For The Love Of Port

My favorite is a goat cheese cheesecake with red grape compote, but I've made that several times recently so I was thinking of making something else to go along with an older VP (possibly Taylor 1960). What do you like?

I prefer no dessert at all with my Port. If I had to choose just one thing to eat while drinking Port, it would be Serra de Estrela of course. Even then, I would typically prefer to drink the Port on its own. But ultimately, it would depend on which specific Port. I'd just eat any dessert with an LBV and absolutely nothing with a fine older bottling of VP ... unless I had already consumed copious quantities of Port to begin with.

I've made a nice dessert by poaching pears in port. It goes well with tawny Ports, which is amusing because I use a ruby Port for the poaching.

I'm not a major desert eater, but I do love a ripe Serra de Estrela. Even though I am lactose intolerant I will suck it up and eat this lovely cheese. I had a really nice one at Quinta do Crasto earlier this week

I like desert before the Port. With Port, cheese and maybe some pecans.

So Roy may be glad to hear this ...

I ended up serving the Port first, so we all tasted it by itself. After drinking a bit of it, I served up a mini cheese course, a Danish blue and a goat cheese with figs. After that came pecan pie. The pecan pie probably wasn't a perfect accompaniment, but my wife reminded me that this was something she wanted after her air race; and it wasn't a bad pairing either. (As a side note, pecan pie is also one of the easiest deserts to make, but you do have to do it ahead of time, at least with my recipe, or it is too soft.) A brief TN on the 1960 Taylor will follow

p.s. I will definitely have to try to poached pears when those are in season.

This actually sounds pretty great Eric. I'd serve the pecan pie with Madeira though, probably a Verdelho to cut through the sweetness. The 40 year old Fernandes Brothers version would be perfect.

Roy Hersh wrote:This actually sounds pretty great Eric. I'd serve the pecan pie with Madeira though, probably a Verdelho to cut through the sweetness. The 40 year old Fernandes Brothers version would be perfect.

We need a "pucker" emoticon. :)

I'm not really a fan of pecan pie because it's usually too sweet, but I think that Fernandes Brothers Verdelho would obliterate it. Oddly enough, I do think that a sweet Madeira would work nicely... still plenty of acidity to cut through the pie's gooey sweetness, but not so much that it makes your eyes bug out. In fact, I might just have to try that seeing as I still have some New York Malmsey sitting on my small fridge. :idea:

As a simple and fast cooking dessert, a petit gateau (dark chocolat) or Serra da Estrela cheese with a VP and for a Aged Tawny (30y or Over 40y old) a cooked pear with cinnamon and a little bit of caramel syrup.

I usually prefer a nice blue cheese with my port (Stilton or Roquefort are my favourite), though some of these desserts above sound pretty tasty

A rich vanilla ice cream or gelato; a simple crème brûlée; almost any not-too-sweet, unctuous, simply-flavored dessert. An almond cookie adds something as well, but it has to be with the sweetened cream.

While I like strong cheeses to finish a dinner (and with port), I don't consider them as a dessert.

Lindt dark chocolate truffles (the square ones) go awfully good with vintage port IMO.

Eric Menchen wrote:something else to go along with an older VP (possibly Taylor 1960). What do you like?

Graham's 1960? - I think they are a perfect match

The best thing to pair with a great glass of Port ... is a 2nd glass ... ergo "a nice pair."