[1] Champagne pairs well with any fish or seafood, including sushi and sashimi (photo courtesy Latte Luxury News).

[2] Enjoy your favorite cheeses with Champagne (photo courtesy Champagne Bureau).

[3] Drink Champagne with poultry or pork (photo courtesy Champagne Bureau).

Why wait for New Year’s Eve to crack open the bubbly? October 19th is World Champagne Day.

Held the third Friday in October, there’s time to pick up a bottle for a pre-dinner cocktail and/or sparkling wine with dinner.

Raise a glass to the quintessential wine of celebrations, good cheer and toasting everywhere.

While there are great sparkling wines from around the world, Champagne is distinctive with its chalky, toasty, yeasty/biscuity flavors. These flavors come from layers of chalk under the region’s soil, set down by the glaciers, that have created a unique terroir*.

Younger Champagnes can be floral, fruity and spicy. As they age they take on honey, nutty, toffee and other flavor nuances. After 20 years or so, mature Champagnes develop nuances of mushroom flavor.

Check out this image of the flavors and aromas as the wine ages.

See the footnote† below for the seven grapes that can be used to make Champagne.
 
 
TOP CHAMPAGNE COCKTAILS

Make cocktails with nonvintage Champagnes, and choose bubbly on the lower end (although with authentic Champagne, this means close to $30).

That’s because in a cocktail, the subtle, complex nuances of the best Champagnes can be masked up by the mixers.

Here are some popular Champagne cocktails. When you don’t have champagne, any sparkling wine works.

 
Another of our favorites is the simple but elegant St. Germain Cocktail: an inch or so of St. Germain elderflower liqueur topped off with Champagne.
 
 
CHAMPAGNE FUN

 
 
FAVORITE FOOD PAIRINGS

Here are our favorite pairings with Champagne. Drink the Champagne straight to enjoy the crisp acidity and flavors that come from the Chardonnay and/or Pinot Noir grapes†.

 
Beyond European Cuisine

Champagne pairs well with foods of the Pacific Rim.

 
We’ll leave you now to go pop a cork or two.
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*ABOUT TERROIR: The same rootstock that is grown in different locations produces different flavors; for example, depending on where it is grown, Sauvignon Blanc can have grass or grapefruit notes—or neither. Terroir, pronounced tur-WAH, is a French agricultural term referring to the unique set of environmental factors in a specific habitat that affect a crop’s qualities. It includes climate, elevation, proximity to a body of water, slant of the land, soil type and amount of sun. These environmental characteristics gives the wine its character. Terroir is the basis of the French A.O.C. (appellation d’origine contrôlée) system.

†THE 7 CHAMPAGNE GRAPES PERMITTED BY LAW: The two main grapes of Champagne are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Blanc de Blanc Champagnes are 100% Chardonnay and are lighter with more acidic raciness. Blanc de Noir Champagnes are all Pinot Noir, which has elegance, perfume and body. Most Champagnes are blends of the two.

The wines can also contain five other grapes to bring out other characteristics: Fromenteau (fruitiness), Petite Arbanne (rusticity), Petite Meslier (green flavors and high acidity), Pinot Blanc (floral and honey aroma, rich body) and Pinot Meunier (richness and fruit). These blending grapes are used in smaller percentages to balance out the features of the year’s harvest (e.g., over-ripeness, under-ripeness, light body) of the two main grapes. One or more, or none, may be used by the winemaker in any particular harvest. Here’s more about them.
  

Bring the flavor of fall to your mustard: gingerbread-spiced mustard.

You can buy it or make it.

French brands such as Pommery make it, and you can find it on Amazon.

Its French name is Moutarde au Pain d’Epices: moutarde (moo-TARD) is mustard and pain d’epices (pan day PEACE) is gingerbread.

Gingerbread is one of the specialties of the Burgundy region of France. The flavored mustard is delicious served with poultry, ham, roast pork or sausages.

You can spread it on a sandwich, serve it with an omelet, turn it into a dip, add it to a stuffing mix for roast chicken or make a vinaigrette for for salad and crudités.

You can also make it into mustard sauce (recipe below).

And you can give a jar as a seasonal gift.

To make your own:
 
 
RECIPE #1: GINGERBREAD MUSTARD (PAIN D’EPICES)

Prep time is 5 minutes. Note that you may like a different proportion of spices, or a subtler spicing. Our personal adjustment was to halve the cinnamon and double the nutmeg.

Make a test batch using half the ingredients.
 
Ingredients For 1 Cup

 
Preparation

1. ADD the spices to the mustard and blend thoroughly. Allow to stand for an hour or more for the flavors to meld.

2. TASTE and adjust the seasonings as desired.
 
 
RECIPE #2: MUSTARD SAUCE

It’s so easy to use the mustard to deglaze a pan. Or make this equally easy creamy mustard sauce.

In addition to serving as a sauce with meats and vegetables, you can use it a dip, flavor a marinade, even spread it on a sandwich.

Ingredients For 1 Cup

[1] Start with Dijon mustard or grainy mustard (photo courtesy Maille).

[2] You can buy gingerbread-flavored mustard, here in the old-fashioned grainy form from Pommery.

[3] It’s easy to make a creamy mustard sauce (photo courtesy Recipe Community).

1. COMBINE the cream, mustard and pepper in a small saucepan.

2. STIR constantly as you simmer the mixture over low heat until the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt.
 

[2] Granny Smith apples (photo courtesy Good Eggs).

