Sparkling Wines Menu

Rosemary Spiced Nuts
Caramelized Onion Tarts
Shrimp Skewers
Potato Latke with Smoked Salmon and Sour Cream
Beef Shish Kebobs

Spiced Nuts
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
¼ cup water
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon hot chili sauce (such as sambal oelek or sriracha)
2 teaspoons salt
3 cups pecans 

Onion Tartlets

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 pound onions, finely diced

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

¾ cup heavy cream

3 large eggs

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

¼ cup Gruyere cheese, finely grated

3 packages phyllo cups

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add butter to skillet and cook onions with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper over moderate heat, stirring, until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Cover surface of onions with a round of parchment or wax paper (or cover skillet with a tight-fitting lid) and continue to cook, lifting parchment to stir frequently, until onions are very soft and pale golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes.

Whisk together cream, eggs, nutmeg, remaining salt and pepper in a large bowl.

To assemble, place phyllo cups on baking sheet. Put onions in bottom of each cup and top with small amount of cheese. Fill with egg mixture. Bake until cheese is melted and egg is set.

Skewered Shrimp with Hoisin Dipping Sauce

8 wooden skewers

2 large garlic cloves

1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger

¼ cup fresh lime juice, or to taste

16 large shrimp

¼ cup hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon ketchup

Accompaniment: lime wedges

Prepare grill. Soak skewers in warm water 20 minutes. While skewers are soaking, thinly slice garlic and in a shallow glass dish stir together with ginger and 2 tablespoons lime juice. Season marinade with salt and pepper. Marinate shrimp at room temperature 10 minutes. In a small bowl whisk together hoisin sauce, ketchup, and remaining lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Drain skewers and thread two shrimp on each. Season with salt and pepper. Grill shrimp until just cooked through. Let rest 4-5 minutes. Serve with hoisin dipping sauce and lime wedges.

Spicy Tuna Rolls

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons hot chile paste

1 teaspoon hot chile oil

½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil

4 sheets toasted seaweed

Prepared sushi rice (recipe follows)

½ pound sushi-quality fresh tuna, cut into 1/2-inch wide strips

Wasabi paste

2 tablespoons finely sliced scallions

3 tablespoons toasted black sesame seeds

In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, chile paste, hot chile oil, and sesame oil and stir to combine.

Place 1 piece of toasted seaweed on top of a sushi roller with the short end closest to you. Using lightly wet fingers, press enough rice onto the seaweed to completely cover the seaweed, and press firmly so that rice adheres to seaweed. Turn seaweed over so that rice side now faces down. Arrange strips of tuna on top of seaweed, with the tuna strips running vertically in line with the short side of the seaweed, about 1/3 of the way into the seaweed sheet.

Spread a small amount of wasabi on the tuna, then sprinkle with sliced scallions. Using the sushi roller as a guide, carefully begin rolling the seaweed up, pressing as tightly as possible so that the roll is firm and compact. Once the roll is completely rolled, reposition roll on sushi roller and press again. Sprinkle sesame seeds on a flat surface and lightly roll in seeds to coat. Allow roll to sit for a few seconds before slicing with a sharp, damp knife. Cut roll into 6 or 8 pieces and serve with dollops of sauce spooned on top, or alongside for dipping. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Sushi Rice:

3-3/4 cups Japanese rice, such as Nishiki (or 5 rice maker cups)

3-3/4 cups water (or 5 rice maker cups)

½ cup rice vinegar

4 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, add rice and cover with lots of water. Stir rice in water with your hands, then pour off most of the water, and agitate 10 to 15 times by quickly moving your hand back and forth, swishing rice against side of bowl. Rinse the rice several more times, until the water that drains off of the rice is almost clear. Transfer the rice to a colander and let drain for 1 hour, undisturbed. Transfer the rice to a heavy sauce pan, add the water, cover and cook as directed by manufacturer's directions.

While the rice is cooking, bring rice vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan, and then remove from the heat. Add sugar and salt and stir until dissolved. Allow to cool to room temperature.

When rice is done, allow cooked rice to remain in rice cooker for 10 minutes. Transfer rice to a large shallow mixing bowl (traditionally a wooden tub, called a hangiri), so that rice forms a mound in the center of the bowl. Using a diagonal slicing motion, gently cut into rice with a wooden paddle (called a kijakushi), and pour cooled vinegar mixture over top of rice. "Cut" rice several times to evenly distribute vinegar mixture, then allow to cool. Gently turn rice over from time to time with paddle so that rice cools evenly. You might want to consider using a fan if time is of the essence. When rice has cooled to body temperature, it is ready to use for sushi rolls.

Potato Latkes with Smoked Salmon and Sour Cream

1 pound potatoes

½ cup shredded onion

½ teaspoon salt

Fresh pepper, to taste

½ cup olive oil

Smoked salmon, finely sliced

Horseradish mustard

Preheat oven to 250°F. Peel potatoes and coarsely grate by hand. Grate onion. Transfer both to a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Heat ¼ cup oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture per latke into skillet, spreading into 3-inch rounds with a fork. Reduce heat to moderate and cook until undersides are browned, about 5 minutes. Turn latkes over and cook until undersides are browned, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt. Add more oil to skillet as needed. Keep latkes warm on a wire rack set in a shallow baking pan in oven.

To assemble, place a small dollop of mustard on the latke and top with small amount of the salmon.

Rosemary Beef Kebabs

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves

2 teaspoons orange zest

½ cup olive oil

6 tablespoons honey

6 tablespoons orange juice

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 pounds beef, cubed

Combine rosemary and orange zest in large bowl. Add olive oil, honey, orange juice, lemon juice, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Add beef, stirring to coat with marinade. Cover; chill at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours.

Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Thread pork onto 12 metal skewers. Transfer marinade to heavy small saucepan; bring to boil, stirring frequently. Grill beef until cooked through, turning frequently and brushing

occasionally with marinade, about 12 minutes. Arrange skewers on platter and serve.

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

3 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon butter

10 large strawberries with long stems

Line a baking sheet with foil or waxed paper. In the top of a double boiler set over hot water melt the chocolate, stirring. Add the 3 tablespoons of cream and the butter and stir until smooth. Holding each strawberry by the stem, dip into the chocolate mixture allowing the excess chocolate to drip back into the pan. If necessary, add additional cream to the chocolate to achieve desired coating consistency. Transfer the coated strawberry to the lined sheet and repeat process. Allow the chocolate to cool and then chill the strawberries until chocolate is set, about 20 to 30 minutes.