Three, two,
one, party! With 2013 around the corner,
do you have your New Year’s Eve celebration plans set? Are you painting the town red? Hosting a soirée at your house? Attending a
friend’s bash? Relaxing in front of television with a glass of champagne and
ringing in the New Year with Ryan Seacrest? No matter what plans you have, as
long as you are authentic in your celebratory plans and do what makes you happy, then
that is the best way to ring in the New Year.
Last year
at this time I was preparing for an intimate New Years Eve soiree that I was
hosting at our house. Entertaining for
me is an opportunity to let my creative juices flow, gather good friends
together and share in great conversation and many laughs. One of my long time friends Denise came to the Bay
Area for the holidays, so it was a perfect reason to host a wine and appetizer
party at our house for her and about a dozen plus other friends. A good time was had by all with good friends,
great conversations, tasty food, special wines and indelible memories.
This year
Hubby and I decided to celebrate with just the two of us by enjoying a wonderful
bottle of bubbly and sharing tasty appetizers.
Perhaps to ring in 2014, we will host a bash at our house. Until then, I am looking forward to having a
party for two and ringing in the New Year with my hubby. We will be feasting on an array of appetizers
along with enjoying a few glasses of French bubbly. I have featured a few of the tasty appetizers
we will be enjoying.
Speaking of bubbly, thought I would share with all of
you a Quick Guide to Champagne and Sparkling Wine:
Facts
Authentic
champagne, a sparkling wine must come from the Champagne region of France and must be made using the “methode
champenoise”, in which secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle. Other sparkling wines are made using “methode
traditionelle”, “bottle fermented” or methode champenoise” on the label.
Alternatives
- American
Sparkling Wines such as Roederer Estates (by Champagne Louis Roederer), Domaine
Chandon (by Moet & Chandon) and Domaine Carneros (by Tattinger) are a few
French producers in California.
- Cremant are
sparkling wines made outside of the Champagne region in France and still utilize the methode
champenoise to produce these sparkling wines.
Brut Rose is a perfect example of Cremant with it’s lovely coral color,
berry aromas and a dry finish.
- Cava is
from Spain and is the sparkling wine that is
primarily produced in the Penedes region in Catalonia.
- Prosecco,
one of my favorites is made from the Moscato Bianco grape in the Peidmont
region in Italy.
- Blanc de
Blancs is made only with chardonnay grapes and goes well with light foods
- Blanc de
Noirs is made solely from pinot noir and pinot meunier grapes and often have a
deeper color which pair well with meats and cheeses.
- Rose can be
all pinot noir, pinot noir & pinot meunier or a blend of all three
grapes. The color comes from leaving the
skin on during the fermentation process for a period of time and is called “saignee”
which means bleeding. Rose pairs well
with food.
Dry versus Sweet
Review the
label to determine the level of sweetness:
- Extra Brut –
totally dry
- Brut – dry
- Extra Dry –
Medium dry
- Sec –
slightly sweet
- Demi – Sec:
Fairly sweet
- Doux –
Sweet
Chilling
According
to the French, the correct way to chill a bottle is to use a champagne bucket
filled with a combination of water and ice should reach the perfect temperature
in 15 to 20 minutes.
Food Pairing
Champagne is a wonderful beverage to pair
with many foods. Here is a quick list of
both traditional and non-traditional pairings to try:
- Hard
cheeses – Cheddar, Gouda and Parmesan
- Breaded and
fried mushrooms with a Srirachi dipping sauce
- Gruyere
Gougeres
- Mac and
Cheese
- Truffled
Popcorn
- Deviled
Eggs
- Handmade
Potato Chips with Sea Salt
- Crab Cakes
- Butternut
Squash Risotto
- Mini Bacon,
Lettuce and Tomato Sandwiches
- Chinese Egg
Rolls
- Classic
Cheese Fondue
- Individual
Baked Cheese Soufflés
- Figs wrapped
with Prosciutto
- Duck Fat
Fried French Fries with Rosemary
Opening Champagne
A toast to you!! I want to
raise my virtual glass of champagne and toast each of you and wish you all
the best in 2013. May it be a year
filled with much happiness, good health and your own personal prosperity. May you have many new learning experiences,
expand your imagination, be grateful for every day, accept new challenges and
recognize opportunities. Of course, may
it be filled with delicious food and wine!
Cheers!
Blue Cheese
Shortbread Bites
Makes 36
Shortbreads
½ Cup Sharp
Blue Cheese, room temperature
3
Tablespoon Butter, room temperature
½ Cup Flour
¼ Cup
Cornstarch
½ teaspoon
pepper
¼ teaspoon
salt
1/3 Cup
Walnuts, chopped
Topping
Ricotta
Cheese
Mango
Chutney
Candied
Walnuts
Combine the
blue cheese and butter in a food processor; process until creamy. Add the flour, cornstarch, pepper and salt to
the processor and pulse to combine. Next
add the walnut nuts and process until incorporated. Do not over process. Remove the dough from the food processor and
shape into a ball and then flatten into a disk.
Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for one hour until firm.
Preheat
oven to 325 degrees.
Place the
chilled dough on a piece of plastic wrap and cover with another piece of
plastic wrap. Roll the dough out to
about ¼ inch thick. Remove the top
plastic wrap and cut into 1-inch circles using a fluted cookie cutter. Place on a cookie sheet with parchment
paper. Repeat until all the dough is
used. Bake until light brown, about 20
to 25 minutes. Let cool.
To
assemble, spread about 1 teaspoon of ricotta cheese on top of each shortbread
and place a small dollop of mango chutney on top of ricotta then garnish with a
small candied walnut piece. Enjoy!
Note: Blue Cheese Shortbread recipe from Cocktail
Food by Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford
