French Champagne

To Every Season There Is Champagne

Welcome Fall! Cooler temperatures, colorful leaves…let’s toast this beautiful season with champagne! Pumpkin can be a bit overdone this time of year (just ask any coffee shop barista about pumpkin lattes!) but champagne is perfect for any occasion, any season.

Fluteau 2006 Cuvée Symbiose Champagne

Champagne Fluteau, founded in 1935, is a family owned winery located in the southern part of the Champagne growing region of France. The grapes are all hand harvested and sorted to ensure that the grapes arrive at the press in pristine condition. Artisan crafted grower champagne. Crisp with apple and lemon notes. Lovely pairing with seafood. Lots of lovely little bubbles dancing in the flute. $50 range.

White pumpkins are my favorite…I love creating tablescapes with white pumpkins.

Voirin-Jumel Blanc de Blanc Grand Cru Champagne

100 % chardonnay. Small producer located in Cramant, France. Lovely pairing with oysters. $40 range. Light lemon notes.

Truly a very special treat…one of my favorite champagnes… 1998 Cuveé R. Lalou Champagne Cuveé Prestige. Lemon, crushed granite, honey, toast – and nice finish. Beautiful radiant gold with effervescent bubbles.

René Lalou was the Chairman of the prestigious Champagne house of G.H. Mumm during the 20th century. In tribute to him, a special cuvée bearing his name was produced from 1966 to 1985. Luckily for us, in 2007, G.H.MUMM decided to revive this legendary cuvée. The Cellar Master devised a champagne de terroir bred from the best of the House vineyards and named it R. Lalou. $200 range.

Champagne…if you are seeking the truth, is better than a lie detector. It encourages a man to be expansive, even reckless, while lie detectors are only a challenge to tell lies successfully. ~ Graham Greene

Sometimes I enjoy mixing a cocktail without all the fuss of sourcing and measuring the ingredients, so I was happy to find Cocktail Crate Craft Mixers at Fresh Market…”Born in Queens, NYC”. Bubblybee chose “Ginger Bee”, mixed it with vodka, served it in a frozen “Copper Mule Mug” with lots and lots of fresh lime. Rich honey sweetness, fresh ginger and subtle clove. Just add one part spirit to one part mixer in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake, shake, shake!

I served Dewey’s Sharp Aged Cheddar Crackers with my cocktail. Delicious crisp little crackers that disappeared quickly! A southern favorite, Dewey’s Crackers are also available in these flavors Low Country Boil, Chipotle Cheddar Cornbread, and Carolina Style Barbeque.

If you’d like to sign up for the Fresh Market newsletter (to find out about new products and promotions), here’s the link: https://www.thefreshmarket.com

CHEERS!

You are invited to visit my Facebook page: Bubblybee

Please follow me on Instagram: Bubblybeeboop

My Favorite Recipe For Baba Ganoush

July 22, 2017
Becky Ellis
1 comment
appetizer, Baba Ganoush, champagne, eggplant, entertaining, French Champagne, hors doeurves, recipe, vegetarian, wine, wine and food

My wonderful husband presented a champagne tasting as a surprise for me this week…Champagne Dautel-Cadot Grande Tradition Brut NV and Dautel-Cadot Champagne Cuvee Prestige Brut NV.

I love it when I walk in the kitchen and find this sitting on the island which means we are about to commence to tastin’…

My favorite was the Champagne Dautel-Cadot Grande Tradition Brut NV. Consists of 100% pinot noir grapes. $25 range. We tasted notes of lemon meringue and green apple. Bright without being too acidic. Fresh and crisp. After my first sip I exclaimed: “I love this!”

The Dautel-Cadot Champagne Cuvee Prestige Brut NV was also delightful. 50% chardonnay and 50% pinot noir grapes. $28 range. We tasted orange blossom and meyer lemon flavors in this champagne. Lots of fun bubbles dancing in the flute!

Eggplant is in season! This is my husband’s favorite appetizer, much like a Baba Ganoush with some fun taste twists that enhance the flavor of the eggplant:

Eggplant Paté

Note: I puree the ingredients in my blender. A food processor may also be used.

