Cheesy Fun Playing With Slow Food at the Baricelli Inn, Cleveland Ohio

On Saturday, December 19, Chef Paul Minillo and his Baricelli Inn hosted the Third Annual Slow Food Cheese Tasting, (links to my accounts of the first and second) which benefited the Northern Ohio Slow Food Convivium. Over forty people gathered to hear Chef Paul discuss and serve six artisanal cheeses (all available for retail sale at the Baricelli, as are many other hard-to-find cheese varietals). 

Our afternoon began with a choice of red or white wine:

I actually tasted both, and both (available for retail sale at very modest prices) paired wonderfully with the cheeses.

Chef Paul began by noting that we would be tasting fewer cheeses this year than in the past, because, as with wine tasting, too many varieties in a short period overwhelms the palate. The first four cheeses were, as last year, set out for sampling on cutting boards, with walnuts and sliced pears, and crackers and fresh On the Rise bread were in baskets to accompany the goodness.

Returning to Board 1, we tasted the cheeses in pairs (as Chef Paul had suggested):

And then, board #2:

Chef Paul explained that the last two cheeses would be brought out after we'd sampled the first four, because they were both "runny" cheeses, and one was so young that it would "turn to soup" if allowed to remain too long at room temperature. The first four tastes follow:

Jaquin Pointe de Bique & Isigny Camembert

 

Amazingly (since I'm not a big lover of Bleu cheeses), the Jaquin turned out to be my favorite of the day - especially when paired with pear.

Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam & Pleasant Ridge Reserve Raw Cow's Milk

As the only non-creamy cheese, the Pleasant Ridge was, well, very pleasant. Mild yet distinctive, it was a nice taste and textural break from the soft, rinded, stronger flavored cheeses. The Mt. Tam was especially tasty paired with the walnuts.

About a half hour into the tasting, the last two cheeses were brought out on individual plates:

Left to right, they were:

While some people felt the Grayson was too strong (some used the term "ammonia" to describe the sensation) - I liked it, provided it had an accompaniment (and the red wine - white didn't stand up to either of these last two cheeses). I liked the Epoisse even better than the Grayson. Despite the Epoisse's assertive flavor, I really enjoyed it.

As Chef Paul predicted - it was easier to enjoy and distinguish the cheeses with a smaller number of tastes. And I enjoyed every one, right down to the rinds (which again are not usually my favorite part of the cheese course). Once again, Slow Food and the Baricelli Inn combined to provide an educational and tasty two hours of playing with our food.

As we did last year, a bunch of us continued the festivities at the nearby L'Albatros Brasserie after we finished the cheese tasting. Unfortunately, the light and brickwork at that venue did not co-operate with my camera very well, so I cannot share the food we played with there - but I can tell you that it was a wonderful end to a tasty day full of food, drink and friends.

Fun Playing with Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Yes, I know, Passover isn't over yet. However, when Chef Paul Minillo mentioned at the Burgess Wine Dinner that the next special dinner at the Baricelli Inn would be April 24, and would feature the Olive Oil and Wines of Villa Calcinaia, I knew I could not miss this. It is the best Olive Oil I have ever tasted, and so I knew I had to taste their wines, as well as whatever wonderful food Chef Paul would pair with it. So, we took a "temporary break" from Passover last night, to enjoy this incredible meal.




Click this link for more info on the Olive Oil

We didn't fool around in "breaking" Passover - as bread was served with the first wine pour. While I might otherwise have simply passed on it (sorry) - the little bottle of olive oil on the table beckoned, and I could not resist its siren song.






After the first slice of a rather plain bread (which was an ideal foil for the olive oil), the bread service for the evening switched to this amazing Olive Bread. All of the breads served at Baricelli are sourced from Mediterra Bakehouse in Pittsburgh, PA.

After Chef Paul described the menu (and those pictures apparently didn't click, because I can't find them!), our host, Count Sebastiano Capponi, owner of a 500 year old estate in Greve, Tuscany, described his wines and that fabulous olive oil.



As we sipped on the Villa Calcinaia Comitale 2006, a crisp white, the first course was served:


Sauteed Halibut with Mixed Heirloom Tomatoes, Basil & Fennel, Calcinaia EVOO



Halibut is now in season, and this was a perfect example of it. The fish was pristinely fresh, light and flaky, with a little bite in the crust, and accompanied by greenhouse tomatoes that tasted of mid-summer. The whole dish was resplendent atop a mound of this exquisite olive oil.

The next wine, Villa Calcinaia Chianti Classico 2004, was then poured.


Papperdelle Puttanesco



The pasta was perfectly cooked, and the sauce had a little bite to it, which played beautifully off of the slightly tannic wine. As per usual at Baricelli, the pasta was topped with just the right amount of sauce.

We had barely touched our plates when Chef Paul came around, bearing cheese! Saying "I'm not supposed to do this" - he proceeded to sprinkle some cheese over our plates.



I had wondered why there was no cheese in the first place - then Chef explained that because he had used Anchovy in the sauce, he had initially followed the Italian tradition of not adding cheese to the dish. Then, he changed his mind! The anchovy provided that lovely bite I mentioned, but it wasn't at all overpowering (which I often find to be the case with anchovy). And I love cheese with anything- especially Baricelli Cheese Company cheese! As with the Halibut course - I cleaned my plate (and I was not the only person at our table guilty of sopping up every bit of goodness with the Olive Bread).

Our third wine was then poured - Villa Calcinaia Chianti Classico Reserva 2004. This wine was amazingly smooth, and proved a perfect pair with the next course.


