Want to make a really fun and impressive dessert that’s super light and refreshing? This one is great for a summer dinner party or for New Years celebrations when the champagne will be flowing anyhow. It’s easy and it works great with most any fruit you could want, so try different things and be inventive. Oranges, mango, kiwi, all sorts of things would work in this!
What you will need for this Champagne And Strawberry Consomme
>1lb fresh strawberries or 1 lb fresh peaches, pitted, or use whatever fruit you like so long as you remove pits or seeds
>1/4 cup granulated sugar
>1 12 oz jar strawberry or peach preserves (will help bind the consommé together. If using a differnet fruit use a more neutral flavored preserves such as apple jelly)
>1 bottle sparkling wine or champagne
>A pinch of marjoram or ginger powder
>Dash of vanilla extract
>Whipped Cream or Cream Cheese for garnish
1Cut the tops off the strawberries or otherwise prepare your fruit. Leave half of the strawberries or peaches whole, but cut the rest into quarters (for the strawberries you don’t have to cut them up unless they’re large). Add the quarters to a blender along with the remaining ingredients but reserve some of the champagne, at least a quarter of the bottle. Blend until smooth and refrigerate, leaving the mixture in the blender until ready to serve.
2Cut the remaining peaches or strawberries either into bite sized chunks or larger, depending on how you wish to present the dish. Some can be set on the side of the bowl as a garnish. If you’ve made this ahead of time, the champagne will go flat. To remedy this, if you’ve made it in advance, take the mixture out of the fridge the moment you’re ready to serve it, and blend in the rest of the champagne to give it some bubbles.
3Garnish with the whipped cream or a tablespoon of ricotta cheese and serve promptly. Serves 8-10 people. This dish is a big hit on New Years! Its also pretty healthy as far as desserts go especially if you use light whipped cream! You could also make your own whipped cream if you want to be really fancy. You’ll need:
>1 /2 tsp Vanilla Extract
>1 cup whipping cream
>3 tbsp powdered sugar
4Combine the liquid ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk until it just starts to thicken. Sprinkle in the powdered sugar and continue to whisk until it forms stiff peaks, meaning that when you move it with a spoon or whisk it doesnt flop back down into a mound, but forms rigid lines and seems semi rigid, as whipped cream should. Makes about 2 cups.
