Cooking Live (at Home) with Sandrine Rossi of Frenchie and Colette Wine Bistros

Sandrine Rossi, owner of Frenchie and Colette Wine Bistros / Courtesy photo

As our hunger pangs for a normal social life are quick to remind us, dining rooms remain closed at Massachusetts restaurants. There is still a host of takeout and delivery options, though—and home cooking? Well, just about everyone is becoming a baker, and even those of us who can’t work a can opener are finally getting around to raising our kitchen game.

If you’re feeling particularly ambitious, know that our friends over at the Boston Magazine Events team have pulled together a promotional series of “Cooking Live (At Home)” demos starring some of the city’s best chefs. You can find them streamed live on Fridays at the Events Instagram account, but we’re also sharing some of them here. (And don’t worry, even amateurs will be able to pull these off!)

In case you missed it, we previously posted the promo featuring Juan Pedrosa, executive chef at the sultry Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar locations in the Back Bay and Seaport. Today, though, we’re pivoting from Mexican- to French-inspired fare: See below for a demo from Sandrine Rossi, owner of Frenchie in the South End and Colette in Cambridge. Even though we can’t currently uncork a bottle at her beautiful wine bistros, we can at least follow Rossi’s instructions on how to make a fabulous Champagne-topped cocktail, the Frenchie 76, as well as a decadent (yet super light!) French chocolate mousse inspired by her grandmother’s recipe.

If you haven’t already, sign up here for email updates on future promo videos. Next up: On Friday, April 24 at 5 p.m., the Events team will live-stream chef Jeremy Sewall, chef-owner of seafood favorites Island Creek Oyster Bar and Row 34, as he shows us how to make some oyster sliders. In the meanwhile, merci to Rossi for sharing her sparkling sip and sumptuous mousse.

FRENCHIE 76 COCKTAIL

Ingredients

Sparkling wine (Champagne, Prosecco, Cava, and Crémant all work; Brut or Extra Brut preferred)
Bitters (Angostura preferred, but any will work)
Lemon juice
Simple syrup
Gin (Rossi recommends Barr Hill Gin from Vermont)
1 lemon
Ice

Directions

Into a cocktail shaker, pour 1 oz. of lemon juice; 1/2 oz. simple syrup; and 3 drops of Angostura bitters. Add ice, close the shaker, and shake for 20 seconds.Using the strainer, pour the shaker content into a Champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine. Peel a piece of lemon, twist it above the glass, run it along the rim, and add it to the glass.

MOUSSE AU CHOCOLAT

Ingredients

1/2 lb. chocolate (Rossi recommends Divine 70% cocoa, “but anything above 49% works.”)
6 eggs
Up to 3 oz. of sugar (according to your taste)

Directions

Melt the chocolate. Rossi recommends a hot water bath; if microwaving, she suggests adding water and a bit of cream to the bowl so the chocolate does not dry up. Reserve.

Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Whisk the egg whites until they reach firm peak (medium; between soft and stiff). Mix the chocolate with 3 of the egg yolks. Add sugar to your taste. Finally, gently incorporate the whisked egg whites to the chocolate. Let it sit for at least 1 hour in the fridge; you can either leave the mousse in the bowl to serve it family-style, or add to a piping bag to decorate a container of choice.