Making Friends with Pizza and Champagne

Many years ago a wine writer friend, Sheldon Wasserman,  introduced me to the delights of Champagne with Pizza. The combination is one I really enjoy and enjoy sharing with others.  One of the people I introduced the combination of Pizza and Champagne to was Daniel Young.

I first met Daniel Young a number of years ago at Nizza restaurant in Manhattan. I knew of him by reputation and we discussed food, wine and pizza. Daniel now lives in London but is from NYC which he visits often. He is a food consultant, has a blog Young and Foodish,  and is the author of Where to Eat Pizza among other books, and has written for many magazines and newspapers here and in London.

Over the years I have spoken to him at pizza events and we are friends on FB but we never sat down and had Pizza together.  I believe Daniel saw one of my blogs on Pizza and Champagne of which there are many. Daniel mentioned that he had never had Champagne with Pizza so I told him next time he was  in NYC we would remedy that. After a few false starts we were able to get together. We went to Keste Wall Street because Daniel knows the owner Roberto Caporuscio and it is one of my favorite places to have Neapolitan-style pizza. I contacted Roberto and he said he would be there and make the pizza. We had a lively discussion on pizza in general, pizza places in NYC and which places were the most popular now in Naples.

Daniel brought his son and I invited Frank, a friend who brought his son.  The two boys enjoyed each other’s company and the pizza (even without Champagne).

We started with the Margherita — my favorite pizza

Champagne Ruinart Blanc De Blancs 100% Chardonnay from  a blending of 20 to 25 selected crus. Alcoholic fermentation is in temperature controlled stainless steel vats and malolactic fermentation is completed. The wine is aged for 2 to 3 years years and the dosage is 7g/l. The wine has hints of pears and peaches, ripe lemon, and a note of ginger. It was perfect with the Margherita.

Pizza with sausage

Pizza Montanara with truffles

Champagne Baron-Fuente Brut Vintage made from 45% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Meunier and 15% Pinot Noir. The wine is aged in the cellar for 8 years and the Dosage is 8g/l. It has hints of citrus fruit, white peaches, a touch of red  fruit and a note of green apple. This worked well with the last two pizzas because it contained red grapes.

Daniel, Frank and I really enjoyed Roberto’s terrific pizzas with these champagnes.  The two young boys ate heartily and played chess together.  By the time our meal was over, they had become pals.  When Frank visited London recently with his son, Daniel and he arranged a reunion for the boys over — what else? — pizza, this time at Kalo’ 50, one of the city’s top Neapolitan pizzerias.

Krug Clos des Mesnil 1988. Barolo and Pizza

Ed “Champagne” Mc Carthy, author of Champagne for Dummies, was planning a Champagne and pizza meeting at Keste Wall St.  He said that he would bring an old and very expensive bottle of Krug Champagne and he asked me to bring an Italian red wine. I brought my most expensive and oldest

Margherita 

Champagne Krug du Mesnil 1988 Brut Blanc de Blancs is a very rare Champagne because it is made from a single plot of Chardonnay harvested in a single year. This 1.84-hectare (4.5 acre) vineyard overlooked by the village church has been protected by a wall since 1698. The vineyard is located in the heart of Mesnil-sur-Oger, one of the most iconic villages for Chardonnay in the Champagne region.

This champagne is generous and round with hints of citrus, dried fruit, brioche, tart tatin and a note of honey. It lingers on the palate with a long finish and notes of honey ginger. The first vintage was 1979. 

This is the e-mail Ed sent to me about the Champagne he was bringing.

In 1698, residents of the small village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger (in the section of Champagne known as the Cote des Blancs, where most of the great Blanc de Blancs Champagnes are made, from 100 percent Chardonnay) decided to build a wall around a certain section of Chardonnay vines in their village, because the Chardonnay grapes grown there were so special. Called Clos du Mesnil, It became one of the only Walled Vineyards in the Champagne region; only about 3 or 4 Walled vineyards exist today in Champagne.

