And now, a vital question

[annathepiper]

technoshaman offered to bring me a bit of something to raise in a glass this next Jam, so I told him what sorts of drink I like. Since he and cflute are also bringing the pie, this raises this extremely vital point to ponder:

What kind of pie goes with port?

Submit your opinions in the comments!

Comments

[brightbeak.livejournal.com]

mincemeat! and i'm taking the REAL stuff made w/ deer meat :) DAMN! i just 'wanna'd' up my own tastebuds!

also a heavy spiced-pumpkin, the kind that absolutely NEEDS something to cut thru it to make it sing - like a french vanilla ice cream or a full-fream whipped topping... (w/ nutmeg/allspice/cinnamon sprinkled top obviously)

:)

btw - port + fruit pies = EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! at least for THIS puffin!

[annathepiper]

Ooh, the pumpkin option does sound tasty. And it is the season for pumpkin pie!

Fruit doesn't sound like it'd work much, no. Not that I've actually had much port; my only experience with it had been a prior Thanksgiving where sksouth showed up with some dark chocolate that went amazingly well with a port. But from what I remember, yeah, you definitely need something that isn't so much on the sweet side.

[emmacrew.livejournal.com]

A dark chocolate tart. Maybe with a bit of orange to flavor it. Or a tart with caramel, nuts, and possibly some dried fruits.

I can share pretty simple recipes for both of the above...

[annathepiper]

Ooh, those do sound tasty.

I shall defer to technoshaman as to whether he'd like recipes, since he's the one bringing pie tomorrow. So I don't know if he'll have time or inclination to actually make anything! But this may be handy for future reference. ;) Thanks!

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Dark chocolate tart. I know those can be had around here... no, no time to make, alas. Or possibly punkin' pie, but the dark chocolate... yeah. (Especially if I can find, or maybe whip up, some raspberry sauce...)

[brightbeak.livejournal.com]

if there is a chance of a rich dark chocolate sauce that you could drizzle over the pumpkin pie, i can attest to the absolute MOUTH-WATERING (as in drought-ending-in-the-sahara-esque level of watering) blend of the duo, the pie needing to be heated to facilitate this, but damn it is worth it!

bb

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Oooooh. Anna? Ya think?

[annathepiper]

That sounds promising! We've got a bit of a bottle of Dilettante Ephemere sauce around, but it's semisweet though, not dark.

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Semisweet *is* dark, just not dark-dark. I'll see what I can do in the morning. :)

[annathepiper]

Okay! I saw your other comment re: pie, so we'll see how far our Ephemere will go as well.

[morgandria.livejournal.com]

Pecan pie and port are very nice together.

[annathepiper]

That does sound good to me, though my partner solarbird does not care for nutty flavors, unfortunately. Thanks for chiming in, though!

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Mincemeat

[annathepiper]

That seems to be a popular choice, along with pumpkin! Thanks. :)

[brightbeak.livejournal.com]

so, is your mincemeat the veggie version or the wild meat version? ;) ;)

bb

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Neither. I prefer to make it with meat, but the meat I tend to use (becuase it's more easily/consistently available) is beef shin.

Push come to shove (mostly being lazy) is to use nonesuch, which isn't vegetatrian, but has more fruits than meat.

TK

[angharads-house.livejournal.com]

asparagus and cheese, preferably strong white cheddar, garnished with chives on top

[annathepiper]

That sounds like a meal all by itself. :)

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Pie has been got, courtesy cflute. :)

[annathepiper]

Huzzah! Thank you both. :)

[brightbeak.livejournal.com]

hehe, prepare to drool, your chocolate offering previously mentioned sounds like it will work nicely, and yes, it is a dark, just not a damn-near-black version of dark, that's all :)

bb
*drooling from another coast*

[annathepiper]

Hee! Should we ever meet, clearly we will have to have some port and pumpkin pie and dark chocolate involved.

[brightbeak.livejournal.com]

it looks like, barring 1 or 2 minor details) that i'll be in lower mainland bc for at least 1 week, ending august 24, 2008, and i'm hoping me & hubby can make it 2 weeks....
we're still in the initial planning stages, but......... :)

bb

[annathepiper]

Cool beans! Keep us posted.

