For those who love sparkling wine, they know best that no matter the time, the meal or the event that life is simply better with Bubbles.  It matters not how extravagant the pairing (or to the contrary, how mundane), when paired with a glass of sparkling wine there is an added dash of festivity and even the most casual affair feels celebratory.

Depending on the type of bottle of sparkling wine selected (and depending on its winemaker), however, does tend to drive what should be paired alongside such personable Bubbles.   An earlier article on this site (“Break out the Bubbles for Bud Break”) went into great detail regarding the level of sugar found in sparkling wine and how that determines the wine’s classification.  “Extra dry”, which contains 1.2 to 2 percent sugar, is slightly sweeter than many mainstream sparkling wines found yet is not sweet enough to fall into the “demi-sec” category to indicate a more traditional dessert style sparkling wine.  As sugar increases in sparkling wine, it pairs exceptionally well with spicy cuisine as well as fresh fruit desserts.  

Presently pears of all types are in abundance at produce stands and farmer’s markets in Northern California.  Similarly apples are arriving and stone fruit is continuing to be available this year.  Menus in restaurants are also incorporating fruit in creative salad combinations and main dishes.  While those combinations delight the palate, nothing compares to the long-awaited incorporation of pear or fresh apple into a dessert with spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg.

Mouth watering already, a bottle of Domaine Chandon’s (“Chandon”) Extra Dry Riche is chilled and fresh pears and apples are set aside to ripen a bit more over the course of the afternoon.   Once the sparkling is chilled, a glass of Chandon’s Extra Dry Riche is poured.   Tiny bubbles rush to the top and beautiful floral aromas of honeysuckle perfume beneath your nose.   With one sip, delicious deep notes of honeyed apricot and peach burst forward with a bit of white nectarine and a slight twist of tangerine on the finish.  The wine’s texture is soft and velvety and the medley of sweet and ripe fruit flavors in the wine complement nicely.

A sip of this wine lends the imagination towards a path of opulence, yet the wine itself is quite affordable and I found it in my local grocery store on a whim when I wanted to randomly expand my collection of sparkling wine.   Given its affordability, it makes it guiltless to pair this bottle of sparkling wine with simpler pairings or in this case, dessert.  As such, this week’s menu holds:

• Puff Pastry Tarts of Pear, Almond and Cranberry with Honey; and Apple, Pecan and Cranberry with Honeyed Crème Fraiche.

Dessert may not be made on a mere dime, but if pre-made puff pastry happens to be sitting in your freezer, then dessert might be made on a couple of dollars.   As noted, pears are in abundance at produce stands.  If you are not fortunate enough to have a neighbor with a tree, pull off at a produce stand and see what the price presently is on pears.   Depending on the type, you might be able to get a deal on 3 pounds for $1.00 or 2 pounds for $1.00.   Either way, that’s affordable to me.   Apples at produce stands will be a better deal than at the grocery store (and they will be far more flavorful).   Even if they have a few blemishes or nicks on the skin, the apples can be peeled if need be and regardless, they will be baked or heated on a range.   Nuts are grown throughout California and it is natural to have pecans or almonds on the pantry shelf.   Pull out some baking spices and soon you are making combinations with fresh autumn seasonal fruit that will soon have you wistfully looking for changing leaves.

Cranberries pair wonderfully with pears.   If you do not have fresh, dried cranberries can be used in fruit tarts such as these as the cranberries are merely plumped in warm water first before being chopped and heated.   If you heat the cranberries separately, the color will not bleed into the pristine pears or apples.

Combining pear, cranberry, baked almond slices, honey, nutmeg and cinnamon with puff pastry is as rich as it sounds.   Natural sugars combine with a hint of acidity from the cranberry and honey draws the flavors directly into the envelopment of light buttery puff pastry.

Next, put together apple, pecan, cranberry, nutmeg, sugar, cinnamon with a honeyed crème fraiche and enjoy.

Using honey in each recipe brings a pleasant balanced sweetness as opposed to the traditional granulated sugar.   It offers a deeper flavor that naturally reaches to the flavors found in the sparkling wine. 

When dessert such as this is paired with Chandon’s Extra Dry Riche sparkling wine, opulence abounds.   Flavors are balanced overall and the integrity of this style of sparkling wine is well maintained as only a hint of sweetness is found in each of the two desserts.   Having used fruit that is seasonal and ingredients found within an arm’s reach in your own kitchen, one cannot help but feel rich with sustainability and that is worth celebrating any day.