Paul's Heirloom Pork Sausage with Swiss Chard & Ramps



I think it is fair to say that, after enjoying this course, Passover was pretty much (you should pardon the expression), toast. I think we broke every rule in the book with one dish - toothsome sausage laced with pepper that played beautifully off of the wine, served over cheesy polenta that had its own peppery flavor, and accented with the chard and ramps - a fabulous dish.

Our last savory wine was the Villa Calcinaia Casarsa 2004.


Sauteed Duck Leg with Cannellini Beans & Spring Veggies







This was bone-licking good - the meat was tender and not the least bit greasy and the skin was perfectly crispy and succulent. And again, the wine pairing was spot-on.

For dessert, we were first treated to an amazing sweet wine, the Villa Calcinaia Vin Santo. This wine was complex, nutty, fruity and warming all at the same time.


V/C EVOO Ice Cream with Basil & Chocolate Truffle

Not only was there EVOO in the ice cream - the dessert was plated over a lovely pool of EVOO and it all went together perfectly.





The truffle, also made in-house, was divinely chocolatey. It brought the wine and ice cream together in a luxurious harmony.

So today, it's back to Matzo. I'm not sure why; I guess it's just in my DNA. But oh, what a feast we enjoyed last night! Thank you to the wonderful staff and kitchen at the Baricelli Inn for this unique and tasty experience.

Fun Playing with Tom Burgess Wines and Baricelli Inn Food

It seems that April is Tasting Dinner Month. There are wine, beer or tequila tasting dinners scheduled at many of the best Cleveland Area restaurants every week in April and May, it seems. Restaurants having such dinners include Christopher's in Aurora, Blue Canyon, Momocho, Flying Fig, Boulevard Blue, fire, Fahrenheit, North End Wine (Hudson), and Restaurant Dante, and I am sure that there are more. Honestly, I was overwhelmed to learn of all of these events - we don't have the time or the money to attend more than a few events every few months.

So, with great difficulty, we picked out two dinners to attend in April - last night's Burgess Wine Dinner at the Baricelli Inn, and Tuesday's Westerland Vineyard dinner at Blue Canyon. Tom Burgess came all the way from California to present three of his wines, together with his friend Katherine Eddy, who also has a small winery nearby to Burgess. She offered a very soft red, Ilona 2002, which perfectly complimented its food course.

The evening began with a pour of Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc 2004, and a few words from our host, Chef Paul Minillo. I have written about Baricelli once before; it is a place I wish I could get to more often.



Chef Minillo began by explaining the menu and the wines that would be paired with each course, then said a few words about the extraordinary Olive Oil served with the bread, and also used for the fish course (a bottle of which was on each table).





He was right about the extraordnary quality of the olive oil - I mean - how often do you sigh with delight over the taste of the olive oil you moistened your bread with? This product is very special.

Chef Paul then introduced Mr. Burgess, who proved to be a delightful speaker.



And then - it was on to the food! Bread service, as per usual at Baricelli, was made one piece at a time from a server-carried basket. I note this because there is a lively chat going on EGullet right now about bread service, which some restaurants are charging for, and whether this approach makes more sense than putting a whole basket on the table. See the discussion here.






Striped Bass with Fava Beans, Scallions & EVOO

Chef Paul mentioned that he had hoped to make this dish with ramps, but they were simply not yet available to him, so he went with scallions. The fish had a very assertive flavor that was complimented by the beans and scallions, and it became even better when drizzled with a tiny bit more of that amazing olive oil. We drank the sparkling Blanc de Blanc with this course.


Second Bread Service


Cavetelli with Giancale & Roma Tomatoes

This lovely dish was served with the Ilona. As I noted, the wine was very soft, and perfect for pasta. The pasta was cooked to toothy al dente, the jowl bacon (which I usually see spelled as "guanciale") delicious, and the sauce just right in texture and amount - enough to enjoy, but not too much so as to overwhelm the plate. The cheese, like all cheese used at Baricelli, was a joy to taste.





Our third course was served with the Burgess Cabernet Sauvignon 2004.


Pork Tenderloin Scaloppine with Rapini

This dish had our entire table sighing with delight. Beautiful meat, elegantly seasoned and cooked to perfect medium-rare, with a little bitterness from the Rapini for contrast.





This is not "the other white meat" - this is pork perfection!

Our final savory course was accompanied by the Burgess Syrah 2004, a last minute switch with the prior course, and a wise decision by Chef Paul - the Syrah was as perfect for this dish as the Cab had been with the pork.


Lamb Ribs with Five-Spice Rub, Slaw & Mango Chutney

Chef Paul told us that this dish is about to go on the menu as an appetizer (in a larger portion of 4 ribs) - if you go to Baricelli, you MUST try this! Tender lamb - the meat melted off the bones. A bit of zing in the sauce awakened the palate, which was then refreshed by the tangy slaw and sweet mango chutney.





For dessert, we were treated to a pour of Burgess Library Cabernet Sauvignon 1994. Time had made the cab mellow and silky, and a great accompaniment to the dessert.


Chocolate Semifreddo & Biscotti

How could a dessert with four chocolate elements not be delicious? The semifreddo was silky and cool, the chocolate cream light and lovely, and the shavings just a touch of bitter. Add to that the crunch of the biscotti and the coating of dark chocolate thereon - and our meal ended as wonderfully as it had began.

"Beverage" dinners can be a wonderful way to play with food, for several reasons. The multiple courses (in smaller portions) allow the diner to sample more varieties of a kitchen's offerings than a regular "appetizer or salad plus entree" dinner might; also, the kitchen tends to knock itself out to impress. These dinners also offer the opportunity to learn about the particular beverage being sampled, often from a producer or distributor of the beverage. And last - these kinds of dinners seem made for groups, and sharing the experience with other diners is a great way to play with your food!