With New Year’s Eve just a few short days away in Thailand, we wanted to introduce you to several, wonderful champagnes we have come across. What a better way to enjoy these fabulous champagnes at one of Bangkok’s luxury riverside hotel terraces. It is good to know that the Oriental, Peninsula and Shangri-La hotels all have these following fine champagnes available.
Champagne Perrier-Jouët features an iconic anemone bottle that was designed by Emile Galle way back in 1902. Perrier-Jouët has collaborated with master silversmiths Christofle to create a stunning limited edition vase to house a magnum of its prestige cuvee, Belle Epoque 1998.
Perrier Jouët & Christofle Vase
This beautiful limited edition and exquisite silver-plated, filigree vase, which was inspired by the iconic bottle itself, can only be purchased at Harrods.
Next, we wanted to introduce you to Champagne G.H. Mumm. Due to it being pinot noir driven, this gastronomic champagne is ideal for food parings, with the Cordon Rouge having won best non vintage in a blind tasting of 57 of the top international non vintage champagnes .
Several of the UK ’s best chefs have created wonderful tasting menus to pair with G.H. Mumm. Here are two for you to enjoy.
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G.H. Mumm’s Rosé NV is a serious wine and deserves to be matched with serious food.
Jal Tarang, a salad of scallops and prawns in a grape and ginger dressing, from Atul Kochhar of Benares
Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a light lunch
750g red grapes
250g white grapes
1 tsp kasoori methi (powdered fenugreek)
10 mint leaves
10g ginger, chopped
2-10 green chillies (depending on how hot they are), chopped
1 tbsp Chat Masala (which can be bought, pre-mixed, at some supermarkets or specialist Indian stores)
1 heaped tsp Garam Masala
Salt, to taste
30ml olive oil
8 scallops, cleaned and prepared
4 large prawns, peeled (tails left on) and deveined
a small knob of butter
a small bunch of chervil
Mix the grapes, spices and herbs together and blend in a Magimix until smooth. Season with salt to taste. Add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream and blend further until the mixture thickens somewhat (all of this can be done by hand with a pestle, mortar and whisk, if you wish). Pour the mixture over the scallops and prawns.
Heat the butter in a pan over a medium flame, then sauté the scallops and prawns for 2-3 minutes until just cooked, then arrange on a plate. Garnish each plate with a sprig of chervil and serve.
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Made from 100% Chardonnay grapes, Blancs de Blancs tend to be lighter and more delicate in nature than blended champagnes – and G.H. Mumm de Cramant is no exception to the rule.
Sea bream baked in salt from Mitchell Tonks, chef, restaurateur, food writer and founder of FishWorks
Serves 2 for a light lunch or 1 for a main meal
2kg coarse rock salt
1 whole sea bream, about 450-600g, gutted, with scales and head left on
A few sprigs of thyme or rosemary
Fish cooked in salt works brilliantly as the salt creates an oven within an oven and the fish cooks by steaming in its own juices. Probably the biggest single challenge is getting enough salt (you will need about 2kg of coarse rock salt for this dish).
Preheat oven to 200-225ºC. Place a layer of salt about 12.5mm thick on the bottom of a roasting tray that is just big enough to hold the fish comfortably.
Lay the fish on the salt (stuff the belly cavity with some thyme or rosemary to add flavor) and cover with the remaining salt.
Sprinkle over a tablespoon or two of water and place in the oven for 25 minutes. When you remove the tray from the oven the salt will have formed a firm crust.
Break it with the back of a spoon: it should come off in large chunks to reveal the fish beneath. When the fish is exposed, brush the salt away from it with a pastry brush, lift onto a plate, then peel back the skin. Serve beautifully unadorned.
