Tartine de Viande des Grisons
Viande des Grisons is an air-dried beef which comes from the canton of Grisons, Switzerland. Since we’ve already made three other tartines on French Fridays ( veggie, salmon and goat cheese with strawberry), you already understand tartines are slices of country bread topped with something deliciously imaginative. Italy’s version is bruschetta. The Danes, smørrebrød.
Bresaola, Italian air-dried beef
Because this Swiss product is difficult to locate in America, our Dorie suggested we substitute with Bresaola, the Italian’s take on air-dried beef. Since this was all Greek to me, I switched into my research-and-source mode. That’s the reason this post is about 17th century Italian artisans, the personal chef to a former Italian Prime Minister and a small meat processing plant in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Take a look at that face. It has cured meat artisan written all over it. It’s in the eyelids thick from long nights spent shepherding his craft through the delicate stages of drying and fermenting. It’s in the intent eyes reflecting a passion and purpose for something he cares about deeply. It’s in the knowing smile of a man who has something to share that he’s certain you will enjoy. It’s Cristiano Creminelli and he’s come to America to share his craft and his passion with you.
TARTINE DE VIANDE DES GRISONS is an easily made recipe. It requires one very large piece of rustic bread, sliced 1/3” thick, toasted and slathered with butter. Enough air-dried beef to completely cover the bread. Walnut or olive oil to drizzle on top and walnuts for garnish. Unable to find Bresaola in my local markets, I decided to drive down valley to Whole Foods.
Now, Readers, it is very seldom I grumble and complain in this blog. In fact you’d be hard-pressed to find any downbeat or negative posts here. But last Tuesday I made my grocery list and drove the 38-mile round trip to Whole Foods to buy, among other things, rustic country bread and Bresaola. When I shop at Whole Foods I expect to pay top dollar but, in return, I have always found quality products and received first-class service.
When I walked into the store and approached the meat area, there were no customers at the counter and 2 or 3 butchers working behind it. It still took a few minutes for a young man to notice me.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
“I am looking for Bresaola,” I replied. “Do you know what that is?”
“Nope.”
“It’s an air-dried beef,” I said, helpfully. “Do you know what air-dried beef is?”
“Nope,” he answered, before turning to a colleague who said he had no clue either.
By now, it was apparent he was clearly uninterested in my plight to find air-dried beef. “Why don’t you try the deli?” he suggested, turning his back to me and walking away.
Before, when I’ve been unable to find a product at WF, whoever I ask always escorts me to the proper department, tries to suggest a suitable substitution or offers to take a special order. Clearly that was not going to happen here. So, somewhat intimidated, I wandered over to the deli area and asked the same question to another employee. He had never heard of Bresaola either.
“I may not know,” he answered enthusiastically, “but let’s go to the man who will. You’ve got me curious?”
We walked to the back of the store where I not only met Colin but also immediately spotted three links of cured, dried salami rolls labeled Bresaola in his meat case. Within the next 20 minutes Collin made up for the brush-off I had received earlier. I not only sampled his Bresaola, learning how to correctly pronounce it, but also received a brief tutorial on the various dried and cured meats he had.
Collin, a Whole Foods employee who loves his job, offers me a piece of Bresaola.
Those of you familiar with Italian cuisine may mock my naïveté regarding this product. The best thing about Collin, you see, was that he didn’t. He explained these meats were made and shipped from Creminelli Fine Meats located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Creminelli family, he said, started making salame in Italy in the 1600’s, producing it first for local villagers and growing their reputation over the centuries. In 2007 Cristiano Creminelli, whose grandfather had also been a personal chef to a future Italian Prime Minister, brought his skills and business acumen to America. (Check out the company website – it’s a marvel. Thank you for the C. Creminelli picture and prose from the website.)
Guyomar Wine Cellar’s 2010 Monsignor, a red blend of petite sirah, zinfandel, syrah and grenache, recently touted by Wine Spectator Magazine. Guyomar is located in Templeton Gap on the Central California Coast.
After finding the ingredients, the tartine can be quickly put together. With a small green salad and glass of Guyomar Wine Cellar’s 2010 Monsignor, a red blend of petite sirah, zinfandel, syrah and grenache, it was a lovely and rather beautiful lunch.
French Fridays with Dorie is an international on-line group cooking its way through Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan. To see if my colleagues found air-dried beef this week, go here.
Ingredients
- 1 large 1/2” thick slice of rustic, country bread
- Butter
- Thinly sliced pieces of Bresaola or other air-dried beef (to cover the bread)
- Walnut Oil or Olive Oil
- Walnut Halves
Instructions
- Lightly grill or toast the bread. Immediately slather it with butter. Cover the bread with the beef with the pieces overlapping slightly. Dizzle with a tiny bit of oil and strew with nuts. With a sharp, long heavy knife, cut in half if eating for lunch or a light dinner. If serving as an hors d'oeuvre, cut in 1”-wide strips.