1 cup pureed eggplant (cut eggplant in half and roast in oven, scoop out eggplant pulp with spoon and discard eggplant shell. For one cup pureed eggplant you will need 2 eggplants)

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 red bell pepper, cored, roasted and peeled, pureed (place cored pepper under the oven broiler and blacken all sides of the pepper. Place pepper in a paper bag, close the bag and allow the pepper to cool. Remove the pepper from the bag and scrape off the peel with a sharp knife.

1 tablespoon butter

2.25 ounces pine nuts

1 tablespoon fresh oregano

12 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 ½ teaspoons medium peri-peri sauce

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 ounces goat‘s milk cheese (little log)

Firehook Mediterranean Baked Crackers – sea salt variety (or serve with your favorite flatbread cracker)

Melt butter in small sauté pan. Add pine nuts and sauté over medium-low heat, stirring constantly (monitor carefully because pine nuts will burn quickly) until pine nuts just begin to brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
Place the eggplant puree, red pepper puree, oregano, basil leaves, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, peri-peri sauce, tomato paste in a blender or food processor . Blend until all ingredients are combined and the mixture has a relatively smooth consistency. If the mixture is too thick to blend a little more olive oil can be added.
Place half of the eggplant mixture in a small serving dish. Crumble the goat cheese over the eggplant mixture. Top the goat cheese with the other half of the eggplant mixture. Top the eggplant mixture with the pine nuts.
Serve with crisp flatbread crackers.

Love these irresistable chocolaty happiness in a biscuit Tim Tams! Dark mint is my favorite.

You are invited to visit my Facebook page: Bubbybee

Please follow me on Instagram: bubblybeeboop

The Best Things About Summer…Tomatoes and Champagne!

It’s been a busy summer. We finished our kitchen remodel, yeah! And I’ve been having so much fun cooking up a storm!

My bubbly sister-in-law gave us this lovely “new kitchen warming gift” that she had made for us by our local Appalachian Press ~ I love Madame Lilly Bollinger’s quote:

And I’m always happy because this is pretty much me on the lazy hazy days of summer…

Next week I will be on our local NBC Affiliate show “Daytime Blue Ridge” preparing my favorite Sangria recipes: http://www.wsls.com/daytime

Peachy Rosé Sangria

Sandy’s Peach Mango Sangria

I would love to hear from my readers…What is your favorite Sangria…Do you prefer the traditional red wine/fruit sangria or the lighter white wine/summer fruit sangria?

During the summer we enjoy lots of outdoor festivals. At the Deschutes Brewery Street Pub in Downtown Roanoke Virginia we met Karen Eland, an artist that paints with coffee and beer. http://www.karenelandart.com

Now on to the TOMATOES…On Saturday I visited our local farmer’s market and enjoyed a fresh tomato tasting. After tasting the tomatoes we put a toothpick in our favorite tomato. The tomato with the most toothpicks won the tomato tasting competition.

Mr. Stripey Tomato, beautiful yellow and red striped beefsteak tomato, with its pleasantly sweet taste, was the crowd favorite that day.

Our market offered up huge tomatoes, but none as heavy as this: The heaviest tomato weighs 3.906 kg (8.61 lb), was grown by Dan Sutherland (USA) and weighed in Walla Walla, Washington, USA, on 30 August 2016. The achievement was authenticated by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC). Source: http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/heaviest-tomato

I will be using some of my juicy ripe tomatoes to make Tomato Water Martinis. Here’s a link to a yummy recipe for said martini: http://drinkwire.liquor.com/post/spicy-tomato-water-martini.

Surprise! A green tomato can be ripe if it is a green tomato variety. The Green Zebra Tomato is yellow with dark green stripes. Sweet and tangy. If a green tomato is soft to the touch and the bottom of the yellow stripes begin to turn a light reddish color then the tomato is ripe. Green tomatoes come in cherry tomato size too!

I love purple tomatoes! This Cherokee Purple Tomato has a slightly smoky taste, rich and sweet. This purple tomato, originating from Tennessee, was thought to have been passed down from Native Americans of the Cherokee tribe.

Rosé is a delicious accompaniment to fresh tomatoes. One of my favorites is La Chapelle Brut Rosé Nuance Premier Cru Champagne. $40 range. Crisp and elegant with notes of framboise (raspberry) and fraise des bois (tiny wild French strawberries).

