Roast beef and cheese is an old, old concept. And Taleggio? Taleggio is a creamy cheese with a white skin that originally came from the Val Taleggio, in the Alps above Bergamo (it is now made using the same techniques in Piemonte, Lombardia and the Veneto). The cheeses are square, about 2 inches (5 cm) thick and 12 by 12 in size, and one generally discards the rind; what is inside is delicately flavored and creamy. If one had to substitute, one might use a firm Brie. But I like Taleggio better. And, it will work very well with roast beef, making for a novel cheese sauce.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
- 3 1/4 pounds (1.4 k) beef loin
- 1/4 pound (100 g) pancetta
- 6 ounces (150 g) rindless Taleggio
- A sprig of sage
- A shot of brandy
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Butcher's twine
Preparation:
Preheat your oven to 360 F (180 C).
Mince the sage and rub the meat with it, season it with salt and pepper, wrap it in the slices of pancetta, and tie it so it keeps its shape.
Set the meat in a lightly greased pan and roast it for about an hour and 20 minutes, basting it frequently with its drippings. When the meat is close to being done, melt the Taleggio over a low flame, and stir into it the brandy and some of the drippings from the meat.
When the meat is done, remove it to a heat-proof platter and slice it without cutting completely through it. Pour the sauce over the meat, broil it for a few seconds, and serve, with polenta and the vegetable of choice (I might go with a tossed green salad).
The wine? Red, and I would be tempted to serve either a Valcalepio, or a Nebbiolo-based wine from Northern Piemonte, for example Boca, Carema, or Ghemme.
Mince the sage and rub the meat with it, season it with salt and pepper, wrap it in the slices of pancetta, and tie it so it keeps its shape.
Set the meat in a lightly greased pan and roast it for about an hour and 20 minutes, basting it frequently with its drippings. When the meat is close to being done, melt the Taleggio over a low flame, and stir into it the brandy and some of the drippings from the meat.
When the meat is done, remove it to a heat-proof platter and slice it without cutting completely through it. Pour the sauce over the meat, broil it for a few seconds, and serve, with polenta and the vegetable of choice (I might go with a tossed green salad).
The wine? Red, and I would be tempted to serve either a Valcalepio, or a Nebbiolo-based wine from Northern Piemonte, for example Boca, Carema, or Ghemme.