OK, curious minds want to know…how DO you pronounce it? And thanks for the history lesson (you always have some fun tidbits in your posts :)). Sitting in Maddy’s kitchen now…sipping tea. Hello from Denver! xo
LIZ – Colin says that the “a” is the twicky part. According to his sales rep, this is the correct pronunciation. (Of course remember this is coming from a woman who spent in the neighborhood of $50,000 and five separate months at the Institut de Francais, an imnmersion school in France, and never learned to speak the French language. Sooooo, don’t quote me.)
breh/ZAH/oh/lah
http://www.howdoyousaythatword.com/word/bresaola/
Oh, Mary, that kind of customer service (the initial ones) drives me bonkers. I had something similar happen ordering online from Williams-Sonoma about a week ago. Thank goodness someone redeemed the whole trip for you! You should email their store manager so that Colin gets recognized for his great work! Glad you enjoyed the tartine so much! We tried it with a rosé–it was in the low 70s in these parts–but I’ll have to try it with a red blend along the lines of the Guyomar!
I adore Braesola ( if only I could spell it)… my favorite salad or pizza combines it with arugula and parmesan cheese.
Definitely in my last meal menu. Ends with Gelato or Panna Cotta (oh what the hell, both)
Regarding your awful experience at WF. This just goes to show it is all in the TIMING. When I purchased some braesola a few months ago at WF, it was immediately whisked out to me by one of the cheese/deli meat guys. No questions asked and I had mistakenly used the term smoked or something and he said “air dried” .
Whole Foods (and Trader Joes and pretty much any US mainland grocery store) counts as a tourist destination for E and me. Just last week I was wandering the aisles looking for the elusive Piment d’Espelette. Although they didn’t have any, the kind gentleman who assisted ventured to guess it was a pepper from the Basque country.
Your wine looks scrumptious. I need to track their distributor down here.
Adriana, Piment d’Espelette is a red chile pepper from France. If you haven’t found it, I can get it for you and send it your way. I have your address. Let me know.
Wonderful post, Mary. Colin sounds like a gem and it’s always wonderful to run across people who work with food and love it. And I love that you were able to follow the trail right to the producers and their history here.
Dear Mary, rest assured, there are no Collins anywhere to be found in this country…think you got mediocre service at the Whole Foods – well, dear friend, you obviusly have not shopped at a German store before, especially in December…Be that as it may, loved reading your post, it made me smile as I sit here and eat chocolate on Saint Nicolas Day (which we celebrate by filling the boots of our kids with sweets and toys – they ALL cleaned their boots last night…).
Your Tartine with the lovely Bresaola looks delightful served with Kalamata olives and fresh walnut pieces – so glad that you did enjoy this, it was a nice and easy non-recipe (thank goodness).
Lots of hugs and kisses from the girls – hope all is well,
Andrea & Co.
Oh how I miss Whole Foods. We have access to great food here, but I still miss Whole Foods. Look at that, I not only complain in my posts, I also complain in my comments on other peoples’ posts! I guess I need to take a lesson from you and learn to grumble a little less;-)
So did he teach you to pronounce Braesola by not pronouncing the a at the end. That’s they way my grandmother pronounced it. I remember the pronouncation but I don’t remember ever eating it. I should have been more questioning of the butcher I had at Whole Foods and I might have gotten some of this… but the air dried beef we ate was really pretty good.
I don’t recall ever seeing this product before, and I go to many Italian delicatessens around. It’s probably hanging from
the meat hooks and I didn’t know what it was. But, you really made me want to know more. Your tartine looks
scrumptious with the olives.
I loved this week’s post, Mary. Well, I love them every week, but I especially like when you give the backstory of your shopping experience. I typically have the same experience as you in WF (excellent), so it’s surprising they were blase at the meat counter. I looked at our local WF, but didn’t think to go to the deli counter, just looked at the pre-packaged sliced meats. I wonder if they carry C. Creminelli products in this region. Glad you enjoyed this tartine too. That wine looks good. (though you should know that I tend to judge wines on their labels). Hope it tasted as good as the label promises.
We learned to love Bresaola in Hong Kong of all places at a great italian restaurant called Gressini’s! They served it with a topping of fresh arugula dressed with olive oil and just a hint of lemon juice and topped with a shaving of fresh parmesan cheese and a grind of black pepper. Sometimes Aquolina here in Aspen has it but it is not on the menu. Thank you for the source in SLC!
Kay
I like Colin. There are not many like him. Your experience with the butchers is the usual here. I just give up and substitute instead. Your tartine looks fabulous!
I am glad that your shopping experience turned out good in the end. I did not have a chance to buy air-dried beef but good to know that whole foods carries it. Yes do make the speculooos if you have a chance, they are very good. Have a great week.
A Lovely and rather beautiful Post.
I can find pretty much any Italian cured meat locally inNJ, however I was in Florida and I was lucky to find the prosciutto! I loved the ease of this weeks pick! Will be trying it again when I get home!
Too bad you ran into people who weren’t really interested in doing a good job….and then there was Colin!! Enjoyed your post Mary!
Mary your posts are always such a wonderful read. And what an adventure you had locating your bresaola! PS: I DO spy fish in the lineup this month …
How fun Mary. You taught me about Red Kuri squash and now Braesola! I’m loving the Red Kuri squash, found it at WFs. And went back for more. Now if I could find a Collin …
I am a little grumpy on your behalf for that encounter – I am glad that another employee redeemed the experience for you. I almost envisioned the story ending with you taking a drive to the salame factory to meet the maker 🙂