Don’t forget to stay cool and hydrated this summer…

You are invited to visit my Facebook page: Bubblybee

Follow me on Instagram: Bubblybeeboop

Champagne Baron-Fuénte ~ Perfect Food Pairings For Champagne

Where there is no wine there is no love.

…Euripides

On a warm summer evening my husband treated me to a tasting of Baron Fuénte Champagne.

It is always tons of fun to delve into food pairings to match champagnes. I use the book WHAT to DRINK with WHAT you EAT by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page to help get my creative food pairing juices going.

I decided on these champagne and food pairings for our champagne tasting:

Pan Fried Rainbow Trout with Fresh Dill Butter / Baron-Fuénte Grands Cepages Chardonnay Champagne NV

Black Currant Glazed Pork Barbecue on Brioche Buns / Baron-Fuénte Esprit Champagne Grand Cru Brut NV

Saint-André Triple Crème Cheese with Flatbread Crackers / Baron Fuénte Baron S Champagne NV

Baron-Fuénte Grands Cepages Chardonnay Champagne NV served with Pan Fried Rainbow Trout with Fresh Dill Butter. This champagne is composed of 100% chardonnay grapes. I love the shape of this bubbly bottle. $45 range. Notes of citrus (lemon zest), creamy, nice tiny bubbles dancing around the flute, finishing with a touch of toasted almond.

The butter sauce made the champagne taste even more buttery…yum! Dill pairs very well with chardonnay.

The Baron- Fuénte Grands Cepages Chardonnay Champagne NV was my favorite champagne of the three champagnes we tasted that evening.

Our next pairing was our favorite pairing of the evening. Baron-Fuénte Esprit Champagne Grand Cru Brut NV ($35 range) served with Black Currant Glazed Pork Barbecue on Brioche Buns. This champagne had red currant flavors and consists of 55% chardonnay and 45% pinot noir grapes. Pork is a good pairing for chardonnay, so I set out to create a recipe that would showcase the pork and red currant flavors.

I’ve found that the quality of ingredients in making a sandwich is of utmost importance. Purchase the best quality pork loin available for this sandwich.

I could not find red currant jam, but I did find a delicious black currant jam at our local Fresh Market. I glazed very thin slices of pork with the jam, added a few “secret” ingredients and served on toasted brioche buns. The brioche buns are where it’s at baby! This pairing was over the top yummilish!

As I was cooking the pork I noticed that someone else was very interested in the aroma of the pork:

The final pairing of the evening was Baron Fuénte Baron S Champagne NV served with Saint-André Triple Crème Cheese with Flatbread Crackers. The Baron S ($30 range) is composed of 60% pinot meunier and 40% chardonnay grapes. Lots of tiny bubbles with a fine mousse. The pinot meunier grapes give this bubbly a bit of earthiness which pairs well with the cheese.

I enjoyed finding this website that has tasting notes and fun photos from Baron Fuénte vineyard: https://baronfuente.com/en/

Each of these champagnes could serve as an aperitif (alcoholic drink served just prior to a meal to stimulate the appetite) as well as a pairing with food.

For dessert I served “Financiers”, tiny pound cakes that a bubbly friend of mine sent me from France. They are the perfect little buttery bite after a rich meal.

Relaxing after the champagne tasting…

Please visit my facebook page: Bubblybee

Follow me on Instagram: bubblybeeboop

The Chocolate Experience + Champagne!

July 4, 2017
Becky Ellis
2 comments
Altus chocolate, candy, champagne, chocolate, food and wine, foodie, French Champagne, Roanoke Virginia, rose wine, wine

This Summer Is Just Peachy!

Historic City Market, Roanoke, Virginia

http://www.downtownroanoke.org/explore/farmers-market

Another reason to love Downtown Roanoke:

Altus Chocolate

http://www.altuschocolate.com

Campbell Avenue, Downtown Roanoke

The Altus Story is posted in their chocolate shop:

After watching the movie “Chocolat”, Carl and Mary (now the owners of Altus Chocolate) were enamoured by the idea that chocolate could be made in small batches. The molcajete (Mexican version of the mortar and pestle) pictured above is similar to the one they used to grind their first batch of chocolate. It took them roughly 24 hours to grind that first batch and it was, as they describe it, “incredible”.

