Husband and I are starting to throw some first-anniversary plans together, but we haven't officially decided what we'll do to celebrate. Obviously dinner plans are in the works, but we also have this great bottle of Korbel Natural Champagne sitting around from our wedding that I'd love to open (provided by my dear Aunt Kathy for our wedding toast, so lovely). I'd also love to have some kind of fabulous dessert to eat with it, but I'm still not sure what will go best...
Ok, here's where you come in!
I am so excited to announce our first ever giveaway! We are looking for a great dessert idea to pair with our champagne. If you have a good idea or recipe that you think we should try, please post it in the comments section below. The dessert idea that we like the best and feel will pair well with our champagne will be made for our anniversary on July 11th. Not only that, the commenter will also receive a bottle of Korbel Natural on us. Good deal, right?
The winner will be chosen on Tuesday at noon. Comment away!
11 comments:
personly I love a good cheesecake and have several fun cheesecake recipies... however the sugestion that I'm gonna make is Grandma Lemans Cinnamon rolls. I think they go well with anything and as a desert with a small bit of almond extract added to a cream cheese frosting are decadent.
Korbel Natural is a dry champagne, so you probably don't want to pair it with anything TOO sweet... don't want to upstage it (as a side note, muddling a sugar cube and bitters in the bottom of your champagne glass makes for a classy champagne cocktail if you ARE hoping to have a sweeter dessert pairing).
My idea is a semi-sweet chocolate tart:
14 ounces chopped semi-sweet chocolate (or chips)
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
(This assumes you've bought tart shells rather than making your own... but you can make your own, instead, obviously)
Put the chocolate in a medium bowl.
In a saucepan, combine the milk and cream and bring to a boil.
Remove it from the heat, and slowly pour the hot cream into the chocolate and gently whisk until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
Slowly whisk in the beaten eggs until it's all combined.
Preheat the oven to 250.
Place the tart shell(s) on a baking sheet and pour in the chocolate cream you just made.
Bake until the cream is just firm in the center,
(about 35 to 40 minutes).
To check for doneness, gently wiggle it.
If it's set, it will shake as a single unit but if it isn't done yet, ripples will wiggle in the center.
If the filling needs more baking, check back about every 5 minutes, until it's done.
Take the tart(s) from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
Don't refrigerate the tart or the filling will seize up.
And there you have my idea!
Ice cream sammiches
Love your blog Caitlin :) Not sure if this Brownie Cheesecake would be too rich with your beverage of choice, but its by far my favorite cheesecake recipe: http://hubpages.com/hub/Yummy_Brownie_Cheesecake
I love nuts so I add some chopped walnuts to the brownie mix. I also lighten up the recipe a little by using 1/3 less fat cream cheese and light sour cream. I recommend greasing and flouring the springform pan very well, and also, don't overcook it. If it looks/feels slightly underdone, that's okay. Just bring it to room temperature and then put it in the fridge for several hours to cool, and it will be fabulous. You don't have to bother putting the pan in a water bath either. The brownie is dense enough to keep the cheesecake moist.
My raspberry mousse b/c you can put it in a fancy goblet, it's sensually thick and creamy, and it's so pretty! We're celebrating our 10th anniversary next week and have yet to think of what to do. Maybe champagne isn't such a bad idea... xoxo
For a simple & easy pairing, why not some dark chocolate and fresh strawberries?
Hey Caitlin! Thanks for the comment - I love reading your blog and all the great cooking ideas!
So first I was going to tell you to go simple with some classic chocolate covered strawberries, but someone beat me to it. Then I thought about suggesting some authentic wiener schnitzel, but figured that was a little too salty for the occasion :o) So I will settle on this fruit tart, which you can alter based on your fruit preferences:
http://www.ehow.com/how_6734_fruit-tart-recipe.html
i think you'll agree this would be awesome with your champagne....
http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/12/austrian-raspberry-shortbread/
while noming on your shortbread you can reminisce about your eventful travels through austria!
Yay! Congrats! So I don't know much about champagne- but I looked it up and it said it was dry champagne and that the dessert should not be too sweet???
So here is my recommendation....( I have never made it before, but this girl's stuff is always delish plus it looks amazing)
http://www.bakeorbreak.com/2008/06/fresh-berry-tart/
Happy Anniversary!!!
A Pear Cumble with Crystallized Ginger. Fruit + Bubbly is always a good thing!
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pear-Crumble-with-Crystallized-Ginger-15585
A little bird told me that Mr. Le Man's favorite dessert is crème brûlée. Therefore I find it fitting that you make this delicious recipe and allow me to pop those 6 remaining bottles of champagne in the basement. Win/win.
Plus you get to use a blow torch.
The following recipe is the brainchild of Ms. Ina Garten.
Ingredients
1 extra-large egg
4 extra-large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for each serving
3 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the egg, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup of the sugar together on low speed until just combined. Meanwhile, scald the cream in a small saucepan until it's very hot to the touch but not boiled. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cream to the eggs. Add the vanilla and orange liqueur and pour into 6 to 8-ounce ramekins until almost full.
Place the ramekins in a baking pan and carefully pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custards are set when gently shaken. Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until firm.
To serve, spread 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on the top of each ramekin and heat with a kitchen blowtorch until the sugar carmelizes evenly. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens.
* Propane Gas Torch
Propane gas torches are highly flammable and should be kept away from heat, open flame and prolonged exposure to sunlight. They should be used only in well-ventilated areas. When lighting a propane gas torch, place the torch on a flat, steady surface, facing away from you. Light the match or lighter and then open the gas valve. Light the gas jet, and blow out the match. Always turn off the burner valve to "finger tight" when finished using the torch. Children should never use a propane gas torch without adult supervision.
Post a Comment