[gerimaple.livejournal.com]

oh, *fine*. tell her friends BEFORE you tell your own sister! *THWAP* bad puffin, no fishie!

[brightbeak.livejournal.com]

hon, in the range of my reality w/ the insanity at work these days, i'm lucky i know my hubby's name :( that and our mattress in the bedroom hurts him, so NEITHER of us are sleeping well, cuz he's on the couch to keep it at bay, and i sleep like a bitchy bear when he's not in the bed :(
and i was going to call this evening when i got home from work, cuz i work close 2 nights in a row, so i have a few hours after i get home to actually USE braincells!

bb
knowing she's in the poo-house for this one

ps - didn't want to really say till bbHubby gets to talk w/ his employer about being 1-2 days late to start work in late august for the '08/'09 school year! cuz that makes a big difference on plans, and well, i didn't want you to be disappointed if it fell thru - i know *I* will be :( and w/ the year you've had so far, i've avoided telling anything that can cause stress in sibling *hugs*

[kathrynelaraine.livejournal.com]

My brothers both worked (and one still does) for a winery in Washington called Canoe Canyon. So growing up, I learned all there was to know. Imagine the snob I must have been at 9 years old to be explaining what wines to drink with what, lol! The rule generally goes if it is a dark and heavy wine (or in this case, Port) it should be paired with someone equally as strong, like a beef or pork. Dessert wise, a good dark chocolate pie or pumpkin pie will suffice :) German Chocolate Cake and port go well together too :)

Also, I'm just now catching up on all my friend's post...so all the best to you my dear, and I was praying for you :) Stay warm and dry, I hear it was storming there??? Gosh, I sooooo miss the pacific northwest! :(
Kate

[annathepiper]

I don't know whether there will be pumpkin or chocolate pie involved! But it'll be one or the other, definitely. Thanks for chiming in! Next time I need to know what goes with what, I'll keep you in mind as a data source. :)

And re: everything with me, thank you, I appreciate your good thoughts. Especially as I've got surgery on Wednesday!

And yeah, we had a bit of a stormy outburst up here the other day. It's been calmer since; today it's actually gorgeous out. It's starting to get a bit chilly out, finally; Friday morning we had our first frost.

[brightbeak.livejournal.com]

well????????????
what were the choices?????
how did it go?
did tastebuds go to their happy place?????
hmmmmmmmmmmmmm??? :)

bb - curiosity killed the cat, damn good thing i'm avian not feline :)

[annathepiper]

We had a nice pumpkin pie with some dark chocolate sauce on top to go with the port, and oh my yes, it was tasty. ^_^

[brightbeak.livejournal.com]

*beams*

anyone's eyes roll back when they tasted the combo?
anyone rendered speechless/mono-syllabic? ;)

those are my tests on yummy-ness factors :)
bb

[annathepiper]

Let's put it this way: I was indeed asked if I was having a food-gasm. ;)

[brightbeak.livejournal.com]

*nods* eyes rolled back, that subtle under moan of sheer delight, and the undefinable look of sheer pleasure/ecstacy on one's face... yeah, food-gasm! *nodding more*
usually signifies an item to be on the "serve again, PLEASE" list :) also, puts it on the "bribe me w/ ____" list for one's spousal-unit to haul out in emergencies!

glad it went over well :) some flavour combos do NOT transcend coastal changes/regional variations well, but obviously there's only so much damage one can do to pumpkin pie/chocolate :)

bb

[annathepiper]

Indeed! I would not ever have thought that pumpkin pie and chocolate, but it was a fabulous idea. Thanks again. :)

[annathepiper]

Er! That pumpkin pie and chocolate would work together, I should say. Hi, I'm zonky on Vicodin, does it show? ;)

[kitchengrrl.livejournal.com]

I think you've already chosen, but here's my suggestion: Pear tart with a dark chocolate layer on the bottom. I've made pears poached in port with spices for years now around thanksgiving and they're always outstanding. I can pass on the recipe if you like.

[annathepiper]

...... oh wow, that sounds amazing. Both the tart and the poached pears, in fact. It almost makes me wish I could actually cook. ;)

But hey, fling the recipe my way; if I don't do something with it, maybe solarbird will!

[brightbeak.livejournal.com]

ummm, flingeth this way too, that sounds nummy-liscious!

:)

bb