In 1971, Champagne Krug, which was using Clos des Mesnil for some of its Chardonnay grapes in its NV Grand Cuvée (then called Private Cuvée), decided to buy the Clos du Mesnil Vineyard, and in 1979, produced its first Krug Clos du Mesnil. it proved to be sensational, and Krug has been making a Krug Clos du Mesnil in every good vintage since.

I have purchased Krug Clos du Mesnil in only a few vintages, because it has always been about three times the price of Vintage Krug. I have been saving my 1988 Krug Clos du Mesnil (which I purchased with a Vintage 1988 Krug about 20 years ago; Krug ages its Clos du Mesnil usually for about 11 years (!) before they release it).  The 1988 Krug Clos du Mesnil is now priced at $3175—if you can find it. I am not getting any younger, and so I decided it’s time to drink it with a few friends.

My only answer was WOW!!!!

Pizza Margherita with Prosciutto and Arugula

Pizza with Fresh Black Truffles

Conterno Francia Barolo 1996 made from 100% Nebbiolo from the Cascina Francia Vineyard which was purchased in 1974. The vineyards are at 500 meters and the training system is guyot. The exposure is to the west and the soil is calcareous. There is long submerged cap maceration and fermentation in large Austrian oak vats, followed by long refinement in large barrels (botti) for about 4 years and in bottle. This is a very traditional Barolo. It is a rich, powerful and seductive wine with hints of cherry, dried fruits, dark chocolate and leather. It was very impressive.

 

Dessert Pizza stuffed with Nutella and topped with Berries

Roberto’s special Tiramisu

Michele and I felt privileged to enjoy these great wines. Thank you, Ed McCarthy, for sharing the Champagnes with us and to Ernie De Salvo, who gave me the Barolo.

Pizza by Roberto

I always enjoy going to Keste Wall St. when Roberto Caporuscio is there.  Not  only because the pizza will be fantastic but I also enjoy speaking to Roberto about pizza. Roberto said that after trying many different flours for his pizza dough he has settles on a combination of two: 50% each Caputo “00” and Caputo “Nuvola  “0”.

Roberto

We have had many discussions about the flour that he has been using over the last year and I really like this combination. Because he knows I will tell him what I think, he often will try new toppings to see if I like them–most of the time they work.

 

Roberto started us off with his fried buratta.  The  creamy  cheese  was  rolled  in  a breadcrumb  crust  and  deep  fried.

It was fantastic,  a contrast  of  creamy  cheese  and  the  crunchy  fried  crust.

Roberto made his now-famous focaccia written up in the New York Times. The focaccia alla formaggio Recco style.  Recco is a town in Liguria famed for this type of pie.

The first pizza was with  pecorino  and  bresaola,  air  dried  beef.

Then the classic Margherita  made bufala mozzarella, tomatoes and basil.

After that was the chestnut aged cheese topped with pistachios and Gran Biscotto ham from Rovagnanti.  Michele loved the combination of the cheese, nuts and ham.

Mast’Nicola made with grana, lardo, basil and extra virgin olive oil.

Last a dessert pizza with Nutella filling and dabs of strawberry puree on top.

Wonderful Afternoon Eating and Drinking at Keste Wall St.

Once a month more or less, our wine and pizza group meets to have pizza, Champagne and Italian wine. Recently we have been going to Keste Wall Street. We like to go there because Roberto Caporuscio, the pizzaiolo/owner, always has something new for us to try, a new appetizer, new pizza toppings, or a new twist on a pizza we had before.

This time, Roberto said he had a new appetizer he wanted us to try the rotolo fritto with ricotta and pancetta (cicolo). WOW!  is  all I can say!

Then the foccacia alla formaggio Recco style.  Recco is a town in Liguria famed for this type of pie.

Then the margherita – a classic

Pizza with blue cheese made from sheep’s milk called basajo,  aged with passito di Pantelleria, and raisins  topped with speck.

Pizza with mozzarella, pistachio nuts and sausage.

