Port Adds Easy Style to Desserts
By Lindsay W. McSweeney
Good cooking can seem magical. Like magic, impressive cooking is a blend of technique, a few tricks, and showmanship. Combining food with liquor illustrates this blend effectively – liquor brings a mysterious alchemy to the taste of many dishes, and it adds sophistication to presentation.
Think what a little whiskey and whipped cream does to a cup of coffee. Irish coffee is a classic that seems to warm you up even before you drink it. Another warming liquor, too underused, is Port. Port works especially well with dessert – a course notoriously difficult to pair effectively with wine or other liquor. Port even complements chocolate, a claim almost no other wine can make.
Port originated in Portugal, but it would have remained a local drink without the 17th century wars between France and England. The English, deprived of French wine, began importing Portuguese wine. But transportation was a bit slow, and ships were a bit rocky, and the wine was often ruined during transit. To strengthen it, the wine was fortified by adding Brandy. Brandy has an interesting effect on wine; it immediately stops the grapes from fermenting. Adding brandy, therefore, not only adds to the alcohol level, but it keeps the sweetness from the grapes that is otherwise lost during complete fermentation. By properly timing the addition, you can structure a complex, sweet, warming (20% alcohol) drink that marries especially well with dessert, i.e. port.
While port is easy to taste, it can be ridiculously complicated to buy. Since port is blended from a variety of grapes and usually from several harvest years, there are a myriad of styles and names for different ports. Realistically, however, it is only necessary to divide port into two categories – barrel-aged or bottle-aged. Port aged predominantly outside of the bottle, in either wooden barrels or tanks, is fruity, relatively inexpensive, and ready to drink immediately upon purchase. The most common types within this category are Ruby, (the youngest), Tawny, (my personal favorite), and Vintage Character, (a premium ruby). Given their low cost, it is fun to experiment with different bottles to find a personal favorite.
The classic port of literature (and foodies) is “Vintage Port”. Vintage port is port made from grapes of a single harvest, and the declaration of a vintage year is taken very seriously. Vintage port is bottled at two years, but it needs to age a minimum of 10 years in the bottle. Vintage port is expensive, not only when purchased (a minimum of $50-$75/bottle), but also when considering the cost of holding it for many years. There is a reasonable alternative to vintage port which is port labeled “Late Bottled Vintage Port” orLBV. It is not too expensive for a special occasion, and does not require further aging. Expensive ports in restaurants are usually LBV’s.
The most famous port and dessert combination is the classic Port, Stilton (or any blue cheese), and walnuts; a dessert that comes straight out of Dickens or Conan Doyle. This combination highlights port’s affinity with strong cheeses – cheeses that can bedevil most other after-dinner drinks. I’ve included a recipe below that combines all of these in a spread for crackers.
Port’s affinity for chocolate allows for all sorts of combinations. For an elegant and ridiculously easy dessert, buy a few high quality chocolate truffles per person and serve on a plate with a glass of port. Crystal and china add a flourish to the presentation. The combination of Port and chocolate is especially attractive, as you should not splurge on expensive port. Chocolate hides the finesse of aged ports, so use a simple Ruby or Tawny. Experiment here, also, with non-Portuguese ports, (all ports made in Portugal are labeled “Porto”). Both American and Australian houses make excellent ports to marry with chocolate.
Port also complements nuts extremely well – if you find cake with frosting too sickeningly sweet, bake an almond or walnut cake. Don’t ice it, but serve it with port to add the missing sweetness.
For something a little different, add port to melon. Hole out a section of melon and add port directly to the hole. The color combination of port in honeydew melon is striking, or try port with watermelon. Watermelon really soaks in the liquor.
“Cream Desserts” are great partners for Port – desserts such as crème brulee, cheesecake, flan, or tiramasu. If you’re feeling adventurous and want to get away from traditional pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving, try a Tawny Port with the Pumpkin Crème Brulee Tart found in the Food & Wine section at www.robertmondavi.com.
The Classic Port Spread (courtesy of Gourmet)
- 1 pound blue cheese, (such as Stilton or Gorgonzola), crumbled
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup Tawny Port 1 ½ cups chopped walnuts
In a food processor, blend the cheese, butter, and Port until the mixture is smooth. In a bowl, combine the cheese mixture and the walnuts. The spread keeps, covered and chilled, for up to 3 weeks.
About the Author:
Lindsay W. McSweeney
Website Comfort Cuisine
I am a 50+ year old wife, mother, and former 20 year+ financial professional who decided a few years ago to pursue my passion for cooking and food. I had always thought of myself as a good home cook, but was always frustrated by the lack of time to learn to be better. I wanted to really learn to taste food, to season it properly, to cook creatively without a recipe, and improve my over-all culinary skills.
If you enjoyed this article, please take a look at my SuiteU course on Bartending 101.
Article courtesy of Suite101.com.
