I originally got the tawny port to enjoy with a frozen tiramisu for my mini dinner party but I wasn't particularly crazy about the tiramisu. I did, however, very much enjoy a trick Collette showed me . She let the bottom of the glasses rest in boiled water for a little while and then poured the port in thereby warming it up. The feeling of warm and cold sliding down your throat was so much fun. For dinner that night we enjoyed cream-of-tomato chicken livers with moscato. I'd like to write about that some time, too.
Thanks again for the port, Collette.
Some time later on in the month I made malva pudding but really wanted to do it as a pairing. I'm trying my best to cut the habit of spontaneously buying a new bottle of wine for every time I make a new meal. Instead I'm trying to shift my focus on using what I already have. I only had a sweet white, a red blend and the tawny port. Come to think of it, the red blend would have gone well with it, as well. But I couldn't stop thinking about the port with the malva in the time leading up to making it.
The reason I thought the tawny would be the right wine to pair it with is because the thought of the nutty/dried fruit flavour of the tawny with the warm vanilla of the pudding seemed really appealing to me. Malva pudding is, in a nutshell, a traditional South African winter pudding that is enjoyed warm with a side like vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and home-made Moirs vanilla custard. I served mine with the custard and it was quite the pleasant pairing, after all.
I don't really know how to explain it but here goes... It's almost as if because your throat is already warmed from the malva pudding sipping the tawny isn't as harsh as it normally would be because you're already warm so that kinda leaves you to better taste the flavour of the tawny.
Does that make sense? I don't know, but that's how it felt to me.
Malva Pudding with Ideal Milk Sauce
Malva Pudding
2 eggs
250ml sugar
120g butter
10ml bicarb
500ml milk
500ml flour
Pinch of salt
10ml baking powder
10ml apricot jam
20ml vinegar
Ideal Milk Sauce
250ml sugar
120g butter
125ml boiling water
250ml ideal milk
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Beat the egg and sugar well. Cream in the butter.
Mix the bicarb with the milk and set aside.
Blend all the remaining ingredients into the butter mixture. Add the milk and beat into a batter,
Turn the batter into a greased oven tray and bake for 40-60 minutes.
Before the cake come out mix add all the ingredients for the sauce in a small pot and mix over low heat. It shouldn't reach boiling point.
Pour the warm sauce over the hot pudding when it's come out of the oven, pricking it with a skewer so that it absorbs all the liquid.
