tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3799854524070158890.post2598791133943485323..comments2023-10-10T14:43:29.795-04:00Comments on Brooklynguy's Wine and Food Blog: Carbonara and the Search for the Perfect WineBrooklynguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16321573602782343974noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3799854524070158890.post-52895874649305275582013-06-05T07:37:29.149-04:002013-06-05T07:37:29.149-04:00Wayne - you're right, I meant to say "ma...Wayne - you're right, I meant to say "made mostly of Friulano..."<br /><br />I corrected it in the post, thanks for pointing it out.<br /><br />And thanks for the comments all.Brooklynguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16321573602782343974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3799854524070158890.post-23176885856913097292013-06-05T04:05:45.055-04:002013-06-05T04:05:45.055-04:00"The problem is, I own literally two bottles ..."The problem is, I own literally two bottles of Italian white wine and they are both from Friuli and made mostly of Trebbiano, and they are richer, more herbal wines."<br />So much wrong in this sentence! Biggest problem is you only have 2 Italian whites... Next time I'm in NYC we are going to meet up and I'm going to show you some great ITalian whites and convince you to get rid of some of that French plonk to make space for some Friulano awesomeness!<br />Second... What Friulian wines are made from Trebbiano? Trebbiano is not a typical grape from here... <br />Being a "grows together-goes together" kinda guy, I can't imagine pairing Carbonara with anything other than ITalian wine, but I like how you're thinking!<br />Waynehttp://bastianich.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3799854524070158890.post-57612017571914862382013-06-05T01:13:59.898-04:002013-06-05T01:13:59.898-04:00I smiled all the way through this post and the com...I smiled all the way through this post and the comments (as well as Jeremy's response to yours). I love how passionately people embrace this dish and argue for the best presentation of it as well. <br /><br />Peter's friend's idea of pairing it with an old Nebbiolo is one I'll have to try. With enough age on it, and the right quality, the tannin will have smoothed beautifully, of course.<br /><br />Next time you're in San Francisco--there is a beautiful little Roman pasta place across the street from the Trans America tower called Chirascuro. He makes some of the best Carbonara anywhere. Wonderful. Nice easy wine list too. A place recommended to me by Gianpaolo, the Wine Director at Acquerello, a Michelin star restaurant in SF also worth visiting. <br /><br />Thanks for providing a forum for discussion of various ways to make the dish too. I've enjoyed the various comments quite a lot. Lily-Elaine Hawk Wakawakahttp://wakawakawinereviews.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3799854524070158890.post-24532742619396642862013-06-04T18:00:34.794-04:002013-06-04T18:00:34.794-04:00I make carbonara all the time. I use Boccalone gua...I make carbonara all the time. I use Boccalone guanciale which doesn't have much too much spices.<br /><br />I cut the guanciale into small cubes since that retains better mouth feel. I learned this from Locanda, an osteria in The Mission (SF). <br /><br />While I use parmigiano with pecorino romano most of the time, I don't feel it's ideal. The cheese should reflect the dish's rusticity. Parmigiano is too fertile and "cow-y" being from Emilia-Romagna. Pecorino Romano is too singularly sheepy. In my mind, the ideal cheese is pecorino stagionato from toscana though I've never made it that way. <br /><br />I find the sauce works better without egg whites. The whites dilute the binding power of the yolks, forcing you to use more cheese. A greater concentration of yolks promotes better balance.<br /><br />I never throw away the rendered fat. The whole point of the dish is to express the sweet essence of pork and nowhere is that better expressed that the rendered fat.<br /><br />I don't use wine or parsley. This is purely personal preference. <br /><br />It's also worth noting that the handling of the sauce differs greatly depending on how many servings of pasta you are serving. For one serving, often the pasta doesn't have enough thermal mass mass to make the sauce bind. You may have to borrow a little residual heat from the burner. For two-three servings, tossing in a warm bowl works well. For greater quantities of pasta, the thermal mass is so high that it often curdles the sauce. One wants to adjust the timing/tossing based on the quantity.