Tartine de Viande des Grisons

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

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.


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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

Colin, a Whole Foods employee who loves his job, offers me a piece of Bresaola.

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.

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.

FRENCH FRIDAYS: TARTINE DE VIANDE DES GRISONS

FRENCH FRIDAYS: TARTINE DE VIANDE DES GRISONS

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

  1. 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.
https://www.lightsonbrightnobrakes.com/french-fridays-tartine-de-viande-des-grisons/