Pizza with ricotta mixed with onions marinated with mixed berries, and  topped with caciocavallo podolico

 

The next pizza was topped with culatello, a type of prosciutto made from the choicest part of the pig known for its tenderness and flavor.

 

Here are the wines we drank:

Charles & Alphrede Prieu Champagne Grand Reserve Brut NV made from 45% Chardonnay, 30% Pint noir and 25% Pinot Meunier including 30% reserve wine. It is aged at least 3 years before disgorgement and at least for 3 more months before release. It has hints of apple, lemon and pear with nice minerality.

Ruinart Brut Rosé NV  made from 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay from Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards. About 18% of the Pinot Noir added is still wine. It had red fruit aromas and flavors with hints of raspberries and strawberries.

Champagne Vilmart & Co Coeur De Cuvée 2007 made from 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir from vines over 50 years old. The wine is aged in wood containers. It has hints of hazelnuts and brioche with a hint of lemon. I drank this a few years ago  for my birthday at a friends house in Sag Harbor, it was as good then as it is was now.

Champagne William Deutz 2007 Brut Made from 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay from grapes of Grand Cru vineyards. This was drinking very nicely as it was when I had it a few weeks ago.

Herniot Champagne Brut 1979 The current vintage is made Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from 6 Grand Crus: Maily Champagne, Verzy, Verzenay on Montagne de Reims, Mesnil-su-Oger, Avize, Chouilly on Côte des Blancs. This was the Champagne of the afternoon.

Cerasuolo 2007 Azienda Valentini made from 100% Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo. The wine is aged in large botti of Slavonian oak for 24 months. This is a very complex full wine with a mineral character, hints of citrus fruit and apple, good acidity, great finish and aftertaste with that extra something that is difficult to describe.

Barolo 1996 Bergogno made from 100% Nebbiolo. Classic Barolo with hints of faded roses, tar, licorice and a note of cherry.

Another delicious afternoon of food and wine at Keste!

Puglia comes to Kesté

A number of years ago Michele and I were on a press trip to Puglia and we visited Cantina Due Palme. Recently I received  and invitation for an event called  “Wines of Excellence Made in Puglia: Cantine Due Palma at Keste Wall Street.”

It is always a pleasure to go to Keste and I wanted to catch up on the wines of Due Palme.

Roberto Caporuscio, Pizzaiolo/Owner of Keste, was the host for the evening.

We started with  a focaccia typical of Puglia, made by Roberto. The flour is a mix of Super  Nuvola “0” flour from Caputo, semolina and potato.  The topping is tomatoes and olives.

There was Buratta, a cow’s milk cheese, which originated in Puglia that has an outer shell of mozzarella and inside a mix of shredded mozzarella and cream called stracciatella. It is made fresh everyday at Keste.

Olives from Puglia-Cerignola

Roberto with his former students

Two former students of Roberto, Penelope and Lucie, made the pizza. They have since opened a pizzeria in Quebec City called Nina Pizza Napolitaine.  Roberto said they were his best students and after I tasted the pizza I could not agree more, it was that good.

I asked Robert what flour he uses for his pizza.  He said he uses a mix of 50% Tipo 1 and 50% Super Nuvola Tipo 0 from Caputo.

The Pizza

Pizza with  a mix of homemade straciatella, and smoked and regular mozzarella infused with fresh mint and limoncello, and topped with fresh figs – fantastic.

Pizza with stracciatella cheese, broccoli rape and sausages

Pizza with ricotta and onions sauteed with mixed berries

Vegetarian pizza

Figs marinated in red wine

Cantina Due Palme is a Social Cooperative with its main headquarters located in Cellino San Marco, Puglia.  It was established in 1989 but its roots go back to 1943. In  the beginning there were only 15 members and today there are 1,000 and they have merged with 4 other large wineries with a total capacity 10,000 HL of wine.

