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Question is, which port should be sacrificed in the reduction?

I was thinking graham's 6 grape as I feel it's sweeter and lusher then most rubys.

Good grief no. Port reductions are sweet even if you use a drier style. Just get your cheapest available ruby, I'd be using Dow Renown as it's my current cooker. Using your better rubies is simply a waste, you won't taste the difference (unless it's Fonseca 66 in Bolgnese, of course).

In a previous life, when I didn't have to savour any drinkable drop of port, I used bottles that had been open for a long time. Now I buy Cockburn Special Reserve for cooking.

KillerB wrote:Port reductions are sweet even if you use a drier style.

That actually depends far more on what else you put in the sauce than the style of Port that you use. I make a very nice Port reduction that isn't sweet at all, though it is very rich and goes very nicely with a thick steak.

Glenn E. wrote:

KillerB wrote:Port reductions are sweet even if you use a drier style.

That actually depends far more on what else you put in the sauce than the style of Port that you use. I make a very nice Port reduction that isn't sweet at all, though it is very rich and goes very nicely with a thick steak.

Really? I find my Port reductions to be very sweet. Oh well, must be doing something different from you.

KillerB wrote:

Glenn E. wrote:

KillerB wrote:Port reductions are sweet even if you use a drier style.

That actually depends far more on what else you put in the sauce than the style of Port that you use. I make a very nice Port reduction that isn't sweet at all, though it is very rich and goes very nicely with a thick steak.

Really? I find my Port reductions to be very sweet. Oh well, must be doing something different from you.

I deglaze once w ith beef stock actually

Get the reduction down till it's like thick syrup, deglaze with some beef stock, and reduce again.

What do you do Killerb?

Same q to the rest of you guys, how do you reduce your cheap rubies?

g-man wrote:I deglaze once w ith beef stock actually

Get the reduction down till it's like thick syrup, deglaze with some beef stock, and reduce again.

Depends on the purpose of the reduction for me, but deglazing (or even reducing) with beef stock is one of my more common techniques. Basically you can use Port instead of red wine in just about any recipe, but you'll have to either reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe or add salt to counteract the sugar in the Port.

I read an interesting article regarding the wine that you should use for cooking. It was basically debunking the common rule of thumb that you shouldn't cook with a wine that you wouldn't drink. Hogwash. Wine that you drink is subtle and nuanced, but both of those qualities are destroyed by cooking. What you want in a cooking wine is something that is bold and fruity. The article performed a small taste test using various quality levels of wine to make a few different dishes, and the hands down winner in the food was... Charles Schwab. Yup, 2 buck Chuck.

The same should apply to Port. I've used older Ports in cooking, but only after they'd deteriorated beyond my tolerance for drinking. Generally I use a cheap, young vintage like the 1997 Tedo that I found for $20 or a robust LBV or a top-tier ruby reserve like Graham's Six Grapes. Those have the fruit, tannins, and acidity to survive the process and make great reductions.

Depends what I'm doing - Bolognese and chilli, it goes in after the tomatoes and is just another ingedient. Steak, it would be in the pan, after the steak has been removed but maybe with mushrooms and shallots and reduced - still sweet. Pepper normally complements the sweetness well. If I'm doing chicken livers I will cook the livers to half way then add the Port and reduce - wonderful on toast.

I tried a variation on a Forme of Cury recipe earlier this year using a port reduction. Dow's Trademark Finest Reserve. I had to add some sugar even after it had reduced a lot, perhaps the Dow style was the reason for that!

angeleyes wrote:I tried a variation on a Forme of Cury recipe earlier this year using a port reduction. Dow's Trademark Finest Reserve. I had to add some sugar even after it had reduced a lot, perhaps the Dow style was the reason for that!

Don't bring up the Dow Ruby Debate again

Thought I'd use an impressive name! (even though rubies are fairly interchangable). Didn't get to drink as the builders stole it; was more bothered about the expensive Madeira they took

angeleyes wrote:Thought I'd use an impressive name! (even though rubies are fairly interchangable). Didn't get to drink as the builders stole it; was more bothered about the expensive Madeira they took

Tell us what happened?

AHB wrote:

angeleyes wrote:Thought I'd use an impressive name! (even though rubies are fairly interchangable). Didn't get to drink as the builders stole it; was more bothered about the expensive Madeira they took

Tell us what happened?

I sabotaged a bottle he'd half finished with 16 senna tablets.