The festive season is almost upon us. This celebration that spans both the northern and southern hemispheres has a common theme: coming together around the table to enjoy some good food. Food is one of the most important constituents of our Christmas celebrations, but each country has its own typical dishes and delicacies. Castell d’Or has put together this international Christmas menu for you to enjoy with our cavas…
Starter (France)
The French traditionally start a family Christmas dinner with foie gras served with slices of toast or gingerbread and accompanied by a dollop of fig or onion jam. Here, it is essential to keep the palate fresh.
This is why the French often avoid the traditional pairing of sweet white wine with foie gras since the big drawback of this pairing is that it is heavy on the palate due to the overwhelming sweet flavours of the wine and the fat texture of the foie gras. To avoid this feeling of heaviness when the meal is only just starting, true gourmets play on contrasts and pair the foie gras dish with a very dry sparkling wine. The Cava Castell d’Or Brut Nature will open up the food’s flavours and awaken the taste buds with its delicate bubbles, making dishes and appetizers based on foie gras appear much lighter. This will ensure that your palette does not get tired too early and will prepare it for other flavour combinations: dinner has just begun!
In Italy, they don’t foregot pasta even during the festive season! In fact, they often tuck into Tortellini pasta with broth. Over the years, this dish, originally from the Emilia-Romagna region, has become a staple on Italian menus for 25 December. It consists of egg pasta stuffed with a mixture of meat and Parmesan and served with a flavoured meat broth. We would recommend our Flama d’Or Brut Cava to complement the meat and cheese of this dish, cleanse the palate and allow you to continue enjoying your lavish feast!
Roast goose stuffed with apples, celery, and onion or with chestnuts is a traditional main course dish for Christmas dinner in Germany. Usually, it is served with Knödel (potato dumplings) and braised red cabbage prepared with apples and onions.
Savoury and rich in fat, Christmas goose requires a more complex wine, otherwise, it will seem watery and plain. The Castell d’Or Cava Brut Reserva Imperial has a creamy texture that will complement the flavours of goose meat. The cava’s quince and ripe apple flavours will marry well with the acidity of the stewed apples and braised cabbage. The sparkling wine’s light notes of aniseed will awaken the spices and help to reduce the impression of heaviness.
In the UK, the jewel in the crown of Christmas desserts is the Christmas pudding. This is a very rich and sweet dried-fruit pudding. It is usually doused with a splash of brandy and then flambéed to make the dessert nice and boozy, perfect for Christmas celebrations!
This dessert is fabulous paired with the Castell d’Or Semi Seco cava. The cava’s dosage makes it ideal for this dessert thanks to the lovely mouthfeel it creates with its residual sugar and fine bubbles. Its light floral aromas and flavours, combined with ripe fruit and hints of yeast and pastries, leave us feeling nicely satisfied and round off our wonderful gastronomic experience!
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