Their chocolate lounges are in Lynchburg and Roanoke, Virginia. What they love about making chocolate:

Dancing in the kitchen.
Sharing the best chocolate with the best of friends.
Watching faces light up when others experience a single origin tasting for the first time.

They are sharing a chocolate experience!

The best way to find out about happenings (such as the chocolate tasting on July 15) at this lovely chocolate shop is by Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/altuschocolateroanoke

Altus features handmade chocolates, gelato, delicious pastries, unique chocolate bars, drinking chocolate, espresso and specialty coffee drinks (wine coming soon!).

Altus handmade chocolate flavors include Mango Mint Coriander, Summer Sangria, Strawberry Balsamic, Madagascar Vanilla, Chai Spice, Virginia Peanut…

Altus also serves one of my favorites…Affogato…a shot of fresh espresso over your choice of gelato. DELIZIOSO!

And I always enjoy some sips of bubbly with my chocolate…such as this delightful Fluteau Cuvée Symbiose Brut 2006. 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir grapes from Gye-Sur-Seine in the southernmost part of Champagne. Balanced and vibrant with lots of bubbles in the flute. Toasty notes with a hint of lemon and spice. $50 range.

This Summer I could…

Our bubbly friends are in the islands during this 4th of July holiday and here’s what they are enjoying…

While here at home I am enjoying…

Provence Rosé 2016 Chateau Paradis ‘La Grande Terre’

Crisp and refreshing. Juicy peach notes with just a touch of minerality. I love the label on this one! 40% Syrah, 30% Grenache and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. $13 range.

Please comment to let me know the name of your favorite Rosé!

Happy 4th of July!

You are invited to visit my facebook page: Bubblybee

Please follow me on Instagram: Bubblybeeboop

Black Garlic And Champagne

June 8, 2017
Becky Ellis
2 comments
black garlic, champagne, cooking, deviled eggs, entertaining, food, food and wine, foodie, garlic, recipe, rosé, wine

Under the watchful eye of Maxine Andrews…THE CAT

These days we are enjoying dining al fresco on our backyard deck…in 80 degree Fahrenheit weather with a slight breeze…

“Champagne makes you feel like it’s Sunday and better days are just around the corner.” ~ Marlene Dietrich

Pascal Lallement Champagne À Chamery Premier Cru Brut

This artisanal small batch farmer produced cuvee is 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier, and 20% Chardonnay. This vineyard sits on the mountain of Rheims where the grapes receive plenty of sunshine as they grow on the vines.

I love the top of this bottle…Champange! Champagne! Champagne! Notes of apple, honey and toast. Fresh and creamy with a long mineral driven finish. $35-$40 range.

My brother is always discovering fun ingredients for me to try. He and his lovely bubbly wife live near Blacksburg, Virginia where they found this black garlic.

http://www.obisone.com/

ObisOne is a family owned business associated with the Virginia Tech Research Center. Here’s a link to their story: http://www.obisone.com/about-us

Some fun facts about black garlic from the ObisOne website and some of my notes:

Nothing is added when we make artisanal batches of organic black garlic. Heat, humidity and vacuum create an environment that lets the natural sugars and enzymes within the garlic do its own thing.
Black garlic adds a smokiness with just a tiny bit of sweetness and underlying notes of molasses to recipes, all the while maintaining the rich garlic flavor.
The shelf life of our black garlic bulbs and cloves is a minimum of 6 months at room temperature.
Twice the Antioxidants of Raw Garlic. All natural, no additives.
No Garlic Breath!

Their website includes some fabulous recipes using black garlic. Black Garlic Recipes link: http://www.obisone.com/Recipes

Black Garlic Deviled Eggs

Makes 18 deviled eggs

9 fresh eggs (I enjoy getting my eggs from a friend who has chickens…these eggs taste so rich and delicious compared to run-of-the-mill grocery store eggs), hard-boiled, cooled and peeled.

