TAM Airlines unveils its new 2010 menus devised by Helena Rizzo

TAM Airlines has launched a series of new menus for its international services, a selection of dishes which have been devised for the carrier by the highly acclaimed Brazilian chef, Helena Rizzo. Rizzo is responsible for the award winning São Paulo restaurant and city hot spot, Mani. A recent review of Mani in the Financial Times said that Rizzo’s cooking is both “delightful and clever.”

The chef’s new dishes are characterized by lightness, inspired on tea flavours and aromas, and are available on TAM’s international services as of 10 January 2010.

“TAM’s commitment to service quality is one of the supporting columns of our company’s operation,” explains Manoela Amaro, Marketing Director for the airline. “We want to continuously offer our clients the very best. The annual review and renewal of our international flight menus is part of such a commitment.”

There are approximately 500 different options between entrées, main courses and desserts that are offered by TAM in its’ First Class, Business and Economy cabins on international flights. All the new options have been developed with a softness and delicate touch of herb and flower aromas mixed with flavours inspired from around the globe. “We will offer our customers a new gastronomic experience,” promises Amaro.

In First Class, filet mignon rosbeef with poached pear and yogi tee-aromatized olive oil, lamb ribs with rosemary au jus and artichoke and tomato caponnata, chicken fillet stuffed with Earl Grey tea and mushrooms with jasmine rice and pak choi, are among the options available. For dessert, there is apple pie with farofa doce (a sweet peanut concoction crumbled into a fine powder), aromatized with rooitea and topped with cinnamon fudge.

For the passenger in Business Class the choices include shrimp with yogurt dressing and yin zhen sprouts, brie cheese and leek ravioli with marinara sauce, sesame crispy chicken fillet with curry sauce and coconut milk and marsala tea and jasmine rice. For dessert, one of the options is an Earl Grey tea panna cotta and lemon with raspberry icing.

In Economy Class the options could include a mix of green vegetables served with carrots and anise, meat casserole au roti sauce with mashed potatoes and sauté vegetables, or chicken drumstick with curry sauce and coconut milk and marsala tea served with white rice and peas, along with balm-mint panna cotta with a raspberry sauce.

Tea on board

Teas are not restricted to the dishes served on board. TAM has hired Carla Saueressig – the top tea-blending specialist in Brazil – to develop a special blend for its on-board service.

Saueressig has created a red-coloured drink, a colour symbolizing life and the warmth of TAM, in which fruity flavours from tropical Brazil and herbs from Amazon come together with a floral tone and a sweet vanilla base, just like the good things in life. “It conveys cosiness, comfort and the pleasure of flying with TAM”, says Amaro.

2010 TAM Wine List

As well as re-launching its menus, TAM has also updated the selection of wines it serves on its international flights. The new list is the responsibility of Arthur Azevedo, CEO of the Brazilian Association of Sommeliers in São Paulo, who in addition is also the editor of Wine Style magazine and a consultant of the Artwine site.

To harmonize with the new dishes on the airline’s international menu, the sommelier has sourced wines from different countries and continents.

In First Class the Drappier La Grande Sendrée champagne, from vineyards that are more than 70 years old, is a popular choice. Among the wines, the white Luís Pato Vinhas Velhas from Bairrada, Portugal; and Boutari Moschofilero OPAP Mantínia, from Peloponnese, Greece deserve a special mention; as do the red wines such as L’Etoile de Bergey from the French region of Pessac-Léognan, in Bordeaux, produced by the Garcin-Cathiard family in limited quantities; the Spanish wine, Abadia Retuerta Cuvée Palomar, from Sardon del Duero; Cuvée Palomar, another wine integrating the elite of Spanish wines; and the I Balzini Black Label, from Tuscany, Italy.

For Business Class the Drappier Carte d’Or champagne has been selected, which is produced in the small and charming town of Urville; the white wines include Weingut Brundlmayer Grüner Veltliner, from Austria, and Selbach Oster Bereich Bernkastel Selbach Riesling QbA, from Mosel, Germany; while the red wines feature Fayat-Thunevin, from the French region of Lalande de Pomerol, in Bordeaux; and Ysios Reserva, from Rioja, Spain.

Economy class, selections include the Argentinean wines Grafigna Malbec, from San Juan, and Etchart Torrontés, from Salta.