Salice Salentino DOP Riserva “Selvarossa” made from Negroamaro and Malvasia Nero. The soil is baked red clay and the training system is alberello. The grapes are hand harvested and some of the grapes are dried in the cellars to concentrate the sugars and flavors and to enrich the structure. The wine is aged for 9 months in French oak barriques and then in bottle until it is ready to be released. The wine has hints of cherry jam, dates and vanilla with a note of toasty oak and a touch of spice.

Primitivo Di Manduria DOP “Sangatano” made from 100% Primitivo Di Manduria. The soil is red in color because of iron oxides with a rocky limestone substratum. The wine is aged for 6 months in American oak barriques followed by maturation in the bottle for a period of time. This is a wine with black fruit aromas and flavors with hints of vanilla and chocolate.

Rosso Salento IGP “1943 The Presidents Wine” made from Primitivo and Aglianico from vineyards planted in 1968. The grapes are hand harvested and some of the grapes are dried (appassimento) in the cellars which are kept humidity free to avoid spoilage. The wine is aged for 9 months in new barrels and for a period in bottle before release. This is an intense and complex wine with hints of coffee, ripe cherry, plum and spicy notes of vanilla. It is called The Presidents Wine because it produced from the old vineyards planted by Angelo Marci, founder and president of the company, in 1968 using the alberello vine training method.

Pizza, Champagne, Older Italian Red Wines at Keste

Every so often Ed McCarthy sends out an e-mail to a group of Pizza and Wine lovers known as the G6. This time we agreed to meet at Keste Wall St for the pizza and as usual we will bring Champagne and older Italian red wines.

When we arrived, Roberto Caporuscio, master pizzaiolo and owner of Keste told us about a new appetizer he wanted us to try. It was homemade burrata with small mozzarellas inside.  He served it with ripe tomatoes and herbs and a drizzle of good olive oil.

Roberto

I spoke with Roberto about the type of flour he uses to make the dough for his pizza. When I first went to Keste on Bleecker Street ten  years ago,  he was using 100% Tipo  00.  When  he opened  Keste on Wall  Street,  he started  using  Tipo 1.  He said he now uses 70% Tipo 1 and 30% Tipo 00. I really enjoyed the  pizza.

As always, we started with Champagne Perrier-Jouet “Belle Epoque” 2004 Made from 50% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir and 5% Pinot Meunier. The wine is aged for over 6 years and the dosage is 9 grams per liter.  It has both delicacy and structure with a crisp freshness, hints of peach, pear and citrus notes. I was very impressed with this Champagne.

Our first pizza is  always a  Margherita made mozzarella, tomatoes and basil.

Barbaresco 1999 Produttori del Barbaresco made from 100% Nebbiolo. The wine is aged in large oak barrels for two years. This is a very traditional co-op, maybe the best and one of the oldest. It has all the classic Nebbiolo flavors and aromas but the wine needs more time to develop.

The next pizza was made with sausage, pistachio nuts and mozzarella.

Barbaresco 1988 “Gallina di Neive” Bruno Giacosa made from 100% Nebbiolo. Giacosa was one of the great producers of Barbaresco and the 1988 was drinking exceptional well.

Then the Sorrentino made with smoked mozzarella, basil and lemons.

Barolo 2001 “Monprivato” Giuseppe Mascarello made from100% Nebbiolo, The Monprivato vineyard is about 15 acres on a southwest- facing slope in Castiglione Falletto. The chalky and gray marl soil is perfect for growing Nebbiolo. This is classic Barolo but it needed more time.

The next pizza was topped with culatello, a type of prosciutto made from the choicest part of the pig, known for its tenderness and flavor.

Chianti Classico 1969 Riserva Ducale Ruffino showing its age but still drinking very well for a wine 50 years old.

Next we had a fried pizza, the Montagnara  topped  with  mozzarella and flavored with truffle  paste.

Roberto said he had a special pizza that he wanted us to try and it was a pizza with caviar and  avocado.  

We ended on a sweet note with fried dough sticks topped with Nutella

Pizza Popolare $5 at Kesté

 

Roberto Caporuscio is a master pizzaiolo and I have enjoyed his pizza since he first opened Keste on Bleecker St.

