This Port Vinaigrette alone could give your menu the pizzazz you want for a special meal.
It is delicious on a substantial salad. I served it with this Grilled Pear Salad with Blue Cheese. This is a great idea for a holiday meal, especially if it is the type of holiday where there might be a bottle of Port wine open!
It could overwhelm a delicate salad but it would certainly enhance a spinach salad with grilled mushrooms or spicy arugula salad with thinly sliced beef.
What Can I Substitute For the Port?
Let's face it - we are not likely to open a bottle of Port just to make a vinaigrette. If you are intrigued and want to try it anyway America's Test Kitchen says you can substitute a red wine such as Merlot (or Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz would likely work too) for the Port. The trick is to add light brown sugar, a ¼ teaspoon at a time, until the sharper wine flavour is tamed by the sugar. Port after all is much sweeter than a dry, still red. Then just continue with the recipe. It won't be totally the same but it should still make a great vinaigrette!
How To Serve Port Wine
If you are new to Port wine you can check out this Basic guide to buying and serving Port.
Port Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 cup Ruby Port see Notes to substitute red wine.
- 1 shallot minced
- ½ cup walnut oil recommended but you can substitute olive oil in a pinch
- 1 ½ Tbsps red wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring port and shallot to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until port is reduced to a ½ cup. (about 10 minutes). Strain the port and allow to cool. Discard the shallots.
- Whisk in all the remaining ingredients just before serving.
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