Wine Enthusiast "Best Buy" 90+ Pts
1 package of smoked salmon
1 pickling cucumber
1 container of Neufchâtel cheese or cream cheese
Slice cucumbers 1/4 inch thick. Spread Neufchatel cheese on the cucumber and place a piece of smoked salmon on top.
Best Enjoyed with a glass of Le Grand Courtâge Brut Rosé.
Source: Addie Gundry
Squeeze all the liquid you can out of the shredded russet potato. In a large bowl, combine the other root vegetables, onion, flour, baking powder, and thyme. Mix well.
Heat 1 Tbsp. in a large skillet over medium heat. Scoop about 1/2 cup mixture into skillet and press into a 1/8 inch patty. Fry 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown.
Transfer pancakes to a paper towel-lined plate and enjoy when cooled.
Best paired with Le Grand Courtâge Blanc de Blanc Brut.
Recipe: lesliedurso.com | Image: marksdailyapple.com
Chicken and Bacon Corn Chowder
Chicken and Bacon Corn Chowder
1 rotisserie chicken
5 cups low sodium chicken broth (preferably homemade – recipe here)
½ pound thick bacon, diced
5 stalks celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 medium Spanish onions, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced
2 medium russet or all-purpose potatoes, peeled and diced
8 ears fresh corn, removed from the cob
2 to 3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2-½ cups heavy cream
¼ cup cornstarch
Freshly ground black pepper
Southern Skillet Cream Biscuits
2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
4 tbsp butter
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
Heat the bacon in a large pot over medium heat. Cook until the bacon fat is rendered and the meat is crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the celery, carrot, onions, and garlic. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables begin to soften and onion becomes translucent (not browned), about 10 minutes. Add the potatoes, corn, and thyme. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are fully soft, about 8 additional minutes.
Add the chicken broth to the pot. Bring the broth to a simmer over medium-high heat. Turn down the heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk cornstarch into the heavy cream to prevent lumps. Add the cream and reserved chicken to the soup pot. Return the chowder to a simmer, season to taste with salt and pepper.
Make it ahead: Make this soup before guest arrive and leave on the stove on simmer, stirring occasionally, to keep warm.
Southern Skillet Cream Biscuits
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Liberally butter a 9 inch cast iron skillet.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using your fingertips, pinch butter into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. (The faster the better, you don’t want the fats to melt.) Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled cream. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky.
Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently fold dough over on itself 5 or 6 times. Using a rolling pin, roll dough into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting. Place biscuits in buttered cast iron skillet so that they just touch.
Bake until biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
Make it ahead: Make dough ahead of time, cut biscuits, and place in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to one day until ready to bake. When ready to bake, place in buttered skillet and bake per instructions. You can also freeze biscuits for up to one month. When ready to bake, place frozen biscuits in buttered skillet and bake at 450 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.
Pair with Le Grand Courtâge Brut Rosé
Source: stylingmyeveryday.com
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Using a pastry blender or your hands, cut in the cold butter until it’s a course mealy texture.
In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut milk and vanilla. Pour over the flour mixture and stir just until dough begins to form. Don’t over mix! Fold in the strawberries.
Place dough on a floured countertop and gently push together with your hands. Form into a 1 inch tall round. Use a knife to cut 8 triangles.
Place the scones on the cookie sheet and brush the tops with coconut milk. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the scones are golden. Let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Drizzle the scones with the lemon glaze.
Glaze:
In a glass bowl, combine the sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
Add in the butter and microwave for 45 seconds. Whisk until smooth.
Let cool a few minutes to thicken and pour over scones.
Pairs best with Le Grand Courtage Brut Rosé!
Recipe: lesliedurso.com | Image: Delishknowledge.com
Ingredients
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
2 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp fennel seeds
One 8½-lb (about 4-kg) bone-in pork shoulder (Boston butt)
One 12-oz (360-ml) bottle flavorful beer (not a light beer)
Pickled vegetables, warmed corn tortillas, quartered avocados, and lime wedges, for serving
Combine the brown sugar, paprika, salt, black pepper, cayenne, and fennel in a small bowl. Place the pork in a large bowl and rub the spices all over, being sure to cover all sides. Wrap well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight. Bring the pork to room temperature on the countertop for 1 hour before roasting.
Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
Put the seasoned pork in a large Dutch oven, fat side up, and roast, uncovered, until lightly browned, 45 minutes. Pour the beer over the pork, lower the oven temperature to 300°F (150°C), and cover the pot. Cook until the pork is completely tender and pulls easily from the bone, about 6 hours.
