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He said that a woman should only be seen eating lobster and drinking Champagne, "the only real feminine food": if all men were like Lord Byron, women would only be invited to dinner during the Christmas holidays! Fortunately not even the dandiest of Italian chefs, Carlo Cracco who relocated to Milan with his wavy hair and flashy sweater and trousers agrees with the inflexibly elegant British poet: "Absolutely not, a woman can also be fascinating in front of a plate of tripe! Just as long as she isn't one of those women who say: "I don't like this and I don't like that…".
The important thing is to eat and drink what you like the most, without creating too many fixations: Cracco cheerfully declares to love Champagne so much because it also accompanies salami, as an appetizer. "When I prepare a meal for myself I do not look for the perfect match: if you do things with an aim you start from the assumption that you can't go wrong. If you don't experiment, you will never discover anything new" he adds. What is his favorite Champagne? "Dom Pèrignon Rosè 1995, an exceptional year, maybe even more so than 1996 (that is already considered to be the best of the century). It is robust, elegant, refined, you just yearn to drink it, almost eat it – something which is not good because you could drink down litres of it!", he laughs. His staff in the kitchen saved an iced bottle of it for him on last October 8, when Cracco turned 41. "My collaborators know that I adore rosé, even if they are difficult wines: they could either be too light or too acid".
Cracco's first contact with the bubbles of the great house goes back to his 18th birthday: "The first time I tasted Dom Pèrignon was also the first time I got drunk", he recalls. "It was the end of the year and as an award for the diligence shown during the holidays, the owner of the restaurant in Piacenza where I was working, brought me and another two boys to a "star" colleague. I was used to Franciacorta, at most Berlucchi… they ended up carrying me home and the day after I was welcomed with an amused: "You like Champagne, huh? You drank it all and it cost a fortune!".
Just like Cracco, Massimo Bottura from the Osteria Francescana in Modena defines the first taste of his favorite Champagne, Krug "love at first sight", "complicated, incomparable in its constancy, intriguing in the reserves". "It was one of the most beautiful moments of my life", he tells us with nostalgic enthusiasm. "My brothers brought me to Beppino Cantarelli, at San Boseto, in the province of Parma. Cantarelli is a legendary figure who taught many how to drink and who De Niro and Depardieu frequently visited during the shooting of "Novecento". He welcomed us with a Gran Cuvèe Krug which was followed by a trolley of sumptuous wines". Bottura explains that his area is one in which Champaigne is sold the most in Italy. Thanks to the rustic tradition of Lambrusco: when the economic boom arrived, the Emiliana food that was so rich with fats, went from being accompanied by the sparkling local wine to the more expensive French product. Nevertheless the perfect combination proved to be difficult, warns the chef who created a pumpkin, macaroon and apple mustard risotto embellished by…grains of Krug! "I mix a Japanese jelly to the Champaign heated to 60° and once it has become solid, I cut it on a straight-edge", he explains. "the beans obtained in this manner hold the heat very well and can therefore be joined to the risotto during the creaming phase that will present two different consistencies and a great pleasure to taste".
Having heard the two poster boys of Italian gourmet cooking, we ask for Thomas Keller's opinion from the Per Se restaurant in New York and the by now legendary French Laundry in Napa Valley. Keller is famous for his menus of dozens and dozens of perfect micro-dishes: each taste is a sensational, explosive and moving experience. Two dishes in particular have been created purposely to be accompanied and completed by Champagne: to "Cornetto di salmone" the king of chefs loves joining a Salon Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil 1996 and to the very much requested "Oysters & Pearls", based on caviar, a Krug Brut Rosè MV. "I like rich Champagnes of a certain age. Salon 1982, Winston Churchill 1985 and Bollinger RD are my favorites. But what I really love the most about Champagne is the fact that it immediately makes me think about celebrations and vacations. And the best thing about holidays is the time we can spend with the people we love, with our family and friends", declares Keller. In spite of how refined his cooking is, he is still very sentimental.
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