Recently he invited me to Keste at the Fulton Street location.

 

For the month of December, Roberto is reducing the price of three of Keste’s most popular pizzas to $5  each, the same price you would pay for them in Naples!

The pizzas include:

Mast’Nicola made with grana, lardo, basil and extra virgin olive oil. Roberto said that this pizza dates back to the 16 century before tomatoes were known in Europe.

Marinara Kesté made with tomato sauce, cherry tomatoes and oregano. Roberto said this pizza dates back to the 17 Century when tomatoes came into Europe from the New World.

Margherita made with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, grana, basil and extra virgin olive oil. He said this was the most famous pizza and it dates from the 18 Century. It is my favorite and has been since I first went to Naples in 1970.

The $5 pizza popolare are available at Keste Bleecker St. and Keste Fulton St. The promotion at the moment will last until the end of the year.

Roberto speaking  about the pizza popolare

Roberto said he now uses 70% Tipo 1 and 30% Tipo 00 flour from Caputo for his dough.

The mozzarella is now made in-house.

Roberto also made a few of his other specialties.  Here he is cutting  focaccia stuffed with prosciutto and cheese

Fried Buratta Cheese

Roberto also made a pizza with mozzarella, anchovies and grated lemon rind 

There was a special dessert pizza that is not on the menu.

We had two wines:

Prosecco DOC “Cuvée Giuliana” Isotta Manzoni made from 100% Glera. The soil is clayey and calcareous, the vines are 25 to 30 years old and the vineyard is at 200 meters. The exposure is southwest and the training system is the traditional pergola. Fermentation takes place for 25 days in stainless steel tanks and it is aged for one month is stainless steel. The wine has hints of apple and lemon with a note of grapefruit and nice minerality.

 

Brunello di Montalcino 2013 Piancornello made from 100% Sangiovese. The training system is spurred cordon and there are 5,000 to 6,000 plants per hectare. The wine ages for 24 months in oak barrels and at least 4 months in bottle before release. This is a full bodied wine with red and black berry aromas and flavors, a hint of spice and herbs and touch of balsamic.

Pizza with Roberto Caporuscio: Tipo 1 and Tipo 00 Flour

On the evening of our planned tasting at Keste Pizza & Vino Bleecker Street comparing pizzas made with Tipo 1 flour to Tipo 00, I made sure to arrive early so that I could have an opportunity to discuss the differences in the flour with the master pizzaiolo, Roberto Caporuscio.

Roberto is now using Caputo Tipo 1 flour, which the company describes as follows. “It is an historic flour by aroma, color and flavor. It has a high protein index of 13 and is made from a perfect selection of the best variety of grains with all the richness of wheat germ. Type 1 is suited for direct and indirect dough making with a longer rising time.”

Roberto pointed out to me that the dough made from Tipo 1 is slightly beige in color because the flour contains specks of wheat germ, while Tipo 00 is completely white.

“Tipo” refers to the fineness of the milling.  Tipo 00 is the finest grade of flour milled in Italy and has a consistency and color similar to fine white powder. It is made from soft wheat with a 12.5% protein content. Since 00 has less protein it contains less gluten. And it makes dough that is easier to stretch.

Tipo 1 is less refined because it contains a greater amount of bran, the outer part of the grains of wheat, as well as the wheat germ. Tipo 1 is packed with fiber, mineral salts and vitamins. Roberto said it has a higher nutritional value and therefore it is better for you,  lighter and easier to digest. He also likes it because it can ferment and rise longer than Type 00.

He also said that Tipo I  has about 80% hydration ratio and Tipo 00 has about a 60% hydration ratio. The ratio is the amount of water to the amount flour in the dough. This effects how the pizza rises in the oven.

Roberto said that up until the 1960’s pizza in Naples was made with Tipo 1 flour because they did not have the milling techniques to produce 00. Once they did, they switched to 00. This may be the why Caputo calls Tipo 1 “historical flour”.