Remove from the oven. Transfer the pork to a plate and remove the bone. Cook the liquid over medium-high heat until slightly reduced, about 15 minutes. (I often skip this part because the liquid cooks down every time I reheat the leftover pork all week long.)
Meanwhile, shred the pork, using two forks. Let the liquid cool slightly, then return the pork to the liquid to keep warm. Serve warm, with all the goodies.
An 8-pound (3.6-kg) shoulder easily feeds 10 to 12 adults plus a handful of small kids as a taco filling. For a smaller group, use a 4- to 6-pound (1.8- to 2.7-kg) shoulder instead, reducing the cooking time a bit and halving the spice rub. Use a whole bottle of beer, regardless.
Cook this dish completely ahead; cool, wrap tightly, and keep in the refrigerator, in the braising liquid, for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat slowly in a large Dutch oven over low heat. (If frozen, bring to room temperature before warming.)
If you want real magic—make this in a slow cooker or Instant Pot, where the long cook time doesn’t determine whether or not you can stay at home all day. Either way, you go, make this if you have any plans insights to feed the masses. They. Will. Rave.
Pairs best with Le Grand Courtage Blanc de Blanc Brut
Reprinted from Every Day Is Saturday by Sarah Copeland with permission by Chronicle Books, 2019
1½ cups (3 sticks/336 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
1 Tbsp grated orange zest
5 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 hearty dash of bitters
2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour or (310 g) gluten-free flour, plus more for the pan
1 cup (120 g) almond flour
¼ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp fine sea salt
¼ cup (60 ml) fresh squeezed orange juice
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
¼ cup (60 ml) half-and-half
2 heaping cups (200 g) cranberries or (280 g) wild blueberries, fresh or frozen
1½ cups (180 g) confectioners’ sugar
2 to 4 Tbsp half-and-half
Seeds of 1 vanilla bean, scraped, or ¼ tsp vanilla bean paste
Pinch of fine sea salt
TO MAKE THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Position a rack in the lower middle. Butter and flour a 10-inch, 12-cup (25-cm, 2.9-L) nonstick Bundt pan.
Beat together the butter, granulated sugar, and zest in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each until uniform. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl, add the vanilla and bitters, and stir to combine.
In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture in thirds, alternating with the juices and half-and-half, and beat on low to combine, scraping the bowl after each addition. Stir in the cranberries.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan (it will come to the top of the Bundt pan) and bake on a baking sheet until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out with a tiny crumb, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Remove from the pan, and let cool completely on the rack.
TO MAKE THE GLAZE: Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, half-and-half, vanilla seeds, and salt to make a slightly runny glaze. Set the cake on a wire rack on parchment paper and drizzle the glaze over it. Let it set slightly before slicing and serving.
This Cranberry Bundt Cake can be made ahead in two stages: Make the batter, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Or bake the cake and let it cool completely on a metal rack, then freeze, well wrapped, for up to 2 weeks, adding the glaze after thawing it.
Be sure to butter and flour your Bundt pan really well—those cranberries burst and want to stick if they hit the pan. Use an angel food cake pan for a cleaner, modern look. And get all Jackson Pollock if you want—this is awesome with raspberries, blueberries, or a mix of berries, splattered and streaked ever so slightly.
As the name suggests, bitters are a blend of herbs, barks, roots, and fruits (like orange peel) that lends a pleasantly bitter depth to cocktails and, as in this case, baked goods! If you don’t have bitters at home, make your tablespoon of orange zest a heaping one for a citrus surprise.
Reprinted from Every Day Is Saturday by Sarah Copeland with permission from Chronicle Books, 2019
Pairs the best with Le Grand Courtâge Brut Rosé
Gathering your friends and family for a celebration is always a good time with some wine and cheese. It’s actually a great way to celebrate for busy people out there and lazy cooks. You don’t need to cut or prepare anything for cooking or baking, which is actually less stressful while throwing a party. You get the pleasure of creating a fun, colorful, and beautiful platter. There is something so satisfying about making and serving a cheese platter. It actually brings joy to my spirit. It’s great to know that there is something for everyone and it’s always fun and adventurous to try new and different cheeses and wines. A beautiful cheese platter with some LGC wine is not only a hit for holiday parties, but they are also a great fit for dinner parties.
I understand that it could feel a little bit intimidating to host a wine and cheese party but if you follow our guide, it will be a guaranteed success. In this blog post, we will provide you with a quick and easy-to-follow guide. We will make this low-prep, no-cook party preparation a memorable and enjoyable moment for you.
