Tempura-Battered Brie Bites (with Hot Honey Strawberry Basil Dipping Sauce) & Brut Rosé

It’s like fish and chips, minus the fish and the chips, plus amazing cheese and amazing wine. In other words, this is the best thing ever.

Gooey brie wedges, wrapped in the crispiest tempura batter (that’s actually made with the wine pairing), dipped in a sweet, salty and spicy strawberry basil dipping sauce. The kind of appetizer people will never forget. That is, if you decide to share ;)

This recipe was fully inspired by the wine, so this is one of those must-try pairings!! You know the oh-so-loved and ridiculously beautiful Côtes des Roses Rosé? The one with the super pretty bottle (with the rose on the bottom) that you just can’t get yourself to recycle? Well, she has a new sister. She’s bubbly, beautiful in her own way, and she’s perfect.

→ Find it here on the Gérard Bertrand website, or send me a message and I can help you find it where you live!

As indicated by the word “esprit” in the name - which means spirit - they didn’t just take the OG rosé and add some bubbles to it. This beauty is entirely its own work of art. Different grapes, very different approach to winemaking, and a new gorgeous bottle that will live on your shelf as a vase for the foreseeable future.

It’s made from a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Grenache Noir, all from the south of France. The grapes are vinified into dry wine (some in stainless steel, some in oak barrels), then blended and put through a second fermentation in a sealed tank to create those beautiful bubbles. What makes this wine so unique is the extended lees contact (AKA longer time spent on the yeast cells leftover from fermentation), which gives it a creamier texture and some toasty, almost cheesy flavours (in a great way).

This is the kind of wine everyone will love. It’s dry (not sweet) with velvety bubbles, crisp acidity with a creamy mouthfeel, and all the gorgeous flavours - strawberry, raspberry, lemon, tangerine, flowers, fresh herbs, those toasty, cheesy, yeasty notes - SO GOOD.

I wanted to play on every aspect of this wine to create a pairing that’s both perfect and unique (because playing it safe is no fun), and I’m pretty sure I nailed it. Here’s why it works so well:

Matching flavours:

• Strawberries and fresh herbs in the wine match the flavours in the strawberry basil dipping sauce.

• Cheesy/yeasty notes in the wine match the brie (a little too perfectly)

• The tempura batter was made with some of the wine! So while it wasn’t super perceptible, that’s gotta add to the flavour matching, right?

Contrasting textures:

• Fried food and gooey cheese LOVE themselves some bubbles!! The acidity and the bubbles cleanse the palate between bites, which is super necessary with these ultra-rich bites!

• Cutting board and knife

• Medium saucepan

• Small ramekin or glass jar (for dipping sauce)

• 2 medium mixing bowls (for batter)

• Large (5-6 quart) heavy-bottomed pot (e.g., Dutch oven)

• Tongs or spider strainer

• Paper towel-lined plate (to absorb oil after frying)

• Serving dish or basket

• Deli paper to line dish/basket

Hot Honey Basil Strawberries

• 2 cups fresh strawberries, thinly sliced

• 1/4 cup hot honey

• 1 Tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped

• 1 Tbsp fresh orange juice

• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

• Salt

Tempura-Battered Brie Wedges
*adapted from this recipe by Simply Splendid Food

• 500g Brie wheel, cut into 8 wedges

• Vegetable oil for frying (enough to fill bottom 2 inches of your pot)

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup cornstarch (+ 2 Tbsp for coating)

• 1 Tbsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 egg

• 1 cup ice-cold sparkling rosé

Garnish

• Hot honey

• Basil ribbons

Prepare and freeze Brie: Slice the Brie wheel into 8 even wedges. Separate the wedges and freeze for 30-45 minutes. You want them to be semi-frozen, not rock-solid.

Make Dipping Sauce: Add sliced strawberries to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir to soften and release juices. Add hot honey, fresh basil, orange juice, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes to thicken. Transfer to a small ramekin to serve or a resealable glass jar to store.

Make Tempura-Battered Brie Wedges:

• Prepare oil: Fill a heavy-bottomed pot to a minimum of 2 inches from the bottom with vegetable oil. Heat oil over medium-high until the temperature reaches 350 F.

If you don’t have an oil thermometer, drop a bit of batter in the oil to test if it’s ready. You’ll know it’s hot enough when the batter sizzles and floats (vs. sinks). If the oil starts to smoke, remove it from the heat to let it cool down. NOTE: Ideal temperature range: 350-375 F.

• Prepare batter: In a medium bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. In a second medium bowl, add the egg and whisk, then add the ice-cold sparkling rosé and whisk to combine. Transfer the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix with a fork until just combined (overmixing will result in a tougher, less crispy batter).

NOTE: If you’d rather not use your bubbles for the batter, you can replace it with sparkling water or beer! As long as it’s a bubbly liquid and it’s ice-cold, which is key for the perfect crispiness.

• VERY IMPORTANT!!! Pour yourself a glass of those delicious ice-cold bubbles.

• Coat the cheese: Place the remaining 2 tbsp of cornstarch in the empty dry ingredients bowl. Remove Brie from the freezer, add to the bowl with cornstarch, and toss to coat.

• Fry the cheese: One by one, use tongs to coat the wedges in the batter, then carefully lower them into the hot oil (either using tongs or a spider strainer). Fry for about 1 minute, or until the batter is golden brown and crispy, then remove with a spider strainer and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Plate and serve: Transfer fried brie to a serving dish or basket lined with deli paper to absorb the excess oil. Drizzle with hot honey and finish with fresh basil. Serve with the dipping sauce and a bottle of the wonderful Esprit de Côtes des Roses Brut Rosé!