Smoked Salmon, Fennel and Goat Cheese Toasts

Uncorking a champagne bottle means two things — celebration and romance. And you know that the evening will be something special when your significant other pops the cork on a bottle of Moet & Chandon Champagne.

With Valentine’s Day, the day that has been set aside for love just one week away, reservations at restaurants are being made fast and furious, but then there are those people that want to make the day extra special for their significant other, and who plan to go the extra mile and plan a special evening at home, complete with a home-cooked meal. No matter if you dine out or at home, the champagne will be flowing as many people opt to toast with the bubbly libation either before or after their meal. But if that is your plan, the experts at Burns House say you’re missing out. They encourage you to enjoy your champagne with your meal.

It’s common knowledge that a combination of food and wine enhances both, but combination of food and champagne is just as enjoyable an experience according to Burns House sommelier Decarlo McPhee. No longer is champagne something to be enjoyed as a stand-alone. It can be enjoyed with your meal course-by-course. And when you’re thinking about the Valentine’s Day meal you will serve, he encourages you to think about serving it with champagne.

“When it comes to romance, nothing is better than champagne,” said McPhee. “Champagne offers something for everyone with the different styles from the dry, which would be the Brut Imperial to the Ice Imperial, if you prefer something sweet, and something you can enjoy on its own.”

Uncorking a bottle of champagne McPhee said would make your significant other feel special, because it’s not something people drink every day.

“For some of us whose pockets aren’t very deep, we only open champagne when there’s something to celebrate and Valentine’s is that time when you want to make your significant other feel special and you go the extra mile.”

If you plan to prepare a Valentine’s dinner for your special person, Burns House has put together a five-course meal that you can prepare at home for your significant other, with complementing bottle of Moet & Chandon champagne to impress the love of your life.

They have paired smoked salmon toasts paired with Moet Rose Vintage; roasted beet soup with Moet Rose Non-Vintage; red salad with Moet Rose Non-Vintage; roasted shrimp with shallot sauce with Moet Brut Imperial and chocolate-covered strawberries with Moet Nectar or Ice Imperial.

“Coming up with the pairings wasn’t difficult at all,” said McPhee. “People don’t think of food with champagne, but it goes well with food,” he said.

The suggested menu pairings they hope will assist in removing the mystique and pretense that is too often associated with the simple enjoyment of a good meal with a favorite champagne.

“When it comes to romance, nothing is better than champagne,” said the sommelier.

And if you are a newbie to champagne, McPhee says the Ice Imperial — Moet & Chandon’s newest innovation is the champagne to start with. He describes it as the “perfect introduction” for the non-mature palate. The Ice Imperial is a sweeter style of champagne that can be served over ice. After your palate has matured, he then encourages drinkers to delve into the dryer styles.

Before you pop the cork on your champagne bottle next weekend, McPhee says to ensure that your champagne is served at the proper temperature, which he said is around 50 degrees. To get your bottle to the perfect temperature his advise is to refrigerate for at least two hours before serving, then place in a bucket of ice for approximately 15 minutes before uncorking — this way your champagne does not freeze, and will be extra cold. And if you don’t finish the entire bottle, McPhee says you can refrigerate the remainder of the bottle by applying a champagne stopper to keep the air from escaping the bottle.

Your unfinished champagne he said would be drinkable for approximately three days after the initial opening. And if you’re thinking about adding a bottle of something special to your significant other’s gift basket, McPhee said you should forgo the sparkling win and spring for the champagne.

“Sparkling wine is something they can get on their own,” he said.

THE MENU

APPETIZER

Smoked Salmon Toasts

Pair with: Moet Rose Vintage

SOUP

Roasted Beet Soup

Pair with: Moet Rose Non-Vintage

SALAD

Red Salad

Pair with: Moet Rose Non-Vintage

ENTRÉE

Roasted Shrimp with Shallot Sauce

Pair with: Moet Brut Imperial

DESSERT

Chocolate Strawberries

Pair with: Moet Nectar or Ice Imperial

Smoked Salmon, Fennel and Goat Cheese Toasts

Pour Moet Nectar Imperial Rose

Servings: 10

8 ounces soft fresh goat cheese

1-½ tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

1 tablespoon fennel seeds, finely crushed

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

2-½ tablespoons olive oil

30 thin slices French bread baguette

12 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon

Lemon peel strips, for garnish

Tarragon strips, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350. Mix first 5 ingredients in small bowl to blend. Set aside.

