What dessert with Champagne?

ClaireN75

Haha, well if your husband is French you should make him make the blooming desert

The_Mighty_Gusset

allydowd wrote: »

Cranachan:

^This^

Alternatively, as has already been mentioned, the French do like 'English' Trifle - they seem especially fond of Custard 'Creme Anglais', but they also like Scottish things - so why not give them Tipsy Laird - a trifle, but with a Scottish twist - often served at Burns Suppers as an alternative to Cranachan :

Ingredients:

6 tbsp whisky
1 orange, juice and zest
5 trifle sponges
450g/1lb raspberries
110g/4oz white chocolate, grated
1 carton good quality fresh custard
400ml/13fl oz double cream
1 tub mascarpone cheese
55g/2oz toasted flaked almonds


Method:

1. Mix the whisky and the orange juice and pour in a shallow bowl. Slice the trifle sponges in half horizontally. Dunk each piece in the whisky and place them in the bottom of the trifle bowl.
2. Scatter the raspberries over the top, then the chocolate.
3. Top with the custard.
4. Whip the double cream until half whipped, combine with the cheese and spoon over the trifle.
5. Scatter the toasted almonds over the top just before serving.

Agapanthus

I spend a lot of time in France: beware the syllabub. It's delicious in the UK, but French cream is not the same (as I know to my cost!) - it doesn't whip as stiffly.

Almost anything sweet will do, though. Fresh muffins would be great (even better as the French aren't really familiar with them - wow them with something British), but if you can produce chocolate eclairs or profiteroles they'll think you're wonderful.

A good profiterole recipe is Delia's: http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/vegetarian-food/profiteroles-with-hot-chocolate-sauce.html

Eclairs are exactly the same, but you pipe them sausage-shaped instead of round. You stuff them with cream in the same way (choose one of the little cartons that's marked that you can make chantilly cream with it and add some sugar as that'll help it to stiffen) but spread melted chocolate on the top instead of making a chocolate sauce, so easier if you're taking them somewhere where it's difficult to warm the sauce. Choux pastry is pretty foolproof - I've never had a failure. Both classic French desserts that would go down a storm. Practice at home first, though!

Olliebeak

I'm liking Stephen's suggestion of 'Eton Mess' PLUS it would travel well and no 'faffing around' at the host's home - very 'traditionally English' . Could even print-off an explanation of it's origins - lots of translating websites on-line.

MrsE_2

angie_loves_veg wrote: »

You could always try a french apple tart - goes perfectly with champagne, and cheap to make at home

(so long as you can do pastry, and can arrange apples neatly, you should be fine)

for example: http://www.joyofbaking.com/FrenchAppleTart.html

What about the same style fruit tart, but strawberries.

thriftlady_2

Norman_Bean wrote: »

Trifle is very tempting .... I'm bit scared of it though, I don't want to 'explain' it if you know what I mean!?

I don't think you'll have to explain it Norman. Trifle seems to be very chic in France at the moment, as are crumbles but maybe it is just in Paris.

Check out this book by Trish Deseine and scroll down for one on crumbles too. She is an Irish writer who married a Frenchman and her books are very popular in France.

This is what Amazon France says about trifles if you need a handy explanation;)

Le trifle, prononcez " treifeul ", est un dessert import! de grande-bretagne, super simple à pr!parer. Expliquez à vos invit!s en quelques mots ce que vous aurez mis à l'int!rieur, tout en montrant bien les couches de crèmes, fruits et biscuits qui se superposent dans votre grand plat en verre et... Pas plus de 10 minutes plus tard, vous pouvez être sûre que le plat sera vide, racl! à la petite cuillère voire carr!ment... Selon la biens!ance de vos convives. Pour faire des trifles, il faut juste savoir pr!parer une crème anglaise et une chantilly (vous pouvez aussi acheter ces crèmes toutes prêtes). Tout est dans l'assemblage des diff!rents ingr!dients : pas de cuisson, pas de technique compliqu!e, rien que du " montage " de fruits, de biscuits pil!s, de compotes, de crèmes.

Bonne chance!

Edit: Apparently MSE doesn't like e acute accents!

Norman_Bean

Thanks all!

I especially like ClaireN75's suggestion

Eclairs and profiteroles are way too ambitious I'm afraid but thanks anyway ... strawberry tart is great idea but don't think I'll get strawberries at this time of year in this neck of the woods (Hicksville!)

Thriftlady - thank you x certainly not much Parisian chic going on round here I'm afraid (see above and strawberries) but trifle is still a contender none the less

H has now suggested tarte tartine which he thinks is 'an upside down apple tart' ? I know I've eaten it but not sure about the upside down bit - I thought it was just apple tart ...

Anyway thanks all x

E x

lil_me

eton mess......mmmmmm

rachelj121

Strawberries are the old favourite to accompany champagne so how about strawberries marinated in balsamic vinegar which is delicious.

I am not sure how to post links but if you check the BBC.co.uk/food site there are plenty on there. Try serving them with some mascapone cheese that has had vanilla pod seeds stirred through and topped with some mint leaves - yum!


Enjoy!

Norman_Bean

Well this afternoon I went to a champagne reception at the mayors and what did they serve? CAKE!

There was apple tart (quelle surprise!), a delish Lemon Drizzle Cake, a gorgeous Swiss Roll with apricot jam, a sponge cake with lots of different glace fruits in the base, some sort of wholemeal looking cake - no idea what that was as I didn't try it.

So I tried most of the cakes purely for research purposes of course I'm not sure any of it really 'went' with the champagne but it was all very nice.

I'm feeling a lot more confident now and have decided to make mini blackberry muffins for the work colleauge do!

Thanks again for all your help

Norm x