Tangerine Spritz

David Lebovitz’s Drinking French came out in March of this year, but I only just got my hands on a copy, a gift from my mother. The book is filled with 160 recipes for “iconic cocktails, apéritifs, and café traditions of France.” As I noted in my gift guide post , the book is filling me with wanderlust, a feeling hard to both suppress and satisfy this year.

I have made only one recipe from Drinking French , but I have many recipes flagged: grapefruit rosé, chocolate frappé (nonalcoholic), the L&T (Lillet and tonic), and “the last word,” a mix of gin, fresh lime juice, maraschino liqueur, and green chartreuse.

Given my poorly supplied bar, I chose to make the tangerine spritz first, one of the recipes for which I had all of the ingredients on hand: tangerines (clementines, really), sparkling wine, and Campari.

I made it immediately and then immediately wanted to tell everyone I know about it: it’s so pretty! so festive! so citrusy! so wintry yet refreshing!

Friends, I think you’ll love it — it’s like a spritz meets mimosa — and I think it’s the perfect cocktail — excusez-moi, apéritif! — to ring in the New Year.

Cheers Everyone, and Happy Happy 2021 to all of you! 🥂🥂🥂🥂🥂🥂🥂🥂🥂

Sparkling Wine: A Note on Crémant

This recipe calls for Prosecco or dry sparkling white wine. Recently, I’ve been loving crémants, which my friends at the Niskayuna Wine Shop introduced me to. Crémant is similar to champagne in quality but much more reasonably priced.

In Drinking French , David notes: “In France, a number of regions produce crémant, a sparkling wine that’s also fermented twice, but isn’t bound by the same rules as champagne and can be made from different variety of grapes.” He continues: “Crémants are made in Alsace, Burgundy, Bordeaux, the Loire, the Savoie, and the Jura. They can’t be called champagne, but there are some excellent crémants that give champagne a run for its money.”

These are two crémants I’ve been loving: Francois Baur Crémant D’Alsace, Famille Vincent Crémant de Bourgogne.

How to Make a Tangerine Spritz

Here’s the play-by-play: Gather your ingredients: tangerines (or clementines or oranges), Prosecco or sparkling white wine, and red bitter apéritif, such as Campari (or David’s preference: Dolin or Bruto Americano).

Not sure if David would approve, but I like it with Aperol, too. Mums the word?

Halve and juice your citrus. If you can’t find tangerines, clementines or oranges are just fine:

First: stir together the freshly squeezed citrus juice and the red bitter apéritif in the glass.

Add ice:

Finally, top with the sparkling wine:

Garnish with an orange slice if you wish:

Description

From David Lebovitz’s Drinking French

Notes:

For the red bitter apéritif , David prefers Dolin, which he describes as being “less aggressive than some of the Italian red bitter apéritifs, whose intensity can mask any subtle botanical flavors.” He also loves California-made Bruto Americano, but includes Campari as an option. Not sure how he would feel about using Aperol, but I’ve used it here and loved it.

• 2 ounces (¼ cup | 60 ml) freshly squeezed tangerine (or orange) juice
• ¾ ounce (1.5 tablespoons | 22ml) red bitter apéritif, such as Campari, see notes above
• 2 ounces (¼ cup | 60 ml) Prosecco or other dry sparkling wine
• Half a tangerine or orange slice for garnish

1. Mix the tangerine juice (or other) and the red bitter apéritif in a stemmed goblet or glass of choice. Fill the glass ¾ full of ice. Pour in the Processo or sparkling wine. Stir briefly. Garnish with the orange wheel half.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Category: Drinks
• Method: Stir
• Cuisine: American

Description

From David Lebovitz’s Drinking French

Notes:

For the red bitter apéritif , David prefers Dolin, which he describes as being “less aggressive than some of the Italian red bitter apéritifs, whose intensity can mask any subtle botanical flavors.” He also loves California-made Bruto Americano, but includes Campari as an option. Not sure how he would feel about using Aperol, but I’ve used it here and loved it.