This is just a guide there are no rules, however, being knowledgeable on how to pair cheese and wine is very helpful. Different flavors react in ways that enhance or diminish one another.
We already know that most people already do enjoy wine and cheese, but having some knowledge and understanding can take your hosting wine and cheese party game to a whole other level!
One of the key benefits of throwing a wine and cheese party is that you do not need to cook! You can lay all your focus on getting the best cheese and wine to serve to your guests. Instead of spending hours in the kitchen. In order for you to make a complete cheese board we need to add some other additions to the platter. We want to build a cheese board that serves everything. This is why we add some sweetness and savory extras to the cheese platter. We also like to add some extra slices of bread and crackers nearby to munch on.
Okay, so the recipe to create the perfect pairing is to expand your knowledge of cheese. Expanding your knowledge of cheese will help you pair correctly.
As we mentioned earlier we need to add some extra flavors to the platter. We mentioned that we add something sweet and savory.
Let’s start with savory.
Cured meats such as salami, prosciutto, pancetta, chorizo, and many more pairs so well with cheese.
We recommend remaining with only one variety per board and organizing it in two unique parts of the board to give the illusion that there are two options.
This is very simple, and much easier than cutting and prepping food for cooking. All you need to do is place them in small, aesthetically pleasing vowels and/or arrange them on the cheeseboard.
As mentioned earlier we need some sweetness to excite the board. This could be fresh or dehydrated fruits and veggies. Or some honey, jams, maple syrup, etc. Our favorite pairing snack is freeze-dried strawberries from Target, check them out here.
It’s always a good idea to add dried fruits and toasted nuts. They both work great with sweet and savory pairings for many different kinds of cheese. It’s always satisfying to add some crunchiness and they really can help fill up the spaces. Your guests will definitely enjoy munching on cheese, crackers, nuts, and cold cuts.
Include a beautiful basket on the table that is associated with different kinds of pieces of bread like sliced baguettes, breadsticks, and different types of crackers in all shapes and forms.
We recommend that you at least pick from 2-4 different types of wine. No more than 6 wines unless it’s a larger gathering. You should always include the options of red wine and white, and/or Rose for your guests to choose from.
Honestly, you could get away with serving just one red wine and one white wine. Just make sure that they are versatile.
We are all familiar with how well a glass of wine goes well with cheese. One compliments the other, the combination is mouth-watering. Cheese is there to make any wine taste better.
As you can tell wine and cheese pairing possibilities are endless! We suggest that you pick the wine first then the cheese. To make it easy for you, we’ve broken things down into wine categories.
This might be difficult or even easier than you think. It all depends on the number of your guests and also on the season if it’s summer or winter.
Depending on the number of guests, the rule of thumb is to at least have about 6 unique cheeses. Serving about 25-60g/1-2 ounces of each type of different cheese per person.
And for the cured meats/seafood we recommend 60-140g/2-5 ounces per person.
This shall be served with your other condiments such as fruit, nuts, honey, and jams. Also your bread and crackers as well.
Depending on how large your party is, we recommend setting your cheeses up buffet-style for smaller gatherings. If it is a large party we recommend setting up several different tables with wine and cheese pairs on various tables.
It’s always nice to add some beautiful decorations like seasonal flowers, pretty tablecloths, and seasonal centerpieces will all improve the party and make it look nice.
To make sure you have everything you need for the party it is very important to plan. By planning I mean weeks early. Have a list on that you write your food and drink choices just like a grocery shopping list. As the day passes pick items instead of doing it all at once.
We hope that you developed confidence in hosting a beautiful wine and cheese party and that our guide was helpful! If you read thus far? You are more than prepared to host your own Wine & Cheese party. Just make sure your throw in some creativity, positive energy, and some awesome wine, and your guests shall be happy!
Ingredients:
1 lb pasta (any shape will do!)
About 3 cups fresh basil leaves
2 garlic cloves
½ cup shelled pistachios
1 lemon, juiced
1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
¼ tsp ground black pepper, plus more to taste
¾ to 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Place the basil leaves, garlic, pistachios, lemon juice, salt, and pepper into a blender or food processor and pulse until chopped. Drizzle in olive oil while the machine is on low. When incorporated, stop and taste, add more salt and pepper as necessary.
*The key to really delicious pesto is to blend it on low. If you go too high on your machine, you may bruise the basil and it can come out bitter.
Toss the pesto and your cooked pasta and garnish with some lemon skin.
