Nibbles with Champagne?
We are hosting a small (8people) wine tasting this weekend. As my guests arrive I am going to start them with a glass of bubbly while we mingle before sitting down to the tasting.
will one bottle serve 8 people?
what sort of easy appetizer should I serve that shows off the versatility of champagne? Something they may not have thought of....even something in the junk food realm. Something they can help themselves to.
can I do this with either Prosecco or Cava? I am thinking of these b/c of price. I am up in Canada, and unless someone has a miracle suggestion for Champagne under $20 these are my options.
Thank you!
cleopatra999
May 06, 2008 06:57AM
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Champagne/sparkling wine is incredibly versatile. I like using its effervescence and acidity to play off of fried and salty. My favorite pairing is with duck-fat fried latkes with creme fraiche and salmon roe. Yum.
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dang those latkes sound great!
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1 bottle for 8 person is enough if it's part of a tasting.
Depending on the quality (*) of the champagne, you can have pretty much everything with it; from seafood to meat and vegetables (tempura,...)
I like "sashimi" type nibbles, tuna, salmon, ...
If your budget is limited, Cava and Prosecco are very acceptable and a good and better alternative to cheap Champagne.
(*) IMO, and I might be wrong, the higher the quality, the more "substantial" the food can be.
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Prosecco and Cava are both as celebratory and fun as Champagne, and sometimes moreso, because they are so much more affordable.
For nibbles, I like to make up a batch of something I can do ahead and reheat at the last minute like Spinach Balls or Ham Balls, and add a bowl of herbed olives. along with that. Keep it very simple and light. If your wine tasting has a theme, you might want to figure that into your appy choice.
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Olives are perfect. what about some hand seasoned nut mixes...would that work? I am looking for easy and inexpensive, the rest of the tasting is mostly seafood, so fairly pricey.
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I recently made Parmesan and Hazelnut Crackers to go with Champagne.
They were like Parmesan shortbread cookies and very good ...
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try some prosecco with melon wrapped prosciutto
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I think there are some great food suggestions. Not sure what you are serving for the rest of the meal (which does impact the beginning). If I may suggest a cremant from Alsace. It may be more similar to Champagne than a Cava or a Prosecco. Plus there are several out there that are less than $20.
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New potatoes boiled, cut in half, with a scoop out of the middle of each half. Fill the void with créme fraîche and top with caviar.
Second, Carr's Water Cracker, spread with créme fraîche, with smoked salmon (maybe even a paté) and garnished with tiny capers.
Hunt
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Anything fried works: fried chicken, French fries (especially with a gourmet ketchup), tempura, etc.
Most salty things work: smoked salmon, caviar, nuts, etc.
Many things with fat work, like soft cheeses, salami, butter -- even cold cuts
Mushrooms work well, like oyster and chanterelle mushrooms, but truffles work also.
Sometimes toasty things, like toast points, toasted baguette slices, crackers, brioche, pair well with the toastiness in the champagne. Use these as a base for other flavors.
Little touches of citrus work: lemon zest, orange peel.
Delicate green things can add a note: cucumber, a touch of tarragon, celery
A tiny touch of heat works: a tiny touch of wasabi, horseradish, powdered mustard, etc.; as in sushi, horseradish cream sauce, etc.
Several other posters from Canada have asked for Champagne recs from the listings from the LCBO.
Please see:
http://www.chow.com/search?search%5Bq...
Just for future reference...
An aged Champagne (about 15-20 years) can take on heftier items such as a veal roast or roast fowl. Rose Champagne can take on slightly heartier fare than regular champagne. Two of my favorite rose pairings were rare roast beef with horseradish cream sauce, and chiles en nogades made with a walnut cream sauce and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds.
Best,
M.
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thanks ML, I love the french fries idea. I am really trying to show how well sparkling works with everyday snack foods (but then dress them up a bit)
I want to just put a few nibblies in bowls, so I think I will go with
Olives
French fries (with a gourmet ketchup)
spiced nuts
cauliflower popcorn (oiled roasted salted cauliflower in small pieces)
thanks everyone
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My favorite thing with bubbles is french fries but a close second...potato chips. Might be easier to do chips because they are not going to get soggy or cold...cold fries are not to yummy. You could play with fancy dips or plate up a bunch of chips smeared with some triple cream cheese, so good!
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thank you, that may be a good choice depending on time. Any favorite flavors?
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You might also try making sweet potato chips or fries. Great with aioli or any other dip.
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Re: French fries -- might be tough to do if you'll be busy cooking the main meal. French fries need to be hot, and eaten immediately, and involve frying, blah blah.
Plus, there is the hardfast rule that a hostess must always enjoy her own party...and being able to greet guests and offer them a glass of bubbly and already-prepared nibble foods allows her to do that. [applies to hosts too, of course]
Potato chips -- This may sound a little corny, but it's great...
