Taittinger Uncage My Heart

How romantic a holiday can it be without a little bubbly? Taittinger champagne knows that and has all the right vintages for every nibble and occasion. I attended a romantic themed "Uncage My Heart" event to sample all of their lovely offerings. They created a sexy lounge of seductive bites for Valentine's Day.

It was very obvious that the key to setting a sexy mood with food was to inject lots of chocolate with the champagne. Taittinger's Champagne Rose was the right bubbly for a romantic atmosphere. Truffles, handmade marshmallows, caramel popcorn drizzled with chocolate and little cakes that looked like breasts set the tone. All bite-sized and easy to pop into your lover's mouth (the treats, not breasts).

Decor wise, lots of red and pink was right for the holiday. Floral arrangements combined lots of different flowers and textures in different shades of pink and red. The flowers were loosely tied so it seemed less formal, more romantic and carefree.

Chef Camille Becerra in rustic French chef fashion demonstrated a heavenly chocolate mousse recipe. To watch her make it, it seemed simple. To make it on your own?  That might be labor of love. Try it for yourself:

Camille Becerra's Salted Chocolate Mousse

11 tbsp. bittersweet Chocolate

11 tbsp. butter

Pinch of sea salt

4 eggs, separated

6 1/2 tbsp. plus additional 3 tsp. of sugar

Beat the egg yolks with a mixer with 100g of sugar until they are light yellow in color and fluffy.

Melt the chocolate, butter and salt in a double boiler over low heat. Stir occasionally. Remove the chocolate from heat immediately after the last solid piece of chocolate is melted. Fold in egg yolks.

In a clean bowl, beat egg whites with 15g of sugar until soft peaks form. Do not over beat.

Fold in half of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then incorporate the second half. Chill for an hour before serving.

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Summer Sparkle With Taittinger Champagne

Who is ready for a crisp, cold bubbly? The festive folks at Taittinger Champagne demonstrated the proper way to celebrate the holidays in July. The Champagne party took place at a gorgeous East Village townhouse featuring a fantastic collection of temporary art and elaborate moldings.

For those of us who don't have a multi-story townhouse filled with art, there were certainly other party tips to be replicated. There were big golden paper circles that were stuck all over the walls, a budget-friendly way to make the stuffiest location fun. The champagne "tree" was achieved with lots of bottles with an acrylic circle in between. If you don't have the budget for that, you can substitute some bottles with water, wine, etc.

The purpose of the soiree, of course, was to taste and learn about Taittinger champagne. Their "basic" party bottle was a Brut La Francaise which was anything but. It is a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. It was a perfect summer sparkler with peach, vanilla and white flower notes. I loved this with the divine shrimp rillettes of the night (see recipe below).

Their Taittinger Nocturne was introduced as their holiday party vintage. The bottle looks like it was carved out of a disco ball (see the top photo). It tasted sweeter and paired well with rich desserts like champagne truffles and French macarons.

The prize of the evening was the Taittinger Comte de Champagne, Blanc de Blancs. I was told to taste the one "in the funny bottle". This Cuvee was exceptional. It was aged 8-10 years. I learned that Blanc de Blancs means the blend is 100% Chardonnay grapes. This particular champagne is made in smaller batches. When the bartenders cracked open fresh oysters on the ice next to my flute, I was in heaven.

Serve up the Shimp Rillettes with your next bottle of Taittinger Champagne:

Ingredients
1 T. canola oil
4 shallots, chopped
2 bay leaves, fresh
1 lb. shrimp, shelled and deveined
½ c dry white wine
Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper
3 T unsalted butter, softened
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice plus 1 t lemon zest
1 T chopped chive

Method
Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and bay leaf. Cook until
translucent, about 3 minutes. Add shrimp and wine. Season with salt and white
pepper and cook until shrimp are pink and cooked through, about 3 minutes.
Remove and discard bay leaf; let cool slightly. Transfer to a food processor with
metal blade.
Add butter and cream cheese. Puree until smooth. Add the lemon zest, juice, and
chives. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer to a non-metallic bowl. Press plastic wrap on surface of rillettes. Cover the
bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 hours.
Pipe onto toast or crackers to serve.

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