Dear Fellow Food and Wine Lover,

Tuscany's Bounty!

Right now it's delicious strawberry season in Tuscany and the strawberries are 'ripe for the picking'.  We thought we'd include a delicious Strawberry Shortcake Recipe this month to get you in the mood and 'take you away for a little taste of Tuscany' (and your local strawberry patch too)!                                                

We are also inviting you on a 'once in a lifetime' opportunity to be in Tuscany during Harvest Season - where the grapes will be 'ripe for the picking.'  September is the absolute best time of the year to experience Tuscany and celebrate its bounty!  Come and experience 'The Tuscan Dream' of our Tuscan Chef culinary week, we'd love to welcome you to this prestigious Tuscan monastery and wine estate in Chianti.

Harvest Special Offer.

Here is the 'Harvest Special' price to tempt your palette - book now and save $200* per couple.

Trip highlights:
5 night's accommodation at your beautiful Monastery- superior accommodation

Gourmet breakfasts each morning

4 hands-on cooking classes, each culminating in a sumptuous meal, generally lunch or dinner

3 adventure excursions to local markets and vineyards

Trip length: 5 days

Dates: September 3rd - 8th, 10th - 15th and 17th - 22nd

Starting point: Florence (transfers are provided)

Price from:  US/CA$2,985 per person

Double Occupancy per person in Canadian/US Dollars. Price is excluding airfare.

Can we tempt you? For further details, email us at:  jackie@gourmetsafari.com

'Food for thought' from previous foodies on our Tuscan Chef culinary week!

"I had a great day...Guido was a wonderful host with a great sense of humour.  Just to let you know Sandie and I did a little scouting for the site of the cooking school yesterday - what a place!!! We spent a good deal of time speaking with the host at their store, enjoying some samples of the estate wine and talking about wine making. "  Ciao, Bob Canada 2008

"The cooking trip was beyond my expectations. Guido is a fantastic teacher and host."   Lee, USA 2007

"We got so much inspiration for our home and business...we had great time and Guido was an absolutely fantastic host...we had a fantastic holiday. Thank you for helping to organize it."  Outi, Finland 2007

Recipe of the Month.

To inspire you to come with us to Italy in September, we thought we would give you a taste of what is in season right now in June in Italy...the delicious, mouth-watering strawberry...enjoy!

Strawberry Shortcake.

Cake:
4 c flour

2 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 c. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 c. butter or transfat free shortening (found at health food stores)

2 c. buttermilk

Mix dry ingredients in large bowl.  Cut in butter or shortening.  Add milk, mix just enough to blend, but keep it lumpy.  Spread in a 13X9" greased pan. Sprinkle with white sugar and bake 400 degrees for 20 minutes or longer, till light golden.

Strawberry Sauce & Berries:
2 Quarts freshly picked Ontario strawberries

Southbrook Framboise (raspberry, fortified, dessert wine), Cointreau or another fruit-based liqueur

Sugar

½ tsp vanilla

Fresh whipped cream

Set aside enough whole berries to top each serving.

Divide rest in half.  Slice one half of the berries, sprinkle with sugar and set aside.

Put other half in blender, add liquor such as Southbrook Framboise, Cointreau, Cassis (or whatever fruit-based liquor you prefer).  Add a bit of sugar, dash of vanilla.  Blend.

Assembly:
Cut cake into squares, then cut in half horizontally.  Place cut side up on plate, spoon some of the sauce over cake, then sliced berries, then fresh whipped cream, then top with whole berry. Makes 10 servings (at least!  You could give everyone two halves of the cake, but honestly, a half piece of about 2-3" square, when piled with berries & whipped cream, is plenty for a serving)

Wine Secret: 
Drizzle a tablespoon of sweet wine on the berries and then add a dash to the fresh whipped cream, so that the wine in the dessert serves as a bridge to the wine in the glass, which lifts flavours of both.

Trendspotting.

Strawberry Season in Italy...
June in Italy means strawberry season, Italians both worship and are slaves to their strawberries. They typically rule their gardens; strawberries grow literally like weeds, galloping across bed after bed until they've obliterated everything in their path.  People are in awe of the perfume and flavor of the varieties that grow. Strawberry season in Italy also used to be a few short, sweet weeks each summer. Nowadays, due to improved transportation and storage, strawberries can also be obtained almost all year long in Italy, but the strawberries of summer are still the best. When strawberries were less common, a simple bowl of hulled and halved berries with a little sugar sprinkled on top was a special treat. Extra berries were made into jams or preserves because everyone knew that they would rapidly spoil. Today, partly because of their ready availability, strawberries are eaten in many different forms. And in Italy, strawberry desserts are both common and varied.  One of the best strawberry desserts of Italy is their famous Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar!  Slice strawberries, sprinkle with sugar and then drizzle Balsamic Vinegar over top, let marinate, stir, garnish with fresh mint and enjoy chilled.

Uncorked!

Turn up the sweet for summer desserts.
We bet that some of the best wine and food pairings of your life have sweet wines to thank for their role in elevating the match.  Sweet wines perform magic with desserts, too, of course. Summer desserts celebrating sweet-tart berries, from blueberry sorbets to strawberry shortcake, harmonize with wines featuring similar flavors. 

Here are some pointers:
1) Fresh strawberries and sweeter or demi-sec champagnes are a timeless pairing. 

2) Ice wines, sparkling ice wines or late harvest wines from Canada are worth the splurge.

3) The single most dessert-friendly wine around is arguably Moscato d'Asti, it's especially easy to taste alongside berry desserts. Get a bottle of this slightly sweet, semi-sparkling, low-alcohol wine now to chill and enjoy with the first berry desserts of the season, and we can virtually guarantee you'll be buying it all summer long -- as you should, because this is also a wine you'll want to drink fresh. 

4) Another good match is Braida Brachetto d'Acqui, a slightly effervescent red with strawberry notes.

5) Take a sip of Nivole Michele Chiarlo with homemade strawberry shortcake and you'll discover a delicious combination.

6) With shortcake, you'll also really enjoy sweet Vouvray. 

7) Last but not least, the creamier the berry dessert, the more likely you are to also turn to a Sauternes.

Quick Note:  Many sweet wines are produced in such small quantities and their availability is limited.  Therefore because specific brands can be so hard to find, it's best to ask trusted wine retailers for recommendations for the style you're seeking among those they carry.  As a general rule, the darker the berry, the darker the wine you'll want to pair with it.

To find out more about any of our culinary vacations please feel free to call me at 416.238.9987 (Toronto) or 1.800.839.5795 (in North America).  Email works well too at jackie@gourmetsafari.com.

Sincerely, Jackie

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