story or crisis of any kind, be it internal or external, communication and getting your message out truthfully and quickly are your biggest tools for successfully controlling the outcome.  When people have time to speculate, that’s when things can turn for the worst and fast.

In restaurants we follow the same principle, but with a slight modification.  Our mantra is “Act quickly and communicate effectively”.

It wasn’t until I reacted to a mini-crisis at work yesterday afternoon that I made the correlation.  The restaurant has a huge front deck with beautiful  acorn producing trees that provide a canopy of shade for the entire patio.  We use director type chairs around giant wooden tables and have built an ambiance that resembles a ship deck or a beachfront restaurant in the Hamptons.  The entry way from the deck to the inside dining room is made of small white tiles, I think in the shape of octagons, and our name, Perla’s, is spelled out in a mosaic style with black tiles.

We had some ominous clouds roll in mid afternoon and it began to rain.  Many of the tables had guests at them and everyone ran for shelter.  One of my managers was racing to get outside so that we could pull the chairs inside out of the rain.  They have fabric covers that must stay dry and the busser staff knows to pull them inside first thing when it rains.

We had the front doors propped open at the time and it was a mixture of wet shoes rushing across that front tile space and rain splashing through the doorway that created a surface as smooth and slippery as untouched ice.  My manager slipped and fell right in the front doorway.  Everyone around seemed to freeze and not know exactly how to act or what steps to take first.  She was whimpering in pain and face down.  We didn’t know how serious of an injury the fall created, but it did look bad.

My instincts kicked in and I instructed someone to grab a bag of ice.  Once I realized how slippery that front doorway was I thrust my hands in the stop position and told everyone to be careful and not walk on that tile.  I frightened the food runner into action when I firmly directed him to get mats for that front doorway.  There was a crowd around my manager so I grabbed a table cloth to put over her legs.  By this time a gentleman had helped roll her to her back and she was clutching her wrist in pain.  I kneeled beside her and whispered, “How can I help you right now?”  We were able to help her get to her feet and safely to a chair where the ice pack was waiting.

In the same three minutes I had guests wanting their check, the chairs were still outside and the staff was lethargic to react to anything.  I just reacted and reacted quickly.

Malcolm Gladwell wrote an article that can be found in his book What the Dog Saw entitled “The Art of Failure: Why Some People Choke and Others Panic”.  He explains in the article that people choke when they deviate from the mode of explicit learning and that panic is simply conventional failure.  Choking is something that happens when you have a depth of skills, knowledge and experience.  Panic occurs when you do not have that memory bank of skills to draw upon in the moment of duress.

When I first became a restaurant manager I would choke in the face of crisis.  I would be paralyzed not know what step to take first or how to properly handle things.  I had taken CPR and First Aid classes several times.  I had a depth of knowledge on how to react to problems from my extensive training, but I wasn’t able to connect the dots.

Years and many crisis later I am happy to report that I no longer choke in the face of restaurant crisis.  Instead I become this force that can race around and make sure things are being handled, proper steps are taken.  I don’t shy away or freeze at all.  I put myself in the middle of the situation and become a director, an activist, and  I like this interpersonal change.

If there is one lesson I have learned after seeing guests choke, fall, cry, fight, get sick and any other crisis you can imagine to happen in a restaurant is this, “Act quickly and communicate effectively”.  Do not show panic in your voice, always speak in a steady, firm tone.  Have a look of concern for the victim or situation and be genuine in your attempt to help.  You only have a few short moments to do the right thing, so you have to be able to react correctly from the start.  Lastly, get others actively involved in helping.  Most people want to help but don’t know how until someone directs them.

While I do not wish problems or crisis on any restaurant, I am a firm advocate that the entire population should take CPR and First Aid classes.  You can’t avoid crisis sometimes, but you can help control a more positive outcome every time.

12 Steps to Bread Making

Two weeks ago I made my first loaves of bread with the sourdough starter I chronicled making from grapes on this blog.  You can read about making the starter by clicking on The Grape Sourdough Experiment category on the right toolbar.  I used the very first recipe in Nancy Silverton’s book, Breads From The La Brea Bakery, called Country White bread.

There are about 4 pages of directions for making this very simple bread.  It is a two-day process, normal for proper flavor building… but so complex that I found myself getting lost and reverting back to the routine we used in pastry school.  Its really hard to change your habits and learn new recipes when your muscle memory knows the way without you thinking.