I get the ruffled Lays potato chips, and then some organic sour cream and put that in a small, pretty bowl. In the very center of the white sour cream, I invert a small jar of caviar [you choose the price point], so that it's a black circle inside a larger white circle. The look sort of has this Japanese minimalism. Take a potato chip, stripe it through the sour cream and caviar, and Voila!! We do this every year for New Year's and for the Academy Awards. It's really wonderful -- the salt and fat and bubbly.
Please see these threads with lots of casual pairings for Champagne:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/470283
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/347066
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I like the potato chip idea--doing it with creme fraiche and salmon roe will give the same flavor profile with a lot less work. I'll have to try it for a party some time. There's lots of fun things to think of doing that--I'm already thinking about potato chips with wasabi creme fraiche and tobiko...
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"doing it with creme fraiche and salmon roe will give the same flavor profile with a lot less work."
That sounds pretty.
I don't understand the "with a lot less work" part though. Seems like opening a container of sour cream and a container of caviar is about as simple as it gets, and takes the same amount of effort as opening a container of creme fraiche and one of fresh salmon roe.
Or am I missing something, chefd? Guessing here...Do you possibly mean that other preparations using the salmon/creme fraiche flavor combo take more work?
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I'm sorry for being unclear--I was referring to my suggestion earlier in the thread for duck-fat fried latkes with creme fraiche and salmon roe. We made those to accompany champagne at last new year's and they blew everyone away.
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I like the way you think, ML.
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Last weekend, I opened a Bruno Gobillard Vieilles Vignes NV Brut (absolutely stunning!) and enjoyed it with the following:
Picholine olives
Cornichons
Duck Truffle mousse
Rembrandt aged Gouda
double cream brie (wanted Brillat Savarin, but it wasn't available)
Baguette
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Simple snack pairing with Chmapgne: Homemade buttered popcorn
Great pairing that's a little more work: Fried Fiddleheads with a light tempura batter (blanch first) very seasonal but very good !
I second the Alsatian Cremant. I just had one from Fredric Mallo that was quite good. Another option would Argyle Brut from Washington (not sure about availibilty/price in Canada but it is around $24 in Vermont).
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mmmm...popcorn! I love all these ideas.
I will look into the Alsatian Cremant & the Argyle Brut, but I have a feeling it will be too expensive :(
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Cleo, I'm sure you're weeping into your stilettos when Tony and others tell you what they're paying for the Argyle and other sparkling wines in the US.
A few other posters on this Wine Board live in Ontario and I recall the prices of the wines listed on the LCBO (the Liquor Control Board of Ontario) as being 2 or 3 times the price of the same wine here in California.I realize now you are in Alberta, but the Alberta LCB can't be much better.
Also consider truffled popcorn: cook a small amount of truffle pieces in a good deal of butter, strain and then pour that over popcorn. Salt and eat as usual.
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It frustrates us to no end the price differences. When we were down in Cali this winter we stocked up on great wine. I was amazed at the price difference, especially on inexpensive stuff, such as the wines at the grocery store.
the truffle popcorn sounds great! would truffle oil work well too? I actually have a couple of truffles left in a jar from New years eve. How long can they last? they are not completely covered in whatever liquid they came in.
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The last time we had Champgne with appetizers, we made bacon wrapped dates. A nice combination of sweet / savory. They were a hit.
There are plenty of variations, but we simply bought Medjool dates, removed the pit (easy), put a small piece of Parmigiana Reggiana in place of the pit, wrapped in a small slice of applewood smoked uncured bacon (held in place with a toothpick) and put under the broiler (toaster oven will do also) for somewhere between 5 to 10 minutes (basiicly, until the bacon looks done).
They are good and easy to make, but like the french fry suggestion, better when still slighty warm. (This was not a problem in our situation, as they were consumed rather quickly.) They can be made in advance and run under the broiler when company arives, so the distraction level is low.
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One bottle will serve 8 people, but not more.
I'd go with dry cured meats... A salami, priscutto, etc. Alternatively, for truly "fast food", French fried, potato chips, or really anything else that has a lot of fat and salt.
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I recently posted a recipe for Smoked oyster pockets, which are smoked oysters wrapped in a simple cream cheese pastry. You can prepare them ahead of time, and pop them in the oven just before people arrive. They are great with any sparkling wine!
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/516261
Feel your pain about the prices of champagne. I would definitely go for Prosecco, or maybe something bubbly from the Loire Valley.
I must admit, I am pleased to see this thread. I have convinced one of my wine tasting groups to do a Champagne night, and we will be trying some of these fine suggestions. Including (Bubbles4me, we are finally doing it!) Fried chicken!! This is the same group that was game to do the Wine that goes with Bacon dishes tasting (very successful). I love my wine tasting group...
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Great success last night with the tasting.
The sparkling was a great hit, went for a Cava (Sigura Viudas), a steal for $14.99, and it was great!
The snacks were very well received. The truffled popcorn was amazing, I used truffle oil that I put in with the melted butter b4 drizzling, this may be the way I always eat popcorn now. The chips with cavier were delicious, it all went very well with the cava.
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I am definitely using that popcorn idea for our champagne tasting...
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