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Champagne/Sparkling Wine Food Recipes
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I bet you never considered serving Champagne or sparkling wine with
dinner before. We tend to think that you should only serve it during a
celebration, special event or at the very least, as an aperitif before
dinner. Don’t underestimate the ability of Champagne to pair with
dinner, it has many advantages over most other wines that we overlook
or take for granted.
Take all those fizzy bubbles for instance. They just seem to come to
the rescue of many bizarre food items in much the same way a coke or
a beer washes down a burger and fries like nobody’s business. The
bubbles help to break up the overbearing flavors in your entrée by
providing the palate with a different texture and a cleansing type of
reaction.
Another advantage Champagne/sparkling wine has is that it is loaded
with high acidity. It is this high acidity that enables it to balance the
flavors of smoky and salty foods so well where so many other styles of
wine fall short. A lot of Asian foods are high in salt, especially when
made using soy sauce and once again, Champagne/sparkling wines
come to the rescue. Next time you order some Sushi, try a nice glass
of Champagne and you’ll see what I mean. Boy, is that ever a slice of
heaven!
I would also venture to say that it is one wine style I would not be afraid
of serving with breakfast or brunch. Eggs and egg-based dishes in
particular are aided by the refreshing taste of a good bubbly. They also
make a great compliment to many desserts or may be enjoyed all on
their own at the end of an evening.
Lastly, I would say that Champagne/sparkling wines have an
overwhelming amount of flavors at their disposal that provide a link to
so many different styles of food. Fruit flavors that range all over the
scale like strawberry, honeydew, melons, lemon, apple, cherry, etc…
There are also nutty flavors like almonds and/or other scents and
tastes like bread dough, yeast or mineral notes in Champagne. These
flavor profiles help make your favorite celebratory wine such a hit with
nuts, fruits, and cheeses. Even salads with those pesky oil and vinegar-
based dressings, that seem to stump most wines, proves to be quite a
match for Champagne/sparkling wine.
Here are just a few recipes you can try with Champagne/sparkling wine
and a few cocktails you can make where Champagne becomes the star
ingredient:
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Back to Monthly
Recipes
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Shrimp and Avocado Salsa in Pita Toasts
By Sid Goldstein from “The Wine Lover’s Cookbook”
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¾ pound bay shrimp, drained but rinsed
¼ cup finely chopped sweet or red onion
1-½ cups chopped ripe red tomatoes
1 ripe avocado, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1-tablespoon fresh limejuice
2 tablespoons seafood cocktail sauce
½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
Kosher salt
4 pita bread rounds, cut into 8 triangles each
Garnish: cilantro sprigs
In a medium, nonreactive mixing bowl, combine shrimp, onions, tomatoes, avocado, jalapeno, limejuice,
cocktail sauce, and chopped cilantro and mix thoroughly but gently. Refrigerate, covered, for 2 to 3 hours
before using. Season to taste with kosher salt.
Lightly toast pita bread so that it is warmed through but not crispy. Spread pita open and spoon shrimp
mixture into it. Serve on a large platter garnished with long sprigs of cilantro.
Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer
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Poached Swordfish with Champagne-Grape Sauce
By Sid Goldstein from “The Wine Lover’s Cookbook"
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This ham is cooked with a little liquid in the pan to keep it tender and juicy. Serve with Champagne Raisin Sauce.
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1-¼ cups fish stock
¾ cup Champagne/sparkling wine
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (1/2 teaspoon dried)
½ teaspoon dry mustard
2 pounds fresh swordfish fillets
1 teaspoon drained capers
¼ cup halved green seedless grapes
¼ cup halved red seedless grapes
1-½ tablespoons toasted chopped almonds
2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
In a large sauté pan or skillet over medium high heat, reduce stock, Champagne, shallots, thyme, and
mustard by half. Add the swordfish fillets, reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and poach for 10 to 12
minutes, until fillets are cooked through. Remove fillets and keep warm in foil.
Increase heat and reduce liquid to a consistency that coats the back of a wooden spoon. Add capers and
grapes and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and swirl in butter.
Serve swordfish with evenly divided grapes, sauce, and almonds on top.
Serves 2 as an entrée
Braised Ham with Orange-Honey Glaze
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8 lb semi-boneless ready-to-serve ham
15 whole cloves
2 cups orange juice
1 cup white wine
Grated rind of 1 orange
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp dry mustard
1. Trim skin and excess fat from ham, leaving about ¼ inch covering of fat over ham.
Insert cloves into fat side of ham; place in roasting pan, fat side up.
2. Combine orange juice, wine and orange rind; set ½ cup aside and pour remaining
mixture over ham. Set roasting pan on top of stove and bring liquid to boil, them place in
325 degrees oven for 1-½ hours, basting occasionally.
3. Combine reserved liquid, honey, ginger and mustard; stir until smooth. Pour over
ham and bake for 30 minutes, basting occasionally. Makes about 12 servings.
Champagne Raisin Sauce
2 cups champagne
1 cup raisins
4 tsp cornstarch
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup butter
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp each ground cloves and cinnamon
1. In saucepan, bring 1 cup of the champagne and raisins to boil; reduce heat to low and
simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Dissolve cornstarch in remaining champagne; add to saucepan along with sugar,
butter, slat, cloves and cinnamon. Cook stirring, until boiling and slightly thickened, 2 to 3
minutes. Pour into sauceboat. Makes about 3 cups, enough for 12 servings.
Champagne Cocktails
These recipes were taken from the December 2003 issue of "The Wine Enthusiast"
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Flirtini – enjoyed by the girls from Sex and the City
3 or 4 fresh raspberries
1 ½ ounces Stolichnaya Razberi vodka
½ ounce Cointreau
Splash of fresh lime juice
Splash of pineapple juice
Splash of cranberry juice
Champagne or sparkling wine
Mint sprig for garnish
Place the raspberries in the bottom of a chilled flute. Pour all the other ingredients except the
Champagne into a shaker that is two-thirds full of ice and shake well. Strain into the flute, top with
Champagne and add the mint sprig.
Dolce Vita
½ ounce grenadine
¾ ounce amaretto
1-ounce passion fruit juice
Champagne or Sparkling Wine
¼ miniature pineapple for garnish
Pour all of the ingredients except the Champagne into a cocktail shaker two-thirds full of ice cubes and
shake to combine. Strain into a chilled flute, top off with the Champagne and add the garnish to the lip
of the glass.
Full Monte
¼ ounce vodka
¼ ounce gin
¼ ounce light rum
¼ ounce Tequila
¼ ounce Maraschino liqueur
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
½ ounce simple syrup (water & sugar)
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
Champagne or sparkling wine
Pour all of the ingredients except the Champagne into a shaker two-thirds full of ice and shake well.
Strain into a chilled flute and top with the Champagne. Call me crazy, but too many of these and I don’t
think you could function in society!
Schnapp, Crackle and Pop
1 ounce Van Gogh Wild Appel vodka (That’s how it’s spelled. Don’t call me an idiot!)
¼ to ½ ounce cinnamon schnapps
Champagne or other sparkling wine
Pour all of the ingredients into a chilled flute.
Mimosa
Orange Juice
Champagne or sparkling wine
Combine the two in a chilled flute and serve with breakfast! Get your day started off right!
