Cooking with Champagne & Sparkling Wines

Do we really need any more excuses to open another bottle of bubbly, well cooking in the kitchen is most certainly another reason to pop another cork. I’m sure, like myself, we are very much aware that cooking with wine has been around for a long time be it mussels with white wine or coq au vin, we’ve all no doubt surrendered a portion of our bottle of wine to complete one dish or another. Just how frequently will we have poured some fizz into that casserole or fruit flan in recent months though I ask you… It’s hard enough us trying to share our fizz with friends and family, let alone donating it to the dinner plate?!

“I enjoy cooking with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food I’m cooking.” Quote by Julia Child

Now the popularity of enjoying food with Champagne & Sparkling Wine is growing with more and more dishes tempting us to open up a bottle of bubbly, no longer is it just Oysters than Champagne compliments, we’ve now fish and chips, curries, sushi, BBQ foods and much more. With these tempting thoughts to research a recipe for tonight’s dinner with spinning round in our minds, let us look at some popular dishes you can add fizz too:

• Champagne-Can Chicken: Requiring approx one glass of bubbly to be added to make this popular dish even more tempting!
• Champagne Risotto: 3/4 cup of Champagne (Prosecco can be used also) for this one to give a very popular dish a splash of fizz… You’ll just have to wait the 3 minutes for the Champagne to soak in and evaporate! Evaporate!!
• Summer Fruit, Elderflower and Prosecco Jelly: Loaded with fruit, jelly and bubbly – What more could you want and what a an extra little something to wow your party guests during those lazy days of Summer in the garden.
• Baked salmon with Prosecco: Can you sacrifice half a bottle of Prosecco as that is what is needed to give your salmon that ideal sparkling freshness – Prosecco and fish is a great combo.
• Veal Stew with Brut Champagne: So you are recommended to let the Champagne go flat (yes I know that is a cardinal sin for many) and use a glass and a bit to compliment this tender beef dish.
• French Onion Soup: So once in awhile this dish to pop in to our minds and we’re off to the supermarket with onions, french bread and cheese on our minds… Though you can replace that still white wine with a Cava, added that fruit/apple punch to this traditional French dish.
• Champagne Cake: No, you did hear that correctly and you are not dreaming… The Champagne ganache involves using 2/3 of a cup as suggested by Valerie Gordon.