Pacific Northwest Menu 247
While aged cheddar complements just about any wine, Stilton and vintage Port is the
classic match for blue-veined cheese and wine. The combination of cheeses, infused honey,
and fruit compote provides an opportunity to serve something a little sweeter with more
acidity and flavors of honeyed, dried fruits. Late-harvest wines, ice wines, and Sauternes
come to mind. A demi-sec sparkling wine or a Port would also fit the bill nicely here.
Another option is to give the diners a choice—pour the dessert wine and leave the red wine
on the table if they are not finished with it. This option gives them the opportunity to
experiment and see which combination they prefer.
Food Item: Rouge Creamery Oregonzola and Washington State
Cougar Gold Cheddar with Thyme-Infused Honey, Apricot-Orange
Conserve, and Dried Cherry-Hazelnut CompoteYield: 6 servings
Ingredients
3 tbsp (40 ml) honey
2 oz (30–60 g) bunch of fresh thyme (other
herbs such as lavender can also be
used)
3 fresh apricots (can substitute dried if
desired)
Zest and juice of 