This dessert of homemade banana gelato with caramel sauce and almond brittle was a big hit at Ristorante Baita Pie Tofana in Cortina. It is hard to believe that this level of presentation and flavor comes out of the kitchen of a mountainside refuge!
Archive for January, 2007
Banana Gelato with Almond Brittle
Saturday, January 27th, 2007Cortina the Beautiful
Saturday, January 27th, 2007Cortina was fabulous. Great snow, delicious food and no lift lines!
Dogs on the roof enjoy the snow
Mike and I at the Cinque Torre
Fresh Tracks
Fresh Tracks II
Learning to Ski
Thursday, January 25th, 2007I did not know how to ski before this visit to Cortina, so I signed up for daily private lessons to get up to speed. I met my instructor, Lorenzo, briefly on the day I arrived in Cortina, and we made plans to meet at the Baby Slope the next day. Although I tried to appear very sporty and “game” in this first encounter, Lorenzo somehow discerned my true nature, and as I ate dinner in my hotel that first evening, the waiter called me to the phone. It was Lorenzo, informing me that he was sending a car and driver for me the next morning to take me to the slopes. Hurrah!! I was thrilled. I have to admit that one of the issues that I have with skiing is the amount of equipment that must be lugged about and hassle that is inevitable. I saw several people happily tromping through town in their ski boots, toting poles, skis, and helmets. This kind of thing just doesn’t appeal to me. So on the first day of skiing, Brian and his parents hobbled off to the funicular and the red and black slopes (intermediate and advanced in the Italian color code). I, on the other hand, sauntered casually through my hotel lobby to meet my driver, Ivo, who loaded up my stuff and drove me to Socrepes. Ivo drove me to and from the slopes everyday (this shuttle service was provided by the ski school for students with private lessons), and during our rides I discovered that he was a ski jumper in his day. (His fearless nature may explain his refusal to wear his seatbelt – the chiming of the car reminder was the usual soundtrack during our rides as he let it ring continuosly rather than put the belt on.)
Lorenzo il Magnifico
Lorenzo turned out to be a real find. He is a Maestro di Sci – ski instructor in Italy is an esteemed profession with rigorous testing and requirements to qualify, it is not the realm of college students and part-timers. Not only is Lorenzo a fantastic instructor, he’s a really nice guy and we all enjoyed our lunches out with him during the week. My in-laws, Mike and Linda, recruited him for a couple of lessons as well. And me – I picked skiing up pretty quickly. Brian and I attribute this to my lifelong study of voice – I’m used to doing what I’m told, blindly following an expert guide. By the last day of the week, my fifth day on skis, I was able to ski the Hidden Valley, an intermediate run (also a very scenic course of dramatic beauty). Of course, Lorenzo came with me and guided me through the whole thing – but still, I am very pleased with my achievement! I’m looking forward to my return next year. With a private car and driver of course!
Mike, Ivo and Maria
Final Exam
Winter Wonderland
Thursday, January 25th, 2007By Thursday morning, Cortina had been completely transformed into a winter wonderland.
The Campanile sports a fresh dusting of snow
Socrepes
The skiing was fantastic with each night bringing a few new inches of fresh powder to complementTuesday’s 2 feet of snow.
View of Faloria and the village below
Farfalle with Wild Boar Sauce
Wednesday, January 24th, 2007The evening of the snowstorm we ate at Ristorante Lago Scin. It is located about 10 minutes outside of Cortina on a small alpine lake with great views of the mountains and the city below — (we’ll have to take their word on it since all we saw was snow). The menu highlights traditional dishes of the region with a strong emphasis on wild game. The standout of the evening was Farfalle al sugo di cinghiale.
We had never seen “bow-ties” made from fresh pasta. The wild boar sauce was excellent with just a hint of juniper berry.
SNOW!!!
Tuesday, January 23rd, 2007Every Cortinese with whom we spoke repeated quite optimistically, if not altogether confidently, that snow would arrive on Tuesday. My ski instructor, Lorenzo, declared that we would have over a meter of snow by mid week. As I boarded the lift at my ski lesson on Monday, I felt a few drops of something very wet falling from the sky and said something about rain to Lorenzo. He corrected me that no, in fact, this was snow. Ok, I trust Lorenzo implicitly and put my life in his hands at the top of every run, but at that point, I lost all hope for snow as it was now evident that these local people were crazy and hopeful beyond reason. I know rain when I see it.
View from Olimpia — the trail where the Women’s World Cup was raced two days before under very different conditions
That evening, we called a taxi to take us into the mountains for dinner and the precipitation began to change. By the time we arrived at the mountain refuge, everything at that altitude was covered with a light dusting and our little restaurant looked like a Christmas card. Throughout dinner, the snow fell steadily and began what would be a steady 36 hour stream of heavy, wet and beautiful snow. Now, we are truly in a winter wonderland! And the skiing is fantastic.
Maria enjoys her new sport and the fresh snow
Stinco di maiale
Monday, January 22nd, 2007 
Stinco di Maiale with roasted potatoes and steamed spinach
After a morning of fighting the frozen granular and listening to my skis chatter down slopes of white ribbons with bare rocks on either side, I stopped in for lunch at Rifugio Son Forca. The stinco di maiale (braised pork shank) looked too good to pass up. I must say it wasn’t the best stinco I’ve ever had, but given the alpine setting and workout I’d given myself that morning it was the right food at the right time.
Cortina d’Ampezzo
Sunday, January 21st, 2007
We arrived in the charming resort town of Cortina d’Ampezzo on Saturday and everything was as we’d hoped: a quaint hotel in the center of town with dramatic views of the Dolomites from every angle, a lovely historic downtown full of shops and fashionable Italians decked out in every imaginable variation of fur – men and women alike, and wonderful traditional food, punctuated with German and French accents that reflect the history of the area. Only one thing was missing: SNOW! We are here with Brian’s parents to ski, and the much publicized lack of powder was immediately visible. Well, of course we hit the slopes any way, skiing on icy runs of natural and man made snow for the first two days.
Anxiously awaiting winter’s very late arrival . . .
Salami!
Tuesday, January 2nd, 2007The end of the year issue of The Economist has an interesting article about cured meat. I must point out, however, an oversight by the author. At one point, the article refers to “itinerant Tuscan sausage-makers, the norcinos.” The name “norcino” for butcher comes from the traditions and excellent craftsmanship of the butchers of Norcia, which is located in Umbria. Go to Article
