Holiday Hosting with Champagne Taittinger
'Tis the season for hosting!
The holiday season is my favorite time of year to host friends and family, and we all know it isn't a true holiday party without a beautiful bottle of bubbly! Champagne Taittinger is the perfect Champagne to serve guests and with a bottle this stunning, it's my obvious choice for this holiday season!
The other necessary component for any holiday party is obviously something delicious to snack on! So, while your guests are mingling, fill up their champagne flutes with a little Champagne Taittinger Nocturne “City Lights” and serve up some delicious appetizers!
Below you’ll find recipes for four different appetizers that are the perfect small bite pairings to the lovely notes of pear, apple and brioche that you’ll find in a glass of Champagne Taittinger Nocturne “City Lights”. With 40% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir, and 25% Pinot Meunier in every bottle, it's a smooth and crisp balance. Santé!
Pear and Brie Crostini
2 Pears
1 French Baguette (sliced)
Balsamic Glaze
1 Brie Wheel
Olive Oil
Drizzle olive oil over bread slices
Toast slices in oven at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until starting to crisp
Cut pears into slices
Cut brie into rectangle slices
Add brie and pears to french bread slices
Place back in oven on broil until brie starts to melt
Remove from oven and drizzle with balsamic glaze
Serve with Champagne Taittinger!
Raspberry Brie En Croute with Chipotle Sauce
400F for 20-25 mins
1 thawed sheet of puff pastry
1 bag Supreme Brie Bites (whole foods or if TJs has similar)
Egg and water wash
Bag of frozen raspberries
1 tbsp of cornstarch
1/3 cup of sugar
1 cup cold water
Juice of a lime
1/2 tsp of La Costeña Chipotle sauce
Stir cornstarch and water in a bowl and set aside
Simmer raspberries over medium heat until thawed
Add water and cornstarch and increase heat and bring to a boil until sauce thickens
Lower heat and add sugar, chipotle sauce, and juice of lime
Stir until sugar is dissolved
Lay pastry sheet flat on counter and place Brie bites evenly across sheet, leaving about 1 1/2 inches between each bite (enough to fold over each piece of Brie)
Run a pizza wheel across sheet to create squares around each Brie bite
Fold corners of bites and place on baking sheet
Beat an egg and mix in a splash or two of cream to create an egg wash
Once Brie bites are wrapped in pastry on a baking sheet, brush the top of each bite with egg wash
Bake for 20-25 mins at 400 degrees.
Drizzle raspberry sauce on each
Serve with Champagne Taittinger!
Four Cheese Mac & Cheese Bites
1/2 cup Butter
2 1/2 cups Milk
1/2 cup Flour
1/2 cup Parmesan
1 cup Cheddar
1 cup Gruyere
1 cup Mozzarella
1 cup Sour Cream
2 cups Bread Crumbs
1 tbsp Olive Oil
3 pinches of Thyme
Salt and Pepper
Melt butter in pan, add flour and stir until smooth
Add milk slowly and whisk until sauce is thick on gentle heat
Remove sauce from heat and add in the 4 cheeses
Stir until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth.
Combine sauce, cooked pasta, and sour cream (if sauce is too thick, add a little pasta water)
Spoon mixture into muffin tin
Combine bread crumbs, olive oil, thyme and salt & pepper
Top mac & cheese mixture with bread crumb mixture
Bake at 400 for 30 mins or until topping is golden brown.
Serve with Champagne Taittinger!
Bacon Wrapped Goat Cheese and Marcona Almond Dates
1 pack of Bacon
1 package of Pitted Dates
1 package of Goat Cheese
1 package of Marcona Almonds
Slice dates in center, stopping just before you cut completely in half
Spoon goat cheese into center of each date
Add one marcona almond to each goat stuffed date
Wrap with bacon and secure with toothpick
Bake in oven at 400 degrees until bacon is crispy
Serve with Champagne Taittinger!
This blog post was created in partnership with Champagne Taittinger.
