Cheese and Port combinations

I quite like dolcelatte (apologies if ive stuffed up the spelling) A bit softer and milder than stilton. Ive no idea if its the right thing either but i enjoy it with the late Taylor's ports too.

As an aside my little % year girl tried to copy me and now has ribena and dairylea on a regular basis!

With a good port, I prefer year old Beemster cheese (Dutch) or the more accessible Old Amsterdam.

Double Gloucester's always tasty when arriving at Liverpool

quote:

As an aside my little % year girl tried to copy me and now has ribena and dairylea on a regular basis!

Sounds like a nice combo Hawk, I quite enjoy a Ribena from time to time but I've not had a Dairylea for years.

Regards
Clive

PS Surely there must be more Port and cheese experts on the forum, or are you all beer and whisky drinkers?

Dairylea and Marmite sarnies magic!
As for cheese with port whatever you enjoy is always the best rule. Whatever the food police say.


Howard

Laughing cow is another favourite of hers and an alternative to dairylea... Laughing Cow and Marmite has a kind of ring to it!

Cheese & Marmite are made for each other, like cheese & Port & other suitable wines and fresh fruits (various), though (Not a father myself) I would now (today) have reservations abouit giving young children Ribena (cos it's not what you think it is, innit).

Fritz Von Don't forget the crackers of lightbreads (that Arab stuff is fantastic)

Fantastic dessert idea

(this tastes about three million times better than it sounds like it tastes)

Take some pears, pref ripe/over ripe. One per person, two if very small.
Peel, and poach in a solution of 50% port 50% water with a cinnamon stick (and/or vanilla pod if preferred) a dash of orange juice and brandy. Poach for about half an hour.

Serve with a slice of Roquefort on the same plate/dish, and with it drink CHILLED Tawny Port (again Taylors is a good bet) the older the better, 20y.o. if you can run to it.

Unlike red (ruby) Ports, Tawnies will last fine once opened for up to a month or two, but keep in the fridge.

Fantastic long weekend break
The Douro Valley (where Port comes from) is the most staggeringly beautiful of all the wine regions I have visited (although I've not yet been to New Zealand) Nowadays Ryanair fly into (O)Porto, which also puts pressure on BA and Air Portugal.

Porto is an entirely World Heritage site city with a bridge by Eiffel, and a river frontage by god. Stuffed full of art and culture, with Superbock - the world's finest cheap beer, a genuinely super friendly football-mad population who are far more "Portuguese" than their Algarve compatriots, and excellent food -especially if you like sardines that is. Stay, if at all possible, at the Hotel Infante de Sagres, to experience what Claridges must've been like in the thirties and feel like a character in an Agatha Christie novel. Bump into David Gower, probably (I have done three times). Spend one day and maybe an evening travelling to the Douro Valley (70km), by train ideally - steam train if you time it right - as described by Michael Palin as one of the greatest train journeys in the world. See where Port is grown. Swim in the river. Return to Porto and cross the river to Vila Nova de Gaia, where Port is matured, and visit one of the lodges (Sandeman probably has the best cellar visit). If all this isn't enough Porto also has a lovely beach, at Foz, only a bus ride or a long walk away.

A good time guaranteed.

Rod

PS. It has also been proven that Port gives you neither gout, nor any more of a hangover (than the same amount of alcohol consumed in any other drink)

I second that, excessive uric acid gives yer gout, innit.


Fritz Von I'd advise avoiding it at all costs too

Being a lover of peace & quiet on holiday (believe it not ?) my biggest problem there of what sounds like an almost heaven on earth situation is getting my timing perfectly right in respect of totally avoiding Hooray/Chav Brits, Freemasons, Hoorah/Chav Germans, and Yanks Persay, otherwise I'm well sorted, innit.


Fritz Von I'll name a port after me one day too

Chaps

I buy my port direct from Worcestor College which is Oxfords oldest University.

The quality of the port is superb and not many people know that the Oxford Universities have thousands od bottles tucked away.

I am fortunate in having a friend who is an "old boy" of the college and hence can buy it on my behalf.

I find the best cheese is a really good mature cheddar.

Cheese, Dundee cake, Port and whisky is a good way to treat yourself.

Regards

Mick

Scotland being World famous for its Malt Whiskey etc, I wonder from where all the grain comes from as it would seem a statistical unlikelyhood that it was all British ? as with English Paddy fields for our famous tea, and the German's, Well! I've not seen any hops growing here yet either actually.

