Emily in France 🇫🇷 ... Is In Italy!
Buongiorno from the heart of Piedmont!
Did you miss me last week? My apologies… I've spent the past week eating my way through Piedmont with Cheese Journeys, a tour provider that seeks to connect curious travelers with an appetite for new experiences (and new cheeses) with the passionate makers behind some of the world’s best. In a world of cookie-cutter experiences, this one was truly unique, seeking to educate the group on Italian culture and norms by way of true connections with locals.
It will take me some time to unpack all of the incredible folks I encountered and got the chance to speak with, eat with, and drink with.
There was the truffle hunter, decades rich in experience, whose three dogs directed us towards no fewer than seven truffles. Though he spoke no English, through one of the members of our group, he conveyed how difficult the lack of water has been of late on this essential local resource.
There was the pioneering rockstar of organic wine, the “Barolo Girl,” who, long before it was cool, influenced those around her to move to more sustainable methods and has been a local pioneer of low-intervention winemaking.
Then there was the local chocolatier who begged us to come for a visit, and despite our tight schedule, managed to give us one of the sweetest explorations of his creative, quality-driven factory – and on a Saturday!
And there were so many more, some of whom will certainly pop up in future stories!
For now, let me leave you with a few of my favorite bites from the trip.
Sicilian ricotta gelato and lemon sorbet at Oggi in Milan.
Milanese risotto simmered with actual hunks of chewy yet tender Parmigiano rind, prepared by our top-notch team of chefs, who catered wonderful dinners at the villa where we were housed in the Langhe.
Leftovers found their way into our apéritif the next day: Taleggio-stuffed arancini.
We tried this award-winning, hand-crafted Italian butter in the underground cellars formerly belonging to King Vittorio Emmanuele where a team of pioneering cheesemakers ages cheeses inspired both by history and by modernity.
Early season aubergines, peppers, and tomatoes were simmered with chickpeas and served with a garlic hot sauce… the recipe for which the chef was more than happy to share, and which I intend on consuming by the vatful all summer long.
Castelmagno cheese, made by a cooperative in the mountaintop village of Valliera…
…also coated the pillowiest gnocchi with a slight sweetness from the spring potatoes at the team’s rustic mountaintop restaurant.
It will take me far longer to digest everything I saw, encountered, and tasted, so for now, let me leave you with this wall of Parmigiano from Giorgio Cravero.
I’m off to make a salad.
Cheese of the Week
Castelmagno is a crumbly cheese that can be made with any milk type, be it cow, sheep, or goat. I tried a cow's milk version, which the team makes either on the peaks around Valliera or in the nearby valleys, depending on the season. Dating back to 1277, this cheese has a semi-hard, super crumbly texture and a pronounced salty kick. It’s particularly happy paired with something slightly sweet like mostarda or fig jam.
To discover more of my favorite cheeses, be sure to follow me on Instagram @emily_in_france, subscribe to my YouTube channel, and tune into the Terroir Podcast, where Caroline Conner and I delve into France's cheese, wine, and more one region at a time.
What I'm Eating
Back in Paris… Liquide is a “modern tavern” from the team behind Substance, which I loved back in 2019. The restaurant purports to offer precise, uninhibited, accessible cuisine, and while the last point is a bit of a contentious one for me, for adventurous diners, this spot should definitely be on your radar. More on the blog.
Discover more of my foodie finds via Instagram @emily_in_france and on the blog.
What I’m Doing
This year, I’m hosting not one but two retreats! But they couldn't be more different from one another.
The first is a collaboration with my friend, ceramicist and product designer Camille Drozdz of Ici l’Atelier in La Ciotat. This May, when Paris weather is still dubious at best, we’ll be welcoming a handful of lucky ladies for the second iteration of our TERRE/MER retreat. Tapping into our shared passions for art, terroir, and sisterhood, the retreat is centered on a ceramics intensive tailored to the experience level of our participants (beginners? Awesome. Advanced? Come hone your skills!)
When you’re not in the studio crafting the tableware of your dreams with experienced designer Camille, I’ll be leading cooking workshops, cheese tastings, and even a beer pairing event overlooking the gorgeous port. Throw in convivial apéros, outdoor yoga (weather permitting), and downtime to explore this beautiful seaside town, and it’s a dream come true for anyone looking for the space and time to unwind and get back in touch with a slower pace.
After our first successful week in November, we heard your feedback and are now launching a long weekend format from May 18 to 21. And we still have a few spots! Check out our website and Instagram for more info.
A little over a month later, I'll be off on yet another escapade! June 26 to 30, my friend and fellow writer Anna Polonyi and I will be launching the very first iteration of the Nantes Writers’ Workshop.
During the five-day workshop, you'll take full advantage of morning generative writing sessions with me and afternoon craft and feedback workshops with Anna, an Iowa Writers’ Workshop grad and teacher based in Nantes. In the evenings, convene with us for craft talks over an apéritif. Check out our website and Instagram for more information!
Where I’m Going
Back to Paris for an ultra-quick turnaround before I venture to la Ciotat to host our next TERRE/MER retreat!
What I'm Writing
1. WTF is mixed-fermentation beer? Crooked Run breaks it down. For InsideHook.
2. A Michelin-starred chef shares the recipe for his best-selling "elephant's ear." For InsideHook.
3. From the archives: Many top culinary masters are abandoning the French capital in favor of greener pastures, where they can have a hand not just in choosing, but in growing their ingredients. For the BBC.
What I'm Reading
1. Marcel Proust is an author, I’ve been told, that few French people will admit to not having read. Instead, according to a former student of mine, they claim that they are “rereading” rather than reading this opus. I’ll admit I have yet to undertake it, but in the meantime, this short, eloquent piece about how Proust perceived of his writing – devoid at last of the prescriptivist tendencies that, I think, plague most writers at some point or another – is inspiring. (And as opposed to A la recherche du temps perdu… it’s mercifully short.) In the New Yorker.
2. This beautiful essay on refusing to allow impending death to keep you from living. In the Washington Post.
3. This ode to the delicious simplicity of a well-cooked egg. In Bon Appétit.
A bientôt !