by Debra Fioritto and Kathy Morton
Shaken, stirred, sipped...cocktails are cool and Chartreuse is shimmying it's way back into the best mixologist's repertoire. This secretive monks' elixir for health and long life is making a comeback. Everything old IS new again because this really old recipe for Chartreuse liqueur dates from the 1600's. Today it's being used in cocktails and drinks like Camel Jump, Green Dragon, Midnight Frolic and The Last Word. Jonathan Mills, writing in the New York Times, describes Chartreuse as "A fetish among cocktail enthusiasts, but obscure to the general public...bartenders increasingly reach for it to add depth and nuance - and instant classical cred - to their creations."
Made in France, where barrels of the liqueur lay quitely sleeping as they age, Chartreuse is yet another of France's Sites of Exceptional Culinary Taste. The distillery is located in the small town of Voiron, not too far from the ski slopes of the Alps and the town of Grenoble. Carthusian monks, who control and guard the secret recipe, actually live in a monastery located in a quiet valley outside of town. From what we were told upon our visit of the distillery, the monks control everything electronically from the silence and peace of their monastery. This order of Carthusians have taken vows of poverty, obedience, celibacy and silence. In fact, they only speak with each other on Sundays, spending the rest of the week in prayer and contemplation. Of the 30 monks who now live cloistered in the monastery, only three know the complete secret recipe for making the products of Chartreuse.
The original recipe of 130 herbs, plants, fruits and flowers dating from 1605 is used today to make the health-inducing Elixir Vegetal de la Grande Chartrueuse. Believers think that a little tipple every day is good for health and will prolong life. Among the products of the distillery, this is the strongest - weighing in at a whopping 142 proof. It's served either straight up, mixed with a little sugar water or sprinkled on a couple sugar cubes. After tinkering with the long-standing recipe, the monks developed Chartreuse Verte, Green Chartreuse. At 110 proof it's a little stronger then the milder Chartreuse Jaune, Yellow Chartreuse, which is a mere 80 proof. The colors are completely natural and come from a combination of plants and flowers - the monks know the exact mix needed for each liqueur's distinctive color.
When you visit the distillery in Voiron, you're treated to a movie about the monks and their unique "potions," followed by a tour of what is considered one of the largest liqueur cellars in the world. The best part of a visit is, of course, the degustation in the tasting room, which is also a boutique where you can purchase the liqueur and other accoutrements. As our tour guide gave us samples of the various libations, we stood next to Monsieur et Madame Besson, who explained that they make the 8 hour drive to Voiron every 3 months to buy a supply of the Elixir. "I've never felt better," Madame told us. "I had horrible arthritis for years, and since taking the elixir regularly, I have no pain." Neither did we after we left the tasting room!
Mark Symonds, a spokesman for Chartreuse in the UK, says, "It's like a potion, like a forbidden fruit, a bit naughty, quite exciting and quite challenging." At Tour de Forks, we love discovering the back story of the people, places and potions of France and then offering an epicurean adventure to places like the distillery of Chartreuse. We can a design a tour here especially for you. It's part of this job...and who could ask for anything more?
Salone del Gusto: Turin 2010
by Melissa Joachim
The Salone del Gusto (Slow Food's mega show with producers from all over the globe), takes place every other year during the last week of October in Turin. The 2010 Show dates are 21-25 October 2010.
If you love food, this is your chance to take a serious look at world-wide gastronomy with an Italian twist. Remember that Piedmont is home to white truffles, Barolo wine (the king of wines and the wine of kings) and some of the world's finest chocolate.
There will be many opportunities to learn more about food through tastings, cooking classes, conferences, exposure to unusual artisanal food products in danger of extinction, kitchen gadget demonstrations and a chance to talk to producers from every corner of the globe. It's the mother of all food shows!
by Giuseppe Ricotta
Cardi (cardoon) and sanape (mustard greens) are two wild vegetables that have been used to prepare traditional Sicilian peasant dishes for generations. Today, some more elaborate versions of these dishes are emerging.
Cardi belongs to the family of artichokes. Each plant produces one single, very spiny artichoke, which is not edible. So, in this case, it is the plant itself that it is eaten. The seeds of the sanape plant are used to make mustard, but the plant itself is delicious as well.
Along the Simeto river near Bronte (famous for pistaccios), elderly men and women continue to pick-up wild cardi and sanape like their ancestors have done for centuries. Farmed cardi and sanape also exist, but the taste is not the same!
Recently, acclaimed Sicilian Chef Roberto Spitaleri prepared some sophisticated, if still simple to prepare, recipes using these two vegetables. Let's start with cardi. The difficult part here is to clean them up to remove the spikes. After that, pour a little extra virgin olive oil in a pan and fry some fresh chives, cardi cut in small pieces, and dried salted cod cut in small cubes. At the same time, cook some conchiglioni pasta. When the pasta is ready, put in a plate, add the fried cod and cardi, some grated pecorino an finish with toasted bread crumbs.
On the other hand, sanape has been traditionally consumed boiled with some extra virgin olive oil or lightly fried with olive oil and garlic. But it is also excellent with pasta. After washing and boiling it, lightly fry it with extra virgin olive oil, a little garlic and small cubes of bottarga. Prepare some spaghetti al dente, and when ready, mix the pasta with the sanape and bottarga, some fresh ricotta cheese and finish it with some grated bottarga.
Now, the difficult part is to find these wild vegetables here in the U.S. I have purchased them at the Union Square green market in the winter, but in Sicily they are easy to find, so we recommend a trip there... More info here
We came across this quote in the midst of our research and exploration of Turkey, and it brought us to a halt - we adore it. Its author, Turkish writer Abdulhak Sinas beautifully sums up his country's amazing cuisine which remains today, an integral component of this ancient and magical land's culture. Turkish cuisine's multi-ethnic origins go back millenniums, and encompass the 600 year reign of Ottoman dynasty - and its control of the Spice Road. The legacy of the Imperial Kitchens is inescapable - and fascinating.
We are busy learning from our new associate Engin Akin, considered to be "Turkey's Julia Child", she is a world renowned expert and lecturer on her native cuisine. We are thrilled to be collaborating with her on a customized cooking school experience in her ancestral home in the picturesque village of Ula. Located on the Turkey's West Coast, Ula is a very traditional Aegean hamlet and Ms. Engin's has transformed her home to accommodate just a dozen guests in the style of an intimate boutique hotel. Local women and artisans will join Engin and the in an adjacent sprawling kitchen for cooking lessons and demonstrations. This unique cooking school program can be combined with cosmopolitan Istanbul (sampling the street food here is a must); a stay in Cappadocia - and a balloon ride over its fairy-like landscape; or yachting in a traditional Turkish gulet along the coast. And of course, all the amazing food! We look forward to bringing you more details in our next issue. However we won't blame you if you just can't wait. Call or email to inquire.
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