How much to spend on Mother’s Day champagne?

Truth to tell, unless your group consists of

That being said, the biggest value in champagne in the U.S. is likely the Kirkland brand from Costco.

Made for Costco in France’s Champagne region, it costs just $20—half the price of other real champagnes.

Kirkland Champagne lacks the toasty complexity of a big-name Champagne, but unless the’re big-time champagne drinkers, guests won’t notice the difference.

While champagne is the sparkling wine made in Champagne, there are other more affordable sparklers that deserve attention—and are even more reasonably priced. Head to your wine store and check out the options in:

 
In fact, our year-round go-to is Yellow Tail rosé sparkling wine, from Australia, for $10.
 
 
HOW TO MAKE BUBBLY EVEN MORE FESTIVE

Our two favorite techniques, which we first employed when we opened bottles that were too dry, or otherwise a bit unappealing to our palate:

[1] The best bargain in champagne is at Costco (photo courtesy Costco Wine Blog).

[2] Make bubbly more festive with raspberries (photo courtesy Tender NYC).

[1] Food fun: fonduta and meatballs (photo courtesy Flavor & The Menu).

[2] How about a smoked mozzarella fondue? Here’s the recipe from Center Cut Cook.

[3] Serve fonduta with classic dippers, with or without the fondue pot (photo courtesy Equatorial Sky | Wikipedia).

Who needs spaghetti or lasagna?

This fun dish from Flavor & The Menu plops meatballs into a fonduta, an Italian variation of Swiss fondue.

Even richer than fondue, fonduta adds eggs, milk and butter to the melted cheese. The recipe is below.

The original recipe was created in the Valle d’Aosta region of northwest Italy, an area of the Alps bordered by France and Switzerland. Fondue likely jumped the border from Switzerland to Italy.

In the Valle d’Aosta, cooks enriched the local fontina cheese (Swiss fondue is based on gruyère) and served it as a dip for bread and crudités, or as a sauce for cooked vegetables.

Here’s the history of fondue, which dates to the 17th century.
 
 
RECIPE: ITALIAN FONDUTA

While the classic cheese for fonduta is fontina, you can use any semihard cheese. Just avoid crumbly aged cheeses.

Plan ahead: In this recipe, the cheese and milk must meld overnight. Also plan that when the fonduta comes off the stove, it’s ready to eat. No one wants cold fonduta!

If you have a fondue pot with a heat source, or a brazier, use them.

Or even better, make your fonduta in individual dishes instead of one serving dish. With a large serving dish, it’s messier to scoop-and-serve.

If you prefer an all-mozzarella fonduta, follow the directions for the smoked mozzarella fonduta (substitute regular mozzarella as you wish) in photo #2.

Ingredients

 
To Serve With Meatballs

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the cheese and milk in a small bowl, ensuring that the milk just covers the cheese (add more milk as needed). Cover and set aside overnight. When you’re ready to cook:

3. ADD the egg yolks one at a time to the cheese mixture, whisking constantly until the fonduta is smooth, thick and glossy (about 10 minutes). Pour it into a warm serving dish (heat it for 20 or more seconds in the microwave) and serve immediately.

For The Meatball Fonduta

1. HEAT the marinara before creating the fonduta, and keep warm. When the fonduta is hot and ready to pour…

2. COVER the bottom of the serving dish with the sauce, then add the fonduta. Top with the meatballs and mozzarella. Heat briefly in the microwave to melt the mozzarella. Garnish with herbs and serve immediately with the toasts for dipping.

NOTE: This dish is easier to eat with a soup spoon, rather than a fork.
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*Herb garnish is not traditional with fonduta or fondue, but we like the subtle flavor it adds.

Here’s a fusion recipe for Cinco de Mayo: Mexican Chicken Lasagna. It substitutes tortillas for lasagna noodles, enchilada sauce for pasta sauce, Monterey Jack for mozzarella.

It’s lots of fun.

Thanks to Pampered Chef for the recipe.
 
 
RECIPE: MEXICAN CHICKEN “LASAGNA”

Ingredients For 8 Servings

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the cream cheese in a bowl and microwave on HIGH for 30-45 seconds or until very soft. Add the cilantro and 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) of the Monterey Jack cheese; mix well.

2. CHOP the onion and set aside. Spread 2/3 cup (150 mL) of the enchilada sauce over bottom of baking pan. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce into a mixing bowl andset aside.

3. ASSEMBLE the lasagna. Dip four of the tortillas into the enchilada sauce in mixing bowl using tongs, and arrange over sauce in the baking pan, overlapping as necessary. Scoop half of the cream cheese mixture over the tortillas, and spread.

[1] It looks like a classic lasagna, but it’s a Mexican twist (photo courtesy Pampered Chef).

[2] If you’re not a cilantro lover, substitute basil or oregano (photo courtesy Good Eggs).

4. TOP with 1 cup (250 mL) of the chicken and one-third of the onion. Repeat the layers one time. Dip the remaining tortillas into sauce and arrange over second layer. Top with the remaining chicken and onion. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over lasagna and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup (125 mL) Monterey Jack cheese.