Brush oil over both sides of bread. Arrange bread in single layer on large baking sheet. Bake until bread is crisp, about 5 minutes per side. (Cheese mixture and toasts can be made 2 days ahead. Cover cheese mixture and chill. Cool toasts; store airtight at room temperature.)

Spread cheese mixture over toasts. Top with salmon, trimming to fit. Garnish with lemon peel strips and tarragon sprigs. Arrange on platter and serve.

Roasted Beet Soup with Crème Fraiche

Pour Moet Rose Non-Vintage

½ pound red beets (about 3 medium)

1 ½ teaspoons butter

1 ½ teaspoons olive oil

1 leek (white and pale green parts only), chopped

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 celery stalk, chopped

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper

2 cups water

1 small bay leaf

1 fresh thyme sprig

1 fresh parsley sprig

¼ cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons crème fraiche or sour cream

Preheat oven to 350. Wrap beets in foil and roast until tender when pierced with fork, about 1 hour. Cool. Peel beets. Cut ¼ of 1 beet into ¼-inch cubes; reserve for garnish. Cut remaining beets into 1/2-inch pieces.

Melt butter with oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leek, onion, and celery and cook until beginning to brown, stirring frequently, about 13 minutes.

Stir in ginger, allspice, white pepper and ½-inch beet pieces. Cook until vegetables begin to stick to bottom of pot, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Add 2 cups water, bay leaf, thyme sprig and parsley sprig. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 25 minutes.

Remove bay leaf, thyme sprig, and parsley sprig. Cool soup slightly.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender with cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly, cover and refrigerate.)

Gently rewarm soup. (Do not boil.) Divide between 2 bowls. Garnish each with 1 tablespoon crème fraiche. Sprinkle with reserved beet cubes.

Red Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

Pour Moet Rose Non-Vintage

2 tablespoons champagne vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon mild olive oil (preferably French)

8 cups loosely packed mixed young red lettuces such as red leaf, lolla rossa, red oak and red romaine, torn into bite-sized pieces if large.

4 cups loosely packed mixed young red greens such as red endive, baby kale and chard, radicchio di Treviso, and red mustard, torn into bite-sized pieces if large.

Whisk together vinegar, salt and pepper in a large bowl, then add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified. Add lettuces and greens and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Roasted Shrimp with Champagne Shallot Sauce

Pour Moet Brut Imperial

2 cups Brut Champagne

½ cup minced shallots

3 ½ tablespoons olive oil plus additional for brushing

2 ¾ pounds uncooked large shrimp (13 to 15 per pound), peeled, deveined, tails left intact

3 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, divided

2 ¼ teaspoons finely grated lemon peel, divided

½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature, diced

Green beans with lemon and thyme (recipe follows)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Simmer Champagne and shallots until reduced to ½ cup, about 25 minutes. Do ahead sauce base can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; chill in pan.

Combine 3 ½ tablespoons oil, shrimp, 2 ½ teaspoons thyme and 1 ¾ teaspoons lemon peel in large bowl; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss. Do ahead. Can be made 2 hours ahead; cover and chill, tossing occasionally.

Position 1 rack in bottom third and 1 rack in top third of oven. Preheat to 450 degrees. Brush 2 heavy large-rimmed baking sheets with oil. Arrange shrimp on sheets. Roast until opaque, 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring sauce base to simmer; remove from heat. Whisk in butter in 4 additions. Whisk in remaining 1 teaspoon thyme and ½ teaspoon lemon peel. Season with salt.

Arrange green beans on large platter; top with shrimp. Spoon some sauce over; sprinkle with parsley. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately.

Green Beans with Lemon and Thyme

2 pounds green beans

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

Cook beans in boiling salted water until crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water; pat dry. Do ahead: Can be made 4 hours ahead. Layer between paper towels and refrigerate.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beans, thyme, and peel; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss until heated, about 5 minutes.

Chocolate-covered Strawberries

Pour Moet Nectar or Ice Imperial

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 pound large strawberries (about 20), washed and dried well

1/3 cup finely chopped pistachios, optional

Place chocolate in a large bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. Stir occasionally, until melted, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

One at a time, dip each strawberry in chocolate, twirling to coat; then sprinkle chocolate-covered portion with pistachios, if using, and place on waxed paper.

Chill chocolate-dipped strawberries at least 15 minutes to set chocolate. (Strawberries should not be stored in refrigerator longer than 1 hour as condensation drops my collect on the chocolate.)

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