GORDON RAMSAY RECIPES

If you are looking for an excuse to organize the umpteenth weekend in Champagne or you would like to go there for the first time, but you have never managed to convince your companions for anything sensitive to the charm of the bubbles, here it is served, the 14, 15 and 16 December 2018 with Habits de Lumière.
The party takes place onAvenue de Champagne of Epernay, which on this occasion looks so much like paradise, as every wine enthusiast dreams of it. The headquarters of the great maison, ancient and imposing buildings, which follow one after the other, in a luxury and magnificence competition, dress up with light games, punctuated by musical performances, able to enchant adults and children. All doors are open and visitors can move from one building to another tastings of Champagne, combined with oysters, grilled meat, cheese and other local specialties. Along the way, dozens of artists parading with gigantic horses, tightrope walkers, mimes, fantastic machines, this year inspired by the world of Jules Verne, ending with a fireworks display worthy of the glories of Versailles. The party, born in 2000 and very much felt by the vigneron, also allows you to see the real monuments of Champagne, like Monsieur Philipponnat or Madame Boizel, just to name a couple whose fortuitous meeting left me dry for the emotion.

Christmas market but above all wineries

If you cut out a long weekend, it is worth taking the opportunity to visit the Christmas market around the cathedral of Reims, one of the most beautiful in France, as well as the church itself, a gothic jewel protected as World Heritage by UNESCO, where 34 sovereigns were crowned and today is made even more precious by the exciting polychrome windows, made by the likes of by Marc Chagall.
Of course you can not take a trip to Champagne without visiting at least one winery and a good idea to involve the whole family is to choose one where the "Wow effect" is assured. Like Taittinger, in Reims, one of the only six big houses (along with Ruinart, Pommery, Veuve Clicquot, Charles Heidsieck and GH Martel) that has the cellars set in the ancient crayères, real underground gypsum cathedrals, excavated at the time of the Romans, with galleries long kilometers, where the bottles rest and where they are still visible remains of the ancient crypt of the church of Saint-Nicaise and engravings made by the French population that in these places has always found refuge during the many wars that have troubled the region .
Finally, a couple of practical information: the most convenient way to get to Champagne is by air to Paris Charles de Gaulle. From here, with a TGV stop you get to the Champagne-Ardenne station where you find the local train connection to Reims or where you can take a taxi (better book it). But if you want to stock up on bottles, the car remains the best option …

Where to sleep

If you are traveling by car, you can sleep in Reims, a very pleasant and well-connected town: a good address is that ofHotel de la Paix (9, rue Buirette) less than a ten minute walk from the train station and the cathedral. If you travel by car, you can surrender to the charm of a hotel in some village surrounded by vineyards. A good choice is theCastel Jeanson hotel in Ay, owned by the family Henri Goutorbe, which also produces very interesting Champagne with an excellent quality-price ratio.
If you are looking for a charming accommodation, you can rent one of the suites of the De Venoge house, directly on the avenue de Champagne in Epernay, so as not to miss a minute of the party.

For information: habitsdelumiere.epernay.fr; Comité Champagne champagne.fr/it

Our tips to light the house with lights, reflections and decorations and the new Edison tools that will allow us not to lose control over the consumption of light and gas

Less than two weeks at Christmas and it is time to organize it in every detail. To make it even hotter, cozy and bright last year. To make sure that, tight around the table, all our guests feel at home and pervaded with desire to party. Let the Christmas table be lit up a clear light, capable of announcing a sparkling future and without shadows. To help us realize this dream, led, warm lights and flames to be distributed among the places with skill and a pinch of cunning.

Hot or cold?

When one thinks of electric light, this dilemma appears. The good news is that at Christmas we do not have to choose. Although the lights traditional warmers are closer to the atmosphere of Christmas, dare with rows of lights cold it could be the winning move to get graphic effects and give a twist different than usual to our table. And to create an even more rounded effect, one can even think of a mix. The yellow lights could slide between the table seats while the white could be given the role of characterizing the center table with stars and other decorations. The addition of natural lights such as candles, perhaps mounted on a beautiful candlestick, will complete the set giving a round light to the Christmas table.

The tricks to amplify the light …

One of the most interesting aspects of light is its ability to spread, expand and multiply. When we use it to decorate then, we must imagine drawing a scene with a ductile, liquid object, which we will be able to spread in space at will. One of the most used tricks to offer a wider surface is that of wrap it in paper shapes or thin fabrics that will turn into luminous objects, like magic. Equally effective, it will insert the lights in transparent glass vases that we will have filled with objects with a reflective surface such as golden or silver Christmas tree balls. To make our Christmas table even brighter, we can also ask for help mirrors. Arrange small mirrors at the lights on the table or create unusual underplates with reflective surfaces, duplicate the light and give us the feeling of a table flooded with light and reflections.

… and to consume less

The lighted tree, the lighted table of light, the oven lit to prepare the traditional dishes that warm our tables at this time of year. The risk of consuming more than normal is there, but it is not a good reason to give up the magic of Christmas. Indeed, it is a good opportunity to change habits and find new solutions. Such as Edison Energy Control, the new service dedicated to all Edison customers that allows check consumption in real time and compare them with those of family units similar to ours.

Designed to allow us to set up daily, weekly or monthly goals (in Kwh and in euros) will notify us via sms or email every time we exceed the thresholds. Once the savings target has been achieved, thanks also to the advice provided to improve energy behavior, we can decide whether to keep for ourselves what we have saved or to donate it to one of the associations proposed by Edison.
As for the consumption of gas, which is particularly important during the winter, we have an intelligent thermostat. Edison Netatmo allows you to adjust the temperature and optimize the consumption of gas (up to 40% less) remotely through the smartphone. Thanks to this system it is possible to turn on, switch off and manage the heating remotely by accessing all the commands via the dedicated app.

So we can choose to start heating before returning home, setting up time slots of operation, but also turn it on only when it is really necessary. Different preset modes, a self-adaptation function, the monitoring of consumption and temperatures in real time and the warning in case of system malfunction are important tools to reduce consumption, but also to know remotely what happens in our homes.
A monthly energy report will provide us with the essential information to improve our energy behaviors and save up to 40% also thanks to an analysis of the trends of our consumption and the possible reasons for these.

Tag: lights

Habits de Lumière, the party of lights in Champagne – Italian Cuisine