Pair with Blanc de Blancs Brut
Source: lesliedurso.com
½ head Tuscan kale, cut or torn into bite-size pieces
3 tbsp high-quality extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large black, purple, or watermelon radish, thinly sliced or cut into bite-size pieces
2 small Tokyo turnips or small radishes, thinly sliced
4 oz (115 g) Parmesan cheese, broken into bits
1⁄3 cup (40 g) roasted unsalted almonds, coarsely chopped
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, for serving
Toss the kale together with the oil and lemon juice in a large bowl. Season with fine salt and pepper. Massage the kale, squeezing and rubbing the leaves together with your hands, working the oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper into the leaves to flavor and tenderize them. Toss together with the radish, turnips, cheese, and almonds. Divide among serving plates and garnish with flaky salt and more pepper. Serve at room temperature.
GET AHEAD
Kale tenderizes as it sits in lemon and salt, so making this a day ahead always works. Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Radishes, too, can benefit from some softening, but after a day they get stinky, so if you’re planning to keep the salad for more than half a day, throw your radishes in no more than a few hours before serving.
Pairs best with Le Grand Courtage Brut Rosé
Reprinted from Every Day Is Saturday by Sarah Copeland with permission by Chronicle Books, 2019
Le Grand Courtâge award-winning and affordable French sparkling and rosé wines are vegan-friendly, low calorie, low carb, and cuisine and cocktail friendly, every adult can enjoy and all you have to do is simply chill & enjoy…. And they are female owned and operated so it’s a plus, plus all around! Without the expensive price of champagne, these bubbles won’t break the bank.
The French wine trio (Le Grand Courtâge Blanc de Blancs Brut, Le Grand Courtâge Brut Rosé, and Provence-style Très Chic Rosé) each score 90+ points. The two sparkling varieties are less than 100 calories and just 2 grams of carbohydrates per serving, and pair with practically anything! So keep the bubbly and rosé chilling to be ready for celebrations at any moment!
Light, versatile, and perfect for champagne cocktails, these wines truly do it all!
Cheese: Rich, delicious cheeses like brie and aged cheddar are two favorites that please any crowd! Sparkling Wine and cheese pairing is easier than you think. Are you hosting a sparkling wine and cheese party? Or maybe you just want to enjoy some sparkling wine and good cheese and would like to find the perfect match! Well, look no further as we’ve outlined wine and cheese pairing here.
Pork Rinds: Salty, crunchy, fried foods are a match made in heaven for sparkling wines. The slightly sweet wines balance the grease and salt like a scrumptious symphony. The best food pairings for sparkling wine will normally consist of richer foods and those which are greasy, fat, fried, or spicy are perfect complements as both the acidity and effervescence help to balance heavier foods. Many in the industry call sparkling wine the ’scrubbing bubbles’ for the palate as it perfectly cleanses the tongue in between bites.
Bacon (& Eggs): Savory breakfast foods balance the acidity of brut and sparkling rosé nicely. Our brut rosé is made with Gamay, a grape known for its pairing ability for comfort foods like holiday meals and brunch favorites! Read more on brunch wine pairings here.
Blackberries: The fruity, tart, burst of flavor from blackberries is a fun way to play up the flavors of a champagne or champagne alternative such as a blanc de blancs brut! See our featured Blackberry French 75 recipe for a delicious Mother’s Day or Fun Spring Cocktail.
Mushrooms: The earthy taste and unique texture of mushrooms can be polarizing to some but champagne lovers tend to embrace this food pairing because of all the ways you can play up the flavors of the many different kinds of mushrooms!
Sparkling wines and rosé are the all-star pairing wines – making food pairings pretty much foolproof. They are especially great for hostesses everywhere because of their versatile pairing ability. Truly amazing breakfast through dessert – bubbly is the perfect pairing choice Bubbles are the most versatile of wine from a pairing perspective and truly go breakfast through dessert. Perfect as a hostess gift, party favors, and ideal for bubbly cocktail mixing.
Take the guesswork out of food pairing and mixing sparkling cocktails! We’ve created a collection of resources featuring all our favorite things: delicious cocktail recipes, effortless entertaining ideas, foolproof food pairing guide, brunch and bridal season look books, even a list of our favorite playlists to really get the party going! Click here to retrieve our free ebooks that make entertaining effortless.
We believe in embracing the French spirit of joie de vivre, or “joy of life”, where elevating and celebrating the everyday moments is our way of romanticizing the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Won’t you join us in our mission to #livejoyously?