5 cloves black garlic, minced

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Duke’s (brand) mayonnaise

1 tablespoon chunky sweet pickle relish + 1 tablespoon pickle relish juice

1 tablespoon stone ground mustard

Garnish: crumbled crispy bacon and chopped fresh chives

Here’s a link with a recipe for perfectly cooked hard-boiled eggs….it works every time and the eggs are easy to peel! http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_perfect_hard_boiled_eggs/

Cut eggs in half lengthwise; place egg yolks in a bowl. Mash yolks with a fork; stir in mayonnaise, mustard, black garlic, pickle relish and juice. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a food processor or blender and blend until black garlic is incorporated into the mixture. Add more pickle relish juice if needed to blend, being careful not to add too much juice.
Arrange egg white halves on a serving platter; spoon yolk mixture into egg whites. Cover and refrigerate. When ready to serve, garnish with crumbled crispy bacon and chopped chives.

Lady Lola Rosé. I admit, I bought this Italian rosé for it’s pretty bottle. $12 range. The Lady Lola Rose NV is a wine that’s begging to be brought to a garden party. Inexpensive, perfectly drinkable (not remarkable) wine. Peach, raspberry and strawberry notes. Crisp and fresh. It’s peachy pink color told me it would be light and the grape blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Indigenous Veneto varietals promised a not too sweet wine.

Whisps! Cheddar Cheese Crisps (like the parmesan crisps, but these are made with cheddar cheese). Delicious and yummy with champagne! Available at Walmart in the deli section or on-line.

You are invited to visit my Facebook Page: Bubblybee

Shishito Peppers Stuffed With Fontina And Prosciutto

June 1, 2017
Becky Ellis
7 comments
champagne, cooking, food, foodie, French Champagne, recipes, Shisito Peppers, wine

Shishito Peppers ~ local Farmer’s Market, fresh from the garden or Fresh Market

15 Shishito Peppers

6 ounces Fontina cheese, cut into 5 slices and then cut each slice into 3 strips

3 ounces prosciutto, cut horizontally into 15 pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Rinse and dry Shishito Peppers. Cut a slit in the side of each pepper (lengthwise – keeping the stem end in-tact) and remove the ribs and seeds. Wrap the cheese with prosciutto and stuff into peppers (wrapping the proscuitto around the end of the cheese will help the cheese to stay in the pepper as the cheese melts). Arrange the stuffed peppers on a baking sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and lightly with sea salt. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the peppers start to brown and the cheese is bubbly. Serve warm.

To stuff peppers: Rinse and dry peppers. Slice peppers lengthwise to split open (leaving stem end intact).

Alfred Basely – Champagne Brut

Alfred Basely is a smaller producer based near Epernay. Ripe lemony citrus with notes of white flower, mineral and freshly baked bread. Fine bubbles with a long, clean finish. $30 range.

Grilled corn is one of my favorite summer treats. Here are links to two of the most yummy spreads to top grilled corn on the cob…Spicy Taco Butter and Feta Lime Mayonnaise:

https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/grilled-corn-on-the-cob-with-spicy-butter/45ecbca2-a940-441a-bcd1-9ace22a2090c

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/grilled-corn-with-feta-cheese-recipe-1918855

Scenes along the Greenway…Squash Blossom

You are invited to visit my Facebook Page: Bubblybee

1 2 3 Next →

April 2018
M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Mar
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30

French Champagne

To Every Season There Is Champagne

Fluteau 2006 Cuvée Symbiose Champagne

Voirin-Jumel Blanc de Blanc Grand Cru Champagne

Champagne…if you are seeking the truth, is better than a lie detector. It encourages a man to be expansive, even reckless, while lie detectors are only a challenge to tell lies successfully. ~ Graham Greene

CHEERS!

Share this:

Like this:

My Favorite Recipe For Baba Ganoush

Share this:

Like this:

The Best Things About Summer…Tomatoes and Champagne!

Peachy Rosé Sangria

Sandy’s Peach Mango Sangria

Share this:

Like this:

Champagne Baron-Fuénte ~ Perfect Food Pairings For Champagne

Share this:

Like this:

The Chocolate Experience + Champagne!

Share this:

Like this:

Black Garlic And Champagne

Share this:

Like this:

Shishito Peppers Stuffed With Fontina And Prosciutto

Share this:

Like this:

Meta