<br /><br />Finally, nebbiolo is my favorite wine, but I would never have thought of pairing it with carbonara. I won't say that it's bad since I've never had it, but it makes no sense to me, geographically or theoretically. Nebbiolo is the king of tannin and carbonara is nothing if not peppery. I can't see those two playing well. In my opinion, a simple white is the most logical pairing.<br /><br /><br /><br />Giacomohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14137702344842316138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3799854524070158890.post-46431448021267874052013-06-01T21:15:43.602-04:002013-06-01T21:15:43.602-04:00Did you find an odd saline taste to the 2012 Fouqu...Did you find an odd saline taste to the 2012 Fouques Cuvee de l'Aubigue? I remember an earlier vintage that was a go-to provençal rosé for me, but this year it seemed off, and I wondered if I just got a bad bottle.Doug Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3799854524070158890.post-27985971542143482422013-06-01T08:43:38.095-04:002013-06-01T08:43:38.095-04:00No pun intended, but I don't trust anyone who ...No pun intended, but I don't trust anyone who thinks an "authentic pasta" book can be made :)<br /><br />Being a Northener, and thus feeling not very authoritative on the matter, I asked my friend Marco from Rome. He sent me some serious material on the issue. I'll share two (in Italian, but you'll spot the words pecorino and parmigiano, guanciale and pancetta; tuorlo = yolk; uova = eggs).<br /><br />1) Lots of support to Mother's approach here:<br />http://www.dissapore.com/cucina/la-ricetta-perfetta-carbonara (mom, you nailed it!)<br /><br />2) And a further prove that "authentic" is a very arguable concept when discussing traditional Italian dishes here:<br />http://www.lacuochinasopraffina.com/cosa-cucino/primi-piatti/ricetta-carbonara-perfetta/8388<br /><br />The bottom line? Thanks for keeping a complex matter complex, BG :)<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3799854524070158890.post-35143200339921847152013-05-31T15:57:55.763-04:002013-05-31T15:57:55.763-04:00Fred Plotkin's Authentic Pasta Book is an exce...Fred Plotkin's <i>Authentic Pasta Book</i> is an excellent reference. For Spaghetti alla Carbonara, he uses just olive oil, butter, pancetta, eggs, salt, black pepper, and freshly grated parmigiano.Lars Carlberghttp://www.larscarlberg.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3799854524070158890.post-27145715691252749872013-05-30T22:04:15.611-04:002013-05-30T22:04:15.611-04:00Mother's way to do it rules here: yes onions, ...Mother's way to do it rules here: yes onions, finely diced and translucent; pancetta, smaller bits, super crispy; and egg yolks only (who needs the whites anyway?). Lots of parmigiano, surely enough... Even though I acknowledge that pecorino would work better. Just don't tell my mom.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3799854524070158890.post-64800740945794998142013-05-30T15:48:40.918-04:002013-05-30T15:48:40.918-04:00Hi BG-
thanks for the shout out - all of this look...Hi BG-<br />thanks for the shout out - all of this looks good - that's the thing about wine and food pairings - if something doesn't work, try something else. Sure beats digging ditches, eh?<br /><br />see you on the wine trail, hopefully, sooner than later...<br /><br /><br />cheers<br />AlfonsoAlfonso Cevolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16983431475848714789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3799854524070158890.post-42529505438182770282013-05-30T15:46:04.099-04:002013-05-30T15:46:04.099-04:00This seems like an interesting question of whether...This seems like an interesting question of whether the wine is intended to support the carbonara (Italian whites) or pull it along (Nebbiolo), with maybe the rose doing a bit of both. <br /><br />Great post as always, BG.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3799854524070158890.post-26019739143935866302013-05-30T13:42:57.186-04:002013-05-30T13:42:57.186-04:00BrooklynGuy, that looks so entirely awesome. Carbo...BrooklynGuy, that looks so entirely awesome. Carbonara is such an interesting dish because of the ways it inspires food lovers and cooks all over the world and it continues to be a sine qua non dish of Rome where it all started. <br /><br />I can't find any Cesanese, sadly, in the Texas market. So we've been pairing Tracie P's carbonara (I hope you'll taste it someday) with rosé from Negroamaro, which is, pretty much, one of my all-time favorite wines to drink at the dinner table. <br /><br />You're pairing sounds equally delicious. <br /><br />Thanks for the shout out and please come visit us in Texas one of these days! I'll see you this fall in NYC. Do Bianchihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12744434741371288465noreply@blogger.com