Put one evening at dinner in the Italian capital of Muscat, including pupitres, bottles and soft lighting, warm and welcoming atmosphere of elegance. With such a device, you feel like that even the most purely culinary and height, with a kitchen and a selection of wines, able to recite the lion's share instead of being swallowed up by the element scenic, as is often the case.
So it was last Saturday, March 1, in which Cane was the scene of a major event. The town is so dear to Cesare Pavese - and all lovers of white muscat - has in fact seen the last of the few Italian cuisine and sip out of Sirio Maccioni, the ambassador royal kitchen of our overseas land with its many local named, Le Cirque. This sort
Canelles exactly was the fifth that Sirius, accompanied by his colleague Susy Mion, made in Italy. Clearly, we want to glue the company of his chefs, he often returns alone to his native Tuscany Montecatini in order to taste the dishes lovingly prepared by his female relatives, and, behold, therefore, come in great pomp from America Alain Allegretti, chef at the historic Cirque in New York; Regis Monges from Mexico City, chef and pastry chef, a sort of Iginio Massari overseas and, finally, Marc Poidevin, the kitchen is the room where the console games of Las Vegas.
All this, in order to succeed, he needed a raw material and suitable for an operations center.
This was not merely the seat of the historic cellars Agreement, a great man of sparkling wine in that of Canelli, with spacious rooms and gently intimate, colored in pastels. As for the raw material, impossible to reach America in decent condition, Sirius turned to an old fellow good friend: our Aimo Moroni, who, from his shining Milan club has provided the inspiration for adequate SUPPLY culinary chefs maccioniani.
The wine was generously supplied by the host contract (Canelli, prov. Asti, via Giuliani 56, tel. 0141823349), with the excellent incipit entrusted to Giuseppe Riserva 1997 Contract, a brut chardonnay and pinot noir (from the latter by the green bunting) giving the nose smells amazing, ranging from strawberry melon yellow and sip a lively, not too dry, perfect as an aperitif.
After a short stroll to the beautiful wineries in the area of \u200b\u200bpast and pupitres barrel when preparing the Cerequio Barolo, it starts the sumptuous dance. It begins with a simple plate, which shows the painstaking care of Sirius in little things as seemingly basic broth here is therefore the consommé with oxtail ravioli and foie gras crostini black truffle (it will be the truffle, po'il a dominant theme of the evening). A broth saporosissimo wraps two parcels of pasta that melts in your mouth, a company that is paving Bruschettini a slice of truffle half a centimeter high. If this is not revisited ... A tradition admirably throughout the water provides another vintage of the house, Joseph 1997 Contract Rosé, delicate peach and impressive, but cool and pleasant.
Then comes perhaps the dish that most impressed us, though it was a good race: Napoleon scallops with black truffle, spinach and port sauce. A bit 'of fresh spinach, a brown sauce and enveloping, and on top of a chest light pastry: opening, it turns out a small sculpture, scallop and truffle minutely stratified. A combination of bold flavors that, once again, turns into a landslide victory bet. A simple dish memorable.
's love for Sirius Indian curry is expressed in the grand scope that follows, the prawns with the Valencian rice curry sauce and mango chutney. The choice of material is excellent: the prawns are gigantic, hard, beautiful and delicious. Rice is a porzioncina refined the classic paella, while the chatni (name changed from British colonizers in chutney) is less aggressive than you might think, ideally marrying a new slug of that great rosé. Col
next pot is instead appeared Piedmont Chardonnay 2000 Savoy, where the aristocratic white cloth woody notes in no way the typical space smells of banana, pineapple and butter. The mouth is rightly fresh but rich structure that has every Chardonnay important respects, with the subtle aroma that goes very well with the seasoning of the dish as follows: the rabbit in Riesling whitebait and black truffle, a piattarello that mocks the French-speaking blanquette speak Italian but in the knowledge of composition and in the approach with small dumplings of dough. Excellent.
After a short intermezzo of sorbet with grappa (the honors at the family made them Bocchino, owner of Business since 1993), reach the scale that perhaps best of all expressed the belief and love of Sirius. Maccioni is a lover of boiled exaggerated, but at the same time wants to be original, why not do boiled duck? This result simple and fascinating. Sirius recommends that first sip of the broth with a spoon, a soup that you hear, is not made from the nut which are even testimonials from some well-known restaurateurs. To enrich the whole, a little 'truffle mustard and the pumpkin that has always been the family habit of doing at home, and goes well with this meat very tender, almost popular in his elementary school. It took someone like him to make it understand. It took a long draft of Solus For 1998, the vigorous Barbera d'Asti Contract.
sweet, here is the Paris-Canelli, baked by the volcanic Monges, a kind of artistic composition that sees overlap citrus, chocolate, chocolate and a savarin still a secret sweet dumpling goodness.
grand finale then the creme brulée, perhaps the most famous dish of Cirque: served in the cup is simply amazing, with a sip of this increasingly occurred De Miranda Asti Classic Method. The marriage of this hatred with the cream should be applied on the hand, it is so rich and sensual embrace their voluptuous, velvety soft propitiated by the power of this is that one of the greatest expressions of Muscat in the world.
Even a small effort for the pastries, surely among the best taste, and the drums of Grappa Cantina Privata Bocchino, gallery of real pleasure.
short, an evening of what should happen more often.
And we dare not imagine a society of Sirio Maccioni and Aimo Moroni to propose a capacity each. Meanwhile, we wish good luck to Sirius for its cafe society, and we just hope that there may often find Pià.
(Free, Tuesday, March 4, 2003, page 12)
