"In victory you deserve Champagne; in defeat, you need it."
Napoleon Bonaparte
You could just drink champagne, of course, but why limit the opportunities to
enjoy it? Cook with something special, such as champagne, and your menu items
turn into something special. Champagne can be cooked into rice, grated into
potatoes and vegetables, and frozen into sorbets, and it can dress up salads and
add fantasy to sauces.
Here are some champagne cooking guidelines:
If you wouldn’t drink it, than don’t cook with it! Flat is okay, but if the
flavor is not acceptable for sipping, it won’t be acceptable for cooking.
Heating a poor champagne does not magically create a wonderful flavor.
Champagne may be substituted for most white wines in recipes. Match the
sweetness or dryness, as appropriate to the recipe.
Champagne holds its flavor very well, so don’t expect the flavor to
disappear with cooking. This can be a good thing if you’d like a sauce to have
an overtone of champagne flavor, but not so wonderful if you’re expecting the
champagne to disappear into the background.
Choose a BRUT champagne for desserts and a SEC for savory, unless you’re
willing to experiment with new flavor profiles.
When adding champagne to a pan, watch out for the bubbles. Champagne will
foam up and overflow, so cook on low heat until the bubbles are
dissipated.
Champagne adds a simple elegance without requiring a lot of extra work or
time. Braise seasonal fruit, such as apples, pears, peaches or apricots in
champagne to be served as an accompaniment dish or part of a dessert. Peel and
half fruit and heat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a sauté pan, and place the
fruit, with cut side down in the pan. Add enough champagne to cover the fruit
and weigh down with a plate or folded cheesecloth so the fruit evenly cooks.
When the fruit is soft, remove from the pan and reserve; reduce cooking liquid
for a glaze, and serve as dessert, with berries and dried fruit, or as savory,
with Chevre or Gorgonzola, candied walnuts and drizzle of balsamic.
Light meats and vegetables can be sautéed in Champagne and finished with
clarified butter. Champagne brings out the sweetness of lobster and shrimp.
Risotto and fine pastas can be cooked with champagne and finished with grated
cheeses.
Fast and elegant champagne sauces are easy. Combine clarified butter, lemon
juice, and Champagne and reduce until flavors are just married. Or whisk cream,
mustard and champagne with a little thyme and white pepper and reduce until
thick. These sauces work well with poultry, pasta, seafood, light vegetables,
potatoes and rice.