Fritz Von Oxford Vine Terraces now dare's a ting

N.B. THough I believe Coca Cola is produced here to compliment the synthetic ice to mix with afore-mentioned whiskies

Rod
Sounds like a great simple recipe, will certainly give it a try, do you have to use Roquefort?

Mick
Just out of interest what Port do you buy from Worcestor College?

Regards
Clive

Clive

The Colleges combine their purchasing clout and buy it in bulk under their own label. Hence my port is named "Worcestor College Port".

I have no idea from where it originates.

Regards

Mick

Mick

This Port is probably from Taylors, or perhaps one of their other companies - Delaforce or Fonseca. The Oxbridge College business is, however, rather more elevated that the usual "own-label" supply as evidenced in supermarkets from Aldi to Waitrose.

Port, as so many industries, has been through a raft of consolidations that mean the vast majority of production is in the hands of two companies, although both are, refreshingly, family-owned.
Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman is one (Taylor's, Delaforce, Croft, Fonseca) and the other is the Symington Group (Dow, Graham, Warre, Smith-Woodhouse).

The Worcester College Port will near certainly come from one of these, but the contracts are hotly fought over.

Since the seventies it has, by law, to have been bottled in Oporto.

Cunningplan, the poached pear thing works on its own, but Roquefort (despite the way it sounds) is the perfect accompaniment because the dish then appeals simultaneously to all four senses of taste:
Sweet - the fruit and the wine
Sour - (acidic) from the fruit and the cheese
Salty - Roquefort, as with other sheep's cheese is exceptionally salty. One wag once said that it was 90% Cholesterol and 10% salt.
Bitter - tannin in the wine, and the blue in the cheese.

It is rare to come across any dish that encompasses successfully any three of the taste sensations, let alone all of them (although salt and chocolate can work if you get it right). On top of all this sweet/savoury combination you also have hot/cold.

So do try it with Roquefort. Personally I find the "mouth-burning" sensation of roquefort is a bit much on its own, but when you combine it with sweetness it tones it down. The recipe really does work.

But fruit and cheese works generally so anything with enough flavour to combat the wine will work well.

The cooking used to be "fakeable" with a red wine/sugar/brandy mixture but these days you can get perfectly drinkable ruby port from the supermarket for a fiver, so there is no saving to be made. By the way, when poaching, simmer, never boil - you don't want to lose the alcohol..!

Bon apetit

Rod

Rod

Thanks for the information, it is always useful to know.

I pay £9.00 a bottle, I think it is good value, would you agree or do you think I could do better by going somewhere else.

Regards

Mick

Yes Rod, thanks for the information, do you recommend any other Port apart from Taylors Late Vintage? Grahams, Warres to name but a few.

Regards
Clive

quote:

Originally posted by rodwsmith:
So do try it with Roquefort. Personally I find the "mouth-burning" sensation of roquefort is a bit much on its own, but when you combine it with sweetness it tones it down. The recipe really does work.

Be sure to get your Roquefort in the Caves des Baragneaudes variety. It's the finest you'll ever taste and will not give you the edgy sensation you describe.

Cheers,

Edo

Large Port & Lemon and a bag of cheese & onion crisps please John.

"I'm not asking 17 quid, I'm not even askin 15 quid, in fact I'm not even asking a tenner, all I'm asking for is 9 meesely quid, in fact I'm bankrupting myself by helping you people". "This Tsunami damaged stock straight in from 'overseas' is yours for the taking" "Yes Sir, how many bottles would you like ?"


"That was a nice little earner Rodders that plonker took five cases off of me, where do reckon he was from, he definately ain't local, yokal maybe ?"

"Swindon Del."

Fritz,

I'd stick to drinking whatever tincture or elixir you have discovered for yourself. It works rather well...

Bottoms up! (But in a wholly non-Jonathan King way.)

Cunning plan - I can recommend the following artery cloggers for Port accompaniment:

Cashel Blue,(award winning Irish blue cheese which tastes similar to St.Agur though less sweaty and salty - gorgeous.
Epoisses,(stinky strong soft French cheese)
Vignette,(creamy soft French cheese, mild)
Chaorce,(as above)
Brie de Meux - king of Brie - almost as strong as Camembert, though less whiffy.
Isle of Bute cheddar - lovely
Keen's unpasteurized Cheddar - flippin' strong award winning wonder.

If you've got a Waitrose they'll do all the above and the deli will let you taste to your heart's content...

Who wants to buy ten thousand Royal Wedding Mugs with the wrong date on them then ?


Fritz Von Here comes a likely looking gentleman, "How was the Port Sir ?"