For those of you who have ever longed for some great cured meats, wines and cheeses without having to skip across the pond to savour your favourites, the Taste of Ontario series might just make life a little more dolce for you.
The brainchild of Aphrodite Cook’s Vanessa Yeung, the idea behind this tasting series is to introduce class participants to the diversity of artisanal quality products being produced right here in Southern Ontario. The evening highlighted the beautifully cured meats of Mario Pingue and family of Niagara Food Specialties (details to follow after article), Ruth Klahsen's cheeses of Monforte Dairy Company in Millbank, Ontario and chef/sommelier Tonia Wilson taking the group through matched, local wine pairings at Nella Cucina.
A Glass of Bubbly to Start
The group started off with a refreshing, sparkling Chardonnay from Jackson Triggs out of Niagara-on-the-Lake that Wilson aptly describes as having “great effervescence.” A glass or two of this bubbly is the perfect way to start any special occasion or evening. The wine offerings then moved into a few whites including a Tawes Reisling (the Niagara region produces lovely Reislings) and a Strewn 2007 Gewurztraminer – both of which make excellent food pairing wines although Wilson cautioned against serving the Reisling with salads due to the clash the wine would experience with the acidity of a dressed salad.
Grass Fed Bresola and Cloth Bound Cheddar
On the much-anticipated food front, the lucky group had the good fortune of starting off with Pingue’s house-made besola, produced using grass fed beef that’s cured with a mix of juniper, pepper and star anise. It was absolutely spectacular- what a difference grass fed beef makes. Using organic Berkshire pork from Quebec and some Ontario pork, Pingue makes the most succulent prosciutto this side of Italia. These little porkers are fed a non-GMO diet, they’re hormone and steroid free so all you get is 100% flavour with no artificial anything.
Klahsen rounded off the meat with a cloth-bound sheep’s cheddar that’s wrapped in lard and aged for 6 months before arriving at the smoothest, sweetest and full-bodied cheddar ever sampled. But it was her Toscano- a salted and cave cured hard cheese that took our breath away. Delectable with accompaniments or alone.
The Princes Reign
The group proceeded to sample another round of wines- this time Prince Edward County reds including Black Prince’s Cabernet Franc and Peninsula Ridge’s Merlot. To match, Pingue pulled out his grilled pork sausage coil, a BLT using guanciale and a tremendous capicolo. Klahsen’s Piacere- a sheep’s milk cheese modeled after a Corsian cheese was served next to collective oohs and ahhs.
And in case the most luxurious of indoor picnic spreads wasn’t enough, Chef Vanessa made a show-stopping Almond, Apple and Monforte Dairy Chevre Crostata that had the crowd swooning. We only wish we could have taken some of the new flavour discoveries home to continue the party!
Chef Vanessa has her next Taste of Ontario class scheduled for January 09 – so don’t be too disappointed if you missed this one!
PRODUCER LISTING:
Mario Pingue’s Niagara Food SpecialtiesNiagara Falls, ON 905-356-8118
** If you’re interested in a delivery, they even deliver to Toronto on orders above $70.00
Ruth Klahsen’s Monforte Dairy Company Ltd., 1.877.437.5553
Tonia Wilson of Savour Catering , 416-669-1807
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