New Year’s Eve is one of the few occasions each year when wine drinkers’ minds turn toward sparkling wine.
“It’s especially popular around the holidays,” said Laurel Khan, owner and head chef at Mackinaw’s in downtown Chehalis. “I always make sure to have it on hand this time of year.”
But the problem with a wine you may seldom buy or drink is the increased risk of failure. Don’t worry, Khan said, when it comes to pairing it with foods, bubbly is actually a pretty cordial party guest.
“It’s difficult in that it’s a white and it’s sparkly,” Khan said. “But in my experience I’ve found pretty much any food with any element of fat goes great with wine. So pretty much anything you serve will taste good with it.”
In choosing sparkling wines, Khan’s advice is simple: stick to the place that does it best. According to international copyright laws, only wines made from specific varietals of grapes grown in the Champagne region of northeastern France may be called Champagnes. All others, even those made in the traditional double fermentation process called Methode Champegnoise, are called sparkling wines.
Khan said she trusts French wineries to make sparkling wine that is worthy of splurging on.
“You start paying a little more but it’s worth it,” Khan said.
Navigating the words on the label of a bottle of bubbly can also be a little tricky. For example, sparkling wine labeled “dry” or “extra dry” will actually be very sweet to the taste and not well suited to most cuisine. Khan said the word she looks for on the label of a bottle is “brut” which refers to a wine that is much less sweet and therefore an easier partner for foods.
“It’s not sweet but it’s not bitter, either,” Khan said of brut wines. “It’s a higher quality and it’s balanced.”
Two of Khan’s favorite party foods to be served with sparkling wines are her Smoked Salmon Asiago dip and also her Mackinaw’s Ale Fondue. Both are creamy but also have a slightly spicy kick. Both creamy or fatty and spicy foods pair well with sparkling wines. Khan said both dishes pair well with the spirit of a great New Year’s Eve gathering.
“When I think of holidays and parties I think of group appetizers and hors d’oeuvres,” Khan said. “It’s kind of a festive thing, bringing a crowd around a big dip bowl.”
Khan took the traditional warm spinach and artichoke dip as the inspiration for her smoked salmon creation, which is a mixture of mayonnaise, sour cream, smoked salmon and cheese heated in a casserole until bubbly. For a kick, Khan adds a dash of cayenne pepper sometimes the garlic and pepper sauce Sriracha. The bubbly, cheesy dip is perfectly accompanied by warm pieces of toasted baguette.
Khan’s Ale Fondue has been a staple on her menu since opening the restaurant almost four years ago. She said it is so popular, she actually has groups of people who come in specifically to share the pot of cheeses and ale warmed and spiced with Worcestershire sauce, mustard and garlic. Khan said she has encountered many people who say they are intimidated to make fondue at home. Her advice: skip the instructions that likely came with your fondue pot. Instead of trying to make a cheese fondue in the actual fondue pot, Khan suggests making the mixture in a double boiler on the stove and then transferring to a fondue set warmed with a tea light.
"I’ve tried all those other warmers and canisters and they just don’t do it," Khan said. "The cheese wouldn’t melt. The cheese would break. I think that’s why most people try fondue once and then give up."
Smoked Salmon Asiago Dip with Crostini
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
½ cup thinly sliced green onions
½ cup grated Asiago cheese (other firm, full-flavored cheeses such as Parmesan or Romano can be used as a substitute) plus extra for garnish
¼ cup peperoncini, diced
8 green olives, diced
2 tablespoons capers
¾ cup smoked salmon broken into small chunks
Cayenne pepper, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 French baguette cut into ½-inch diagonal slices
Preheat oven to 350F. Combine all ingredients except baguette in a bowl. Spoon mixture into an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle top with grated cheese. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with toasted bread.
Mackinaw’s Ale Fondue
¾ bottle ale or lager beer
¼ teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
4-5 drops Worcestershire sauce
2 cups (approximately) combination of grated cheddar, jack and pepper jack cheese
¼ cup flour
Heat beer until hot enough to melt cheese in a double boiler (Khan prefers this method to using the fondue pot to heat up the ingredients). Add garlic, mustard and Worcestershire to beer. Add flour to grated cheese and mix to coat. Add 1 cup of the cheese mixture to the beer mixture and stir vigorously. Continue to add cheese and stir vigorously until you have reached the desired consistency. Put into a fondue pot heated with a tea light and serve with small pieces of bread, meat, sausage, apple or veggies for dipping.
