The air you breathe in Cavalese is as pure and simple as the natural and genuine food you can taste. The municipality is part of the autonomous province of Trento and belongs to the magnificent Val di Fiemme Community. The town is characterised by typical mountain architecture built on terraces along its slopes. This conformation allows to enjoy an extraordinary view over the whole valley.
The tradition of Cavalese has long been based on handicraft production. In fact, there were many workshops, mills and sawmills that gave life to an intense manufacturing activity. Because of the healthy air and water, it was chosen as a summer holiday destination by nobles and bishops.
This context has remained unchanged over time. Ancient buildings bear witness to a prosperous past and the surrounding vegetation generously welcomes guests in search of authentic flavours.
A healthy and uncontaminated environment is the basis for the production of the best dairy products and typical cold cuts. Respect for the territory, in fact, is the philosophy on which the activities of the mountain community and tradition of Cavalese are based. It is in perfect symbiosis with a rich and generous nature. Dairy animals are free to graze on the endless green expanses of the mountains, grazing on local grasses that give the milk a special aroma that is also recognisable to the taste.
The cheeses produced by the artisan dairies range from raw cow’s milk cheeses to goat’s milk cheeses for the preparation of fresh and matured cheeses that are used in the preparation of many traditional dishes of the valley.
The gastronomy of Cavalese is very varied and assorted, using simple and genuine ingredients that draw on the local woods, dairy products and the richness of the surrounding environment. Eating in Cavalese means tasting soups, first courses, second courses and desserts prepared with the best local products and made with care in every detail. An example is the innovative recipe of “Goat cheese ice cream, fermented blueberries and lupin coffee crumble”. Chef Stefano Tait of the Costa Salici Restaurant prepares it for us with typical milk products from the Caseificio Sociale Val di Fiemme.
chef Stefano Tait
This recipe has to be made in several stages as the chef uses fermented blueberries, which take 7-8 days to prepare. After that, the other elements of the dish can be prepared.
For preparing the fermented blueberries:
100 g fresh blueberries
100 ml water
20 g sugar
Wash the blueberries well and place them in an airtight jar. In the meantime, prepare the syrup of water and sugar. Dissolve the sugar in the water and bring to the boil.
Remove from the heat and pour over the blueberries, leaving them to ferment at room temperature for 7-8 days.
To prepare the goat cheese ice cream:
240 g goat cheese
230 g cream
230 ml milk
90 g sugar
Cut the cheese into small cubes. In a pan, prepare the fondue by melting the cheese cubes with the milk, the cream and the sugar. Let it cool down and pour it into an ice cream maker.
For the preparation of the lupin coffee crumble:
100 g butter
50 g sugar
20 g lupin coffee powder
100 g flour
Lupin coffee is an ancient coffee substitute and is characterised by its typical aroma. We prepare the crumble by mixing the powders with the sugar. Add the butter cut into pieces and knead. On a baking tray, crumble the shortcrust pastry and bake at 180° for about 7 to 8 minutes.
For the decoration:
Blueberry powder
100 g blueberries
Cut the blueberries in half and dry them in the oven overnight, then blend them.
Procedure for assembling the dish
Place pieces of lupin coffee crumble on the bottom of the plate, place a scoop of ice cream in the centre and sprinkle with a pinch of dried and crushed blueberry powder. Garnish the ice cream with the fermented blueberries and a little of their syrup. To give an extra touch, we can add pieces of meringue, thus increasing the pleasure of tasting.
