Recipes to Try at Home

The First Tasting Party on Saturday, June 12th was a great success! Thank you to everyone who joined us in eating, brainstorming and enjoying the lovely day together. In this post, I will be including some of the recipes from Saturday's event. There were so many exciting suggestions on Saturday for the name of the cookbook, theme, and recipes. Please feel free to comment or give your suggestions to any of the below items - Recipes in Progress, Titles/Themes for Consideration, & Recipes to try at home. I value and can't wait to hear your input, so please feel free! It means a lot to me to have your help on this fun project.

Recipe suggestions that I am working on as possibilities the Summer themed July 10th Tasting Party are:

Recipes in Progress

Sangria
Rhubarb Port Crisp
Port BBQ Sauce
Port Gelato
Duck Breast Frisee Salad
Cantaloupe with Port
Sliced Strawberries with Port


Titles/Themes for Consideration

PORT{abella}
Getting it on with Port - playful/sexy theme

• A Wink - recipes with a hint of port
• A Kiss - recipes with a medium amount of port
• A Seduction - recipes a strong port presence
• Love Potion #9 - Chocolate Truffles, sauces and brownies with strong port presence

im(PORT)ed - Categorized Internationally
in ported
Port Everywhere
Port to Port
Call to Port
Port for all Seasons - Categorized Seasonally
PORTable


Recipes to Try at Home

I encourage you to try them yourself and let me know what you think. I made some changes to these recipes from Saturdays menu from the feedback and comments received at the Tasting Party. Please feel free to try them and experiment; make any changes or comments you feel would make the recipe better. As I continue to edit the recipes, I will post them for you to try.


Rosemary Hamburgers with Port Balsamic Glaze

Ingredients

Hamburger Patties

· 1 pound ground beef

· 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary

· 1 pinch salt

· 1 pinch pepper

· 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

· 2 Tablespoons of Port Balsamic Glaze

· 2 Tablespoons butter

Hamburger Fixings

· Port Balsamic Glaze

· 4 ciabatta sandwich rolls (cut in half – toasted if desired)

· 3 cups of sliced sautéed mushrooms

· 1 1/2 cups of crumbled gorgonzola cheese

· 2 cups Spring Greens

Preparation

Preheat a grill for high heat.

In a medium bowl, mix together the ground beef, rosemary, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Divide the mixture into four parts and form into balls. Make an indention in the center of each one, and place a tablespoon of butter in the hole. Mold the meat around the butter, and flatten into a patty.

Lightly oil the grilling surface, and place hamburgers on the preheated grill. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes on each side, until well done.

Lightly dip cut ciabatta bread (toast if desired) into Port Balsamic Glaze. Fix hamburgers with sliced sautéed mushrooms, gorgonzola, spring greens; and excess port balsamic glaze, if desired.

Port Balsamic Glaze

Yield: 1 Cup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 4 shallots, chopped
• 1 cup (or more) Tawny Port
• 2/3 cup dried currants
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 teaspoons minced fresh thyme

Preparation

Heat saucepan on high heat. Sautée shallots in vegetable oil until tender. Add 1 cup Port, currants, butter, sugar, 1 tablespoon vinegar and 2 teaspoons thyme. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, 15 minutes.

Uncover and cook until onions are almost tender and coated with glaze, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat. Mix in remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead). Cover and refrigerate.

Before serving, rewarm over low heat (adding more Port by tablespoonfuls if mixture is dry). Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon thyme and serve.