Champagne Salad

Mr. Devilish Dish and I tend to spend a lot of special occasions cooking at home. We usually blow off New Year's Eve and Valentine's Day at restaurants and make our own fancy meal at home.  When Little Devil was little we did a crab boil for New Year's Eve.  That was a tradition for many years but once she was old enough to celebrate without us, we broadened our horizons.  This past New Year's Eve we celebrated with prime rib and Champagne Salad.  I know we had a side dish and dessert as well, but honestly I can't even remember what they were because this salad was so memorable.  Nothing says special occasion more than champagne, and it's more than just bubbles to drink.  It's a fun ingredient to incorporate into sweet, as well as savory dishes.  In the past I've made Champagne Mousse and Raspberry Champagne Floats, but this time I opted to use the champagne in a salad dressing.  If you've ever made a vinaigrette, then you know it usually consists of some kind of oil, some kind of vinegar, some kind of binder (like mustard, jam, etc...) and seasonings, sometimes as basic as salt or pepper.  Now there is such a thing as champagne vinegar, but why use that when you can open a bottle of champagne?  Since it only calls for a few tablespoons, you have a great excuse to celebrate and drink the rest.  I served my salads in champagne flutes.  I carefully ladled in the dressing, and then stuck a few romaine leaves down in the glass and garnished with some Parmesan crisps.  Croutons would work too.  Honestly they weren't that easy to eat.  I wound up putting mine on my plate and pouring the dressing on.  Mr. Devilish wound up dipping the lettuce in his glass of dressing.  Regardless of how you eat it though, this is the ideal salad for a special occasion.  The presentation is simply gorgeous and the dressing tastes great too.  

Isn't it a pretty presentation?
Make every day a celebration.

CHAMPAGNE SALAD

FOR THE DRESSING:
1/4 sour cream
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons champagne
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 teaspoon sugar
Kosher salt to taste

FOR THE SALAD:
romaine lettuce leaves, washed and dried
Parmesan crisps or croutons

In a blender or mini food processor combine the dressing ingredients until smooth.  Taste and adjust flavors if necessary.  (Depending on your type of champagne and vinegar, you may need to add a little more sugar or vinegar. The champagne taste should be subtle.)

To assemble the salads, carefully ladle about a tablespoon of dressing into each champagne glass.  Add a few leaves of lettuce and a few Parmesan crisps or croutons.