Valentine’s Day Champagne & Cheeses
There are three things I missed when I was pregnant: wine, raw milk cheeses, and oysters with mignonette sauce. I didn’t really care about missing out on raw fish since I am not a big sushi eater, and I couldn’t have cared less about the minimal caffeine guidelines since I can barely stomach more than a milky latte three times a week. I just really missed sipping a glass of wine while nibbling on a yummy cheese plate (my favorite no-cook dinner!), and ordering the occasional oyster platter with my husband on date night. Today, to celebrate Valentine’s Day AND my return to non-pregnant status I am celebrating with a Valentine’s Day champagne cocktail, a trio of delicious cheeses from our amazing local cheese shop, and the promise of oysters the next time we go out.
Of course, I would happily pour champagne and call it a day anytime, but Valentine’s Day is definitely a good time to take it up a notch and a make a champagne cocktail. One of my favorites is Nigella’s Filthy Fizz (what a perfect name for Valentine’s Day!) and today I am using that as inspiration. Instead of black cherry liquor, I am adding a little St. Germain to our bubbly for a tasty, sweet drink reminiscent of a French 77.
I put my husband in charge of the cheese plate since he is a major turophile like me. He came home with a Shelburne Cheddar – aged two years, a runny Bleu d’Auvergne, and and Vermont Creamery Bonne Bouche aged in an ash rind for our trio of cheeses. The fromagerie suggested he serve them with salty marcona almonds, sweet dried apricots, and with a touch of sweet jam. We are such cheese junkies I am planning a whole section about throwing a wine and cheese party in my book. That way nobody will ever be left in the lurch about how to serve up cheese for a party ever again!
If you are looking for a few more ideas for making your awesome Valentine’s Day meal complete don’t forget these!:
– Individual Chocolate Caramel Lava Cakes
– Baked Eggplant Goat Cheese Stacks
Recipe
Valentine’s Day Champagne & Cheese
Ingredients
| 1 | bottle champagne |
| 2 | ounces blue cheese of choice |
| 2 | ounce hard cheese, such as an aged cheddar |
| 2 | ounces soft non-cow cheese, such as a goat cheese or sheep’s milk cheese |
Instructions
1. Arrange cheese in a circle on a cheese plate. Pour glasses of champagne – enjoy!
Naptime Notes
Naptime Recipe Serving ideas
Additional nibbles to accompany a cheese plate: crackers, crostini rounds, marcona almonds, dried apricots, fresh sliced fruit (such as blue chees with pear slices), sweet jam to drizzle over cheese.
Naptime Stopwatch
10 minutes prep time.
Naptime Reviews
This is truly one of our favorite no cook meals. Be sure to store the cheese in cheese paper so that it lasts in the fridge until you use it all up!
More Naptime Recipes
Love the Vermont cheese – Shelburne Farms cheddar is delicious and the Bonne Bouche is a new favorite – so good at room temperature – yum! Enjoy!
We did bonne Bouche and cheddar last night, too! A cheese plate is my favorite summer dinner. I followed up the cheese with fields, scallops, mixed green salad and baguette for dinner. Since we were having steak, I poured a cab and there were your red velvet mini cupcakes for dessert. I tried Ree’s chocolate orange pots de creme and it was an epic fail 🙁