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BUBBLES
BY PAUL ASKEW, CHEF PATRON OF THE ART SCHOOL RESTAURANT
The city region has a well-known history and passion for the wonderful thing that is Champagne, Prosseco and Cava, beautiful bubbles from their respective regions. The interesting statistic is we drink more per head of population than any other city outside of London! You could say we’ re connoisseurs in bubbles!
Perhaps less well known is that the original Champagne Charlie – Charles Heidsieck started his journey to America from the Liverpool docks to New York.
This little bit of history was revealed recently at the Maverick Encounters, an evening with the Champagne House, Charles Heidsieck, that was hosted at The Art School recently.
The regions love for bubbles was one of the factors that influenced my decision to open the Champagne and wine bar affectionately as The Cellars( The Art School Cellars) linked from the restaurant by an old Victorian passageway.
Champagne is the ultimate aperitif, which is why we serve it with charcuterie and pinchos in The Art School Cellars and with canapés in the restaurant. However, for me if I want to enjoy a glass with a meal I’ ll look no further than the sea. Fish and shellfish work beautifully with bubbles.
One of my favourite dishes for champagne and as we approach the festive season it feels rather apt to bring together a trinity of the finest fayre the sea and grape has to offer. That dish is Turbot and Lobster, served with pommes mousseline, chicory, lime and mango salad and dressed with a lobster bisque. Its as mouth wateringly good as it sounds and is one of forty recipes included in my debut book,“ Onwards and Upwards” which is available to pre-order now.
The wonderful thing about Champagne outside of the bottling and conditioning process is the amazing blends and styles that create unique flavours. My very favourite is Blanc de Millenaires 1995, one hundred percent Chardonnay and produced using a blend of the finest vintages from over a decade. As with all Champagne, it’ s the second fermentation that produces the bubbles. This process for making Champagne is followed for Cava although Prosecco is slightly different.
Enjoy the bubbles – until next month. Very Best Chef Askew
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