Back to my point… in order to make some of these complicated recipes I made myself a handy excel spreadsheet with room for times and notes.  Bread making is difficult, especially at home, and my first loaves were not very good… I won’t waste your time with a ton of pictures until I have produced something I am proud of.  So in the mean time I am re-grouping and preparing for round 2 of the same recipe.

I think its really important to go back to the basics so here we go…

The 12 Steps for Bread Making:

1. Scaling – measure all of your ingredients

2. Mixing – either by hand or by machine – develops your gluten structure

3. Bulk Fermentation – the dough rests in a container, sometimes over night, and is allowed to double in size

4. Folding (some call this punching) – redistributes the yeast so they get in contact with fresh starch granules

5. Dividing – portioning the dough

6. Pre-shaping – this gets the dough ready for its final shape

7. Bench Rest – to relax the gluten

8. Shaping – forming the loaves

9. Final Fermentation – usually you let the dough rise to 85 or 90% of its maximum height

10. Scoring – to allow the bread to spring in the oven, prevents crust from tearing

11. Baking – many breads will cook to a temperature of 205 – 210 degrees F

12. Cooling – some breads can take up to 48 hours before they are ready to be eaten.  Its difficult but important to let bread cool so the crust and crumb gets a chance to set.

So if you are baking at home, like myself, and you get bogged down and confused by long-winded recipes… just go back to the basics.  Figure out where you are in the 12 step process and it will be much easier to navigate what to do next.

Salumi and Cheese Plate Education

Where do I begin on such an important topic?  Do I go into detail about my experiences working at Charlie Palmer Restaurant in Dallas where we made our own salumi in house?  Do I share memories of my favorite late nights with girlfriends at Uva Wine Bar eating exotic cheese plates in NYC as a young restaurant manager?  Or better yet, do I discuss my frequent trips to Whole Foods where the cheese mongers love to give out samples to people with bright eyes and penchants for discussing nerdy amounts of cheese and salumi knowledge?

Nah.  I think this time I will discuss and share with you the key ingredients to making a proper cheese and salumi plate.  So that instead of hearing about my memories, you have the tools to create some of your own.

Lets begin with the basics.  According to an article published by the SFGate.com, the word salumi is a reference to Italian-style cured or preserved meats.  The animal of choice is typically pork, but many wonderful salumi’s come from beef or lamb.  The meats can be salt-cured, smoked, fermented, confited (perserved in fat), cooked or moused into pates.  In other terms, Salumi is the Italian equivolent of French Chartuterie.

I used to love, love, love to sneak up to the second floor banquet kitchen at the Joule Hotel and observe, inquire and sometimes assist the chefs preparing the salumis.  Porchetta, Pork Jowl Pastrami, Duck Proscuitto, Finocchetta, Country Pate and the list could go on forever.  I used to practice my Italian accent incessantly so that I could say every type of Salumi we served properly, with enthousiasm and authority.

Ok so I want you to be educated and prepared because when you go out, you will see all kinds of names for cured meat and cheese plates.  One thing you should be particularly aware of is the pathetic lack of attention many restaurants and vendors give their plates.  I am constantly micro-managing my experience when I eat salumi and cheese at restaurants.

I ate at a French restaurant in Austin last month that is supposedly an iconic staple restaurant, and my cheese plate had literally 3 grapes on it and stale French bread.  Not cute.  And certainly not appreciated.  Always ask for honey, mustard, sides of fruit and extra bread or crackers if they are not sufficient.  DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR THESE THINGS, THEY ARE YOUR RIGHT AS A PATRON!

Below you will find a salumi and fromage plate that I made one night that was meant to be a romantic gesture for my significant other, but instead I ate alone.  Please do not pity me… it turned out I was hungry and happy to have unlimited access to this bounty of joy.  Notice the amount of things on this plate… it has color, dimension, texture, complementary and contrasting flavors.

I do however recommend sharing these types of plates with girlfriends who like to eat, or if you are having a banquet, or fundraiser, or game night, or really for anyone who comes over to your house and appreciates culture and the finer things.

This plate is the bees knees… I mean it.

Ingredients in order from top right to top left then bottom left to bottom right.