5. MICROWAVE, covered, on HIGH for 12-15 minutes or until the center is hot. Let stand 10 minutes, then sprinkle with additional chopped cilantro. Cut into squares and serve using a spatula.

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*If desired, 1 bottle (22 oz/650 mL) medium salsa combined with 1/2 cup (125 mL) water can be substituted for the enchilada sauce.

[1] One of our favorite truffle cheeses: Truffle Tremor from California’s Cypress Grove.

[2] Truffle honey available from Gourmet Attitude.

[3] Alba white truffle—the most expensive in the world at more than $2,000 a pound (photo courtesy Stefania Spadoni | Archivio Ente Turismo Alba Bra Langhe Roero).

[4] Summer black truffles are typically used in truffle cheese and truffle honey (photo courtesy Caviar Russe).

May 2nd is National Truffle Day. It’s not specific as to the underground truffles a fungus is related to mushrooms, or chocolate ganache bonbons, which are named after the original vegetable truffle, a fungus. We’re going for the fungus.

May is not a good month for fresh truffles. The best truffles are gone by February, and there’s no inventory until the summer truffles appear.

Instead, we recommend two truffle-infused products: truffle cheese and truffle honey. Both make delicious Mother’s Day gifts for the gourmet mom.
 
 
TRUFFLE CHEESE

Truffle cheese is typically made from mild cheese that has been flavored with bits of truffles and/or truffle oil. The cheese can be made from any type of milk, in any style—from soft cheese like burrata to hard cheeses like mild gouda.

The cheesemaker will purchase tiny bits of truffle that have fallen off the truffles as they are handled. Sometimes, truffle shavings are used, from truffles that weren’t presentable enough to be sold.

The cheesemaker blends the truffle bits into the curd, infusing the cheese with earthy truffle flavor. You can see the pieces of truffle in the cheese.

Here are some examples that you can look for locally, or online at e-tailers like DiBruno, iGourmet and Murray’s.

 
 
How To Serve Them

While you can serve truffle cheese with either red or white wine, still or sparkling, how about a bottle of dessert wine?

The European custom of serving cheese at the end of a meal, instead of a sweet dessert, makes this a terrific gift for a cheese-loving foodie.

Other accoutrements you can package with a gift: honey (for a drizzle), Marcona almonds or toasted hazelnuts, and whole grain crackers.
 
 
TRUFFLE HONEY

Truffle honey is made by adding pieces of truffle into plain honey, where the truffles infuse their flavor and aroma.

The earthiness of the truffles combined with the sweetness of honey is a special combination.

There are many brands, and some use chemical approximations of truffles instead of the real thing (it’s the same with truffle oil). While they are not bad, they are not the best.

As you consider the brands available to you, check the reviews or ask your retailer.

Truffle honey is popularly served with hard cheeses; Italians love it for dessert with Parmigiano Reggiano. We love it on a slice of baguette, plain or toasted.

We also like to drizzle it in a baked potato. And you can use it as a glaze for chicken, game birds and skirt steak.

Like to be edgy? Put a dab onto a square of dark chocolate or chocolate or vanilla ice cream.

Frankly, it is delicious to eat truffle honey from the spoon.

A [pretty] comprehensive guide to black and white truffles.

While stuffed baked potatoes may not be authentic Mexican fare, these two winners from blogger Sylvia Fountaine of Feasting at Home.

They were sent to us by the Idaho Potato Commission are an easy way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

Serve the baked potatoes along with some grilled steak or fish, and a green salad with lime vinaigrette and some crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese.

Sylvia bakes her potatoes in an instant pot.
 
 
RECIPE #1: MEXICAN BAKED POTATO WITH ROASTED CORN & BLACK BEAN RELISH

This baked potato is topped with a south-of-the-border-style corn and black bean relish. It is vegan, gluten free and full of flavor.

Ingredients For 2 Servings

 
For The Corn and Black Bean Relish

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the corn and black bean salsa ingredients in a medium bowl and mix to incorporate. Adjust the salt and lime, adding more if you like.

2. CUT a slit into the warm baked potatoes and fluff up the flesh with a fork. Divide the corn and black bean relish between the two potatoes. Drizzle with hot sauce or sriracha and serve immediately.
 
 
RECIPE #2: BAKED POTATO WITH MEXICAN GARNISHES

Crema is Mexican sour cream. It has a slightly different flavor than American sour cream, but you can use them interchangeably.

Ingredients For 2 Servings

 
For The Vegan Avocado Cilantro Sauce

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the Vegan Avocado-Cilantro sauce. Place the ingredients in a blender or food processor, and blend until very smooth. Set aside.

[1] Baked potato with roasted corn and black bean relish (photos #1 and #2 courtesy Idaho Potato Commission).

[2] Baked Potato With Mexican Garnishes.

[3] Russet potatoes for baking (photo courtesy Potato Goodness).

[4] If you’re not sure if everyone likes the heat of jalapenos, pass them around in a dish (photo courtesy Good Eggs).

3. SPLIT and fluff the baked potatoes, season with salt and pepper and a small drizzle of olive oil.

4. TOP the baked potatoes with the warm refried beans. Add the avocado, cilantro and jalapeño. Top with a
few dollops of crema/sour cream or the cilantro sauce.