I asked Roberto if he would mix the flours to make the dough for his pizza. He said never, one or the other, no mixing.

When everyone arrived Roberto asked if we were ready for the pizza challenge and we all said we were. There were 6 of us, the perfect number for pizza. Roberto said he would make one pizza Margherita using Tipo 1 and one using Tipo 00. Our job was to guess which was which and decide which we liked better.

Tipo 00

We tasted the first one and had some discussion and then tasted the second one. Without much effort, we all guessed correctly which was which and we all liked the one made with the 00 flour better.

Tipo 1

The consensus was that the 00 pizzas had a lighter, puffier crust and better flavor. They conformed to our idea of what Neapolitan pizza is supposed to be and the dough complemented the toppings. The Tipo 1 pie was very good , but we all preferred the 00 pies.

Roberto also made some excellent pizza for us using Tipo 1 as follows: 

Fontina Valle d’Aosta, porcini mushrooms and prosciutto

 

Stracciatella (mozzarella), anchovies, fresh lemon and basil

Figs, stracciatella and caciocavallo

Padrino pizza made with mild soppressata, Ragusano cheese, Gaeta olives and a drizzle of chili oil

Napoletana pizza made with tomato, anchovy and oregano.

It was a very interesting and informative evening and thanks to Roberto for taking the time to speak to us and  make all of the pizza himself!

 

 

 

 

Four Master Pizzaioli at Kesté

Last week I received a text from Roberto Caporuscio of Keste Wall Street that he was making pizza with three other famous pizzaioliz that night. I had plans for dinner but as soon as dinner was over I  jumped in a cab and arrived just time as Roberto was making a Tiella “pie” a speciality from the town of Gaeta.

The filling.  Escarole, squid and black olives.

Ready for the oven.

Roberto shaving truffles on the Tiella– this would never happen in Gaeta.

The finished Tiella.

 

John Arena  made a pizza from an American flour that he developed.

Roberto  made a Roman style pizza.

 

The finished Roman pizza. Better than in Rome

Vincent Rotolo

The other Pizzaioli were Nino Coniglio and Vincent Rotolo.

New York Style Pizza or Detroit Style. Depends on where you live

Square Pizza Sicilian style – The best of this style I ever tasted!

An evening of great pizzaioli making great pizzas at Keste!  I only wish I had gotten there earlier to taste all of them.

Special Pizza to Aid Hurricane Relief

 

It is not often that two top pizzaioli join together in a pizza making event to share Neapolitan pizza making techniques and collaborate in making pizza to benefit hurricane victims.

The event was held at Keste Wall Street( 66 Gold Street NYC )Roberto Caporuscio newest location. Roberto was joined by Tony Gemignani, a 12 time pizza champion, cookbook author and restaurant owner from the West Coast.

Roberto speaking about the dough

Roberto said, “It’s important that the centuries-old art of Neapolitan pizza-making is preserved for generations to come. Tony and I have so much respect and passion for what we do and love to share it with others. While he’s (Tony) in town from the West Coast, we thought it would be fun to get together and offer pizza-lovers an evening of tasting and teaching.”

There was a friendly competition as to who would make the best special pizza. Tony went first.  His version was made with butternut squash, mascarpone, fried brussels sprouts and a drizzle of sorghum.  

Roberto’s was topped with peas, prosciutto di Parma, pancetta, house made burrata and a drizzle of local honey. The pizza will be offered as a special at all of Roberto’s restaurants through November. Proceeds from sales will be donated to the American Red Cross’ Hurricane Irma relief fund.

Giorgia and Roberto

Giorgia Caporuscio, Roberto’s daughter an award winning pizzaiola in her own right, made the  Caporuscio version of the pizza.

The Caporuscio version being prepared by Georgia 

The finished pizza

The preparation of the Margarita

Ready to eat

 

 

 

Then she made a pizza with zucchini flowers whole tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella- preparation

 

Ready to eat

 

 

Tony signed copies of his new book