1. Gigantic black seedless organic grapes from California – yes organic makes a difference!

2. Abondance de Savoie cow’s milk cheese – a baked and pressed cow’s milk cheese with a fruity, nutty flavor.  Semi-soft cheese that is also good for melting and from the Savoie region of France.

3. Whole wheat baked crackers

4.Marinated Mozarella Fresca – tiny balls of fresh mozzarella marinated in olive oil with italian herbs.

5. Brillo Pecorino DiVino – made from sheep’s milk and seasoned with wine.  Produced in Tuscany where pecorino can be traced back almost 2,000 years.

6. Sliced organic red plums

7. Tanara Prosciutto di Parma aged 24 months the most famous of the prosciuttos.  Hand rolled and preserved in Langhirano by Giancarlo Tanara, a family known for high quality salumi using techniques passed down through the generations.

8. Toasted pecan halves

9. Fermin Iberico Belotta Boneless Ham – $179.99 per lb – a rare and special treat.  Free-range, acorn-fed ham from the ancient breed of pigs in Iberico, Spain. The legs are cured for over 24 months and contain an explosion of concentrated flavors. Prized for the heavily marbled meat, each thin slice contains important mono-unsaturated fat and a rich, nutty flavor.

10. Moutarde De Meaux, Pommery mustard – old-fashioned grain French mustard.  The recipe was given to the Pommery family in 1760 by religious order and has been enjoyed at the King’s table since 1632.  Truly a remarkable and memorable mustard.

11. Serrano Ham – typically made from the Landrace breed of white pig.  This ham jamon is not as expensive as its sometimes confused brother, Jamon Iberico – mentioned above- but is also absolutely delicious.  I recommend trying the three I listed here on the same plate so you can really see the differences.

Other items that are missing and you may wish to add include… cornichons, honey comb, figs, fruit jellies and pickled anything.

White Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

I did it!  I made them!  I haven’t made this recipe in a few years and its one that I just adore.  Coconut Macaroons with white chocolate chips baked in.  Not to be confused with French Macarons, these are petite little puffs of Italian Meringue folded with shredded fancy coconut and white chocolate chips.  They are so so cute, I just love to hold them in my hand before I devour 4 in one sitting.

In the past, the recipe I used was good, but the macaroons would almost be too crumbly and a little on the delicate side.  Pastry school and cross referencing a few of my favorite professional baking books later, and I have righted that wrong.

The biggest challenge with this recipe is whipping those finicky egg whites into a perfect stiff peak foam.  I followed my professional resources that said to whip the egg whites to med. peaks then slowly add the sugar one tablespoon at a time until the mixture forms stiff peaks.  Well this is harder to do than it seems and after failing 4 times and wasting an entire carton of egg whites, I decided to use the Italian Meringue method that works like a dream.

The Italian Meringue method requires a double boiler and a thermometer.  You heat the egg whites and sugar stirring constantly until they reach 140 degrees then you transfer to a mixing bowl and whip to stiff peaks.

My idea was genius, and it worked the first time.  The result was a perfect texture macaroon that is delicate, but can be handled without fear of it crumbling apart.

Ingredients:

4 egg whites (if using egg whites from a carton then 1/2 cup)

3/4 cup sugar

12 oz. package of sweetened shredded coconut

1 cup white chocolate chips (Ghirardelli or Nestle)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.  Make sure that every bowl, tool and piece of equipment that touches the egg whites is perfectly clean and debris free.
2.  Over a double boiler, combine the egg whites and sugar.  Gently stir constantly with a wire whisk until a thermometer inserted into the egg white mixture reads 140 degrees.
3. Immediately transfer to a bowl on your stand mixer and whip until stiff peaks form.
4. Dump 3/4 of the bag of coconut and all of the white chocolate chips into the merengue and gently fold until well combined.
5. Fit a pastry bad with a 2/3 fluted tip and fill with mixture. Pipe 2″ rounds of macaroon onto a parchment sheet lined baking tray. Sprinkle coconut flakes on top.
6. Bake for 3 hours or until the cookies are dry and hard to the touch.  Makes 24 cookies.

Just a side note:  if you want to speed the baking process you can turn up the oven, but it will cause the cookies to brown and you will not get that snow-white beautiful finish.  I turned my oven up to 225 for about 30 minutes and then down again and I got a slight color to my cookies… next time I will leave at 200.