• 2 ounces (¼ cup | 60 ml) freshly squeezed tangerine (or orange) juice
• ¾ ounce (1.5 tablespoons | 22ml) red bitter apéritif, such as Campari, see notes above
• 2 ounces (¼ cup | 60 ml) Prosecco or other dry sparkling wine
• Half a tangerine or orange slice for garnish

1. Mix the tangerine juice (or other) and the red bitter apéritif in a stemmed goblet or glass of choice. Fill the glass ¾ full of ice. Pour in the Processo or sparkling wine. Stir briefly. Garnish with the orange wheel half.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Category: Drinks
• Method: Stir
• Cuisine: American

Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2020/12/29/tangerine-spritz/

Friends, I’m wishing you all the best for a safe and healthy New Year. I hope you get to spend NYE with people you love and lots of good nibbles and cheer by your side as you count down to 2025 🎉🎉🎉🎉

Below you will find a few of my favorite New Year’s Eve foods, from this homemade ranch dip and Ina’s baked fontina , both of which I love with pickled crudité on the side. It’s never a bad idea to make some crostini . And a big pot of soup. Vermont Cheddar Cheese sounds right. Finally, nothing is simpler or more festive than this tangerine spritz !

The post is organized as follows:

• Drinks

• How to Make Crostini

• Dips

• Cheesy Goodness

• Nibbles

• Bready Bites

Drinks

Tangerine Spritz: from David Lebovitz’s Drinking French , this is my latest, favorite discovery. It’s like a spritz meets mimosa, and I find it so festive and refreshing, perfect for ringing in the New Year.

Here are two other ideas:

Classic Margarita with Tequila & Grand Marnier

Aperol and Grapefruit Cocktail

How to Make Crostini

If you’re thinking about making some sort of dip this New Year’s Eve, you may want to make a batch of crostini. For its short height — which translates to a short width in crostini form — focaccia is a great bread to use. Here are two easy recipes ( this one and this one ). Of course, you can use any bread to make crostini. My mother’s peasant bread works well, too. Here’s what you do:

1. Heat your oven to 450ºF.
2. Slice your bread 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. Transfer to a sheet pan.
3. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Season lightly with sea salt.
4. Transfer pan to the oven and toast for 7 to 10 minutes or until golden.

Dips

Spinach-Artichoke Dip

Real Sour Cream & Onion Dip

Smooth & Creamy 5-Ingredient Homemade Hummus

Easiest Homemade Romesco Sauce (No-Peel Peppers!)

Raw Beet Dip with Greek Yogurt

Maydan’s Beet-Labneh Dip

Tzatziki (Greek Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce)

Olive Tapenade with Capers & Parsley

Martha Stewart’s Hot Crab Dip

Smoky Eggplant Dip with Yogurt and Za’atar

Cheesy Goodness

Baked Fontina

Salsa di Parmigiano

Ricotta with Thyme, Olive Oil & Grilled Bread

Baked Ricotta

Thyme-Roasted Grapes with Ricotta & Grilled Bread

Baked Camembert

Several years ago, I was flipping through my Martha Stewart Hors D’oeuvres Handbook and landed on the baked camembert recipe. It’s so simple it feels like cheating but it’s kind of delicious, and if you are pressed for time, it takes no effort.

You need:

• One 8-ounce round Camembert cheese, in its wooden container, any paper labels from the front or sides removed

Here’s what you do:

1. Heat oven to 375ºF.
2. Unwrap the cheese and return it to its box, discarding the wrapping.
3. Return the lid to the box and place the box on a sheet pan.
4. Bake until the cheese is completely soft on the inside, about 20 minutes.
5. Transfer to a work surface, and, if you wish, use a serrated knife to slice off the top rind of the cheese.
6. Serve with crostini or crackers or bread.

Nibbles

Blistered Shishito Peppers with Avocado Crema

4-Ingredient Balsamic Roasted Mini Peppers

Three-Seed Crackers (Raincoast Crisps Copycat Recipe)

Spicy, Crispy, Addictive Cheese Sticks

Endive Boats with Pear, Blue Cheese, & Shallot Vinaigrette

Simple Pickled Crudité

Super Easy Marinated Olives

Salami and Provolone Phyllo Rolls

Tiropitas

Korean Double Hot Tuna with Crostini

Okonomiyaki: Cabbage Pancakes

Keftedes (lamb meatballs) & Roasted Cabbage

Fried Green Meatless Balls

Bready Bites

Many years ago while working for a Philadelphia catering company, we served an Alsatian flatbread topped with gorgonzola and pears at nearly every holiday party, and it never failed to be the unanimous favorite.

The process is simple: peel and thinly slice a few pears; then gently sauté them in butter. Meanwhile, melt blue cheese with a little cream; then spread it in a thin, even layer over pizza dough. Top with the sautéed pears; then bake until golden.

This is s perfect, wintry hors d’oeuvre but served aside a salad , I’d call it dinner. I wrote about this for Baking Steel several years ago. Find the recipe there .

Cheesy Garlic & Herb Monkey Bread