Looking for Halloween fun? This cider recipe, from The Pampered Chef, will take you there.

Carved apples become shrunken skulls as they cook in the cider.

You can serve the cider straight, or augmented with spiced rum or spiced/cinnamon whiskey.
 
 
RECIPE: APPLE CIDER WITH APPLE SKULLS

Ingredients For 14 Servings

 
 
Food Trivia

Granny Smith apples originated in New South Wales, Australia in 1868.

There was an actual Granny Smith, Maria Ann Smith, who propagated the cultivar from a chance seedling.

1. PREHEAT the oven to 250°F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.

2. PLACE the cinnamon sticks in as large spice ball or cheesecloth. Peel the rind of the orange and place as much of the rind as possible into the spice ball, then close. Optionally, you can first juice the orange and add the juice to the cider before serving.

3. PEEL the apples and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and core. Then carve the rounded side of each apple half to create faces, using the tip of the corer and a paring knife. Juice the lemons into a small bowl. Dip the apples in the juice and transfer to paper towels to drain. Reserve the remaining juice.

4. PLACE the apples face-side up on the sheet pan. Press the cloves into the “eye sockets” or use them as noses, as desired. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes or until the apples are dry and begin to brown around the edges. Meanwhile…

5. PLACE the spice ball in the bottom of a large dutch oven. Add the apple cider and maple syrup. Heat the mixture, covered, on low while the apples are baking. Do not let the mixture come to a boil; turn off the heat before it reaches boil.

6. SERVE: Remove the spice ball and stir in the reserved juice and optional rum or whiskey. Add the “skulls” to the pot of cider. Top each serving with one skull and serve with a spoon for eating the apple.
  

If you’ve never made marshmallows, here’s your chance to delight family and friends as you warm them up with a cup of hot cocoa.

In addition to cocoa, you can use them to garnish fruit salad, ice cream, cakes, pies and other desserts.

You can make them in traditional squares, or use cookie cutters to make any shape you like.

The recipe is from Karo Syrup.
 
 
RECIPE: HOMEMADE MARSHMALLOWS

These marshmallows can be made in traditional squares, or cut with a cookie cutter into shapes.

Prep time is 45 minutes, cooling time is 4+ hours.
 
Ingredients For 3 Dozen Large Marshmallows

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE 1/2 cup water, the salt and gelatin in the large bowl of a stand mixer. Stir and set aside.

2. COMBINE the remaining 1/2 cup water, the sugar and corn syrup in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Using a candy thermometer, cook until mixture reaches 240°F, the soft ball stage.

3. SLOWLY POUR the hot syrup over the gelatin mixture with the mixer on low. Turn the mixer to its highest speed and beat for 8 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat for an additional 2 minutes. The mixing bowl will get very full. The marshmallows will become very thick, white and shiny. Spread mixture onto greased baking sheet with sides.

4. LET the sheet of marshmallow cool at least 4 hours or overnight. Combine the powdered sugar and cornstarch in a shallow pan. Cut the marshmallows into bite-size squares with a sharp knife or scissors, dropping one at a time into the powdered sugar. Toss to coat well.

[2] Use Karo Light Corn Syrup, which also can be used in many other recipes.

 
Variations

[2] How about a pumpkin peanut butter sandwich?

[3] Another delicious comfort food: pumpkin mashed potatoes. Here’s the recipe from Taste of Home. You can also make a pumpkin and cauliflower mash.

[4] Be sure to use pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Here’s why from Jessica Gavin.

Before you make another pot of mac and cheese, a bowl of pasta, or a PB&J, think of how to “pumpkinize” them for fall.

Beyond pumpkin pie, mousse and other sweets, it’s easy to turn a can of pumpkin purée (not sweetened pumpkin pie filling) into a sauce or spread.

Here are 16 everyday savory recipes that get the pumpkin treatment. Most of these recipes require just a few tablespoons of pumpkin purée.

 
 
RECIPE #1: PUMPKIN MAC & CHEESE

Pumpkin is a lovely seasonal addition to mac and cheese (photo #1). Prep time is 25 minutes, cook time is 20 minutes.
 
Ingredients For 4 One-Cup Servings

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Cook the macaroni in large pot of boiling water until al dente in texture. Drain and return to the pot. Meanwhile…

2. MELT the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

3. ADD the evaporated milk and water all at once. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until bubbly and slightly thickened. Stir in the cheese, pumpkin and sage until the cheese melts. Pour the sauce over the pasta and stir to coat. Spoon the mixture into four ungreased 8-ounce ramekins.

4. COMBINE the bread crumbs, parmesan, walnuts and oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the pasta. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

If you prefer to use a casserole dish, pour the mixture into an ungreased 1-1/2-quart casserole dish and top with the crumb mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
 
 
RECIPE #2: PUMPKIN PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICH

You can buy pumpkin peanut butter from specialty PB companies, but that’s typically peanut butter with pumpkin pie spices—no pumpkin per se.

Ingredients For 2 Sandwiches

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE pumpkin and peanut butter in small bowl until well blended. Makes 1 cup.

2. SPREAD 1 tablespoon pumpkin peanut butter spread on each slice. Top the two bottom slices with banana slices. Top each with the top slice of bread to make sandwiches.

3. REFRIGERATE the leftover spread in a tightly covered container for up to 5 days.
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*Soft bread crumbs are made from fresh or slightly stale bread. Tear the bread apart with a fork or use a blender or food processor to break it into fluffy crumbs. Pile gently into a measuring cup; do not pack.