It's a celebration!

Sometimes you've just got to open a bottle of bubbly. And we had good reason tonight with Amanda completing the first year of her Master's program this afternoon. A bottle of Louise d'Estreé would serve us well.



This French Brut drank mildly dry yet very smooth with just the right amount of fruit to please the palette. It also exhibited the appropriate amount of effervescence that you expect from a proper sparkling wine.

The wine's qualities were just the right balance to complement the meal...Ah yes, the meal:

It had always been decided that we were going to make pizzas on this night but the logistics were left as usual to spur of the moment creativity. We decided that La Nuit au Fromage would work it's way into this meal. The cheeses that we chose to experiment with were a Goat's Milk Brie and a Castello blue.

The sourdough bread that we picked up at the Five Points FM from the Yellow Dog Bakery would act as our canvas upon which we would paint the cheeses. The Brie pizza was then topped with chopped uncrystallized ginger, fresh sliced strawberries, arugula and finally, ground pink peppercorns (slowly becoming a favorite in the kitchen for both its gentle bite and pleasing aesthetics). On top of the Castello we layered fresh minced garlic, caramelized red onion and crispy ham bits. After sitting in the oven just long enough to melt the cheese and form a nice crust on the bread, we indulged in our layered creations. The Goat's Milk Brie had all the properties of a traditional brie with just enough of the taste and smell of a goat cheese to make you remember from which animal's milk it had been created.



This being a good thing of course. The sweetness of the strawberries and the sporadic bite from the ginger made this pizza uniquely pleasing. The Castello blue is a cheese that rivals most blue cheeses that I have ever tasted. It's creaminess makes it idea for spreading while its blue veins give you the aromas and strong flavors that blue lovers long for.



This cheese mixed with the meatiness of the ham and the delicacy of the onions gave this pizza an overall traditional feel with a poignant twist.



We complemented the meal with some grilled asparagus topped with olive oil, tarragon (a culinary must), pink peppercorns, salt and crushed red pepper. Smith's Strawberries and Nursery provided us with these delicious green shoots.



The meal ended with a special bit. Something that was a long time coming for Amanda who can rightly uphold the title of bacon aficionado. The postre that we found ourselves anxious to try was Mo's Dark Chocolate Bacon Bar from Vosges. The bitter-sweet characteristics of the chocolate paired with the occasional delight of smoked salt and bacon proved this particular treat to be every bacon and chocolate lover's dream.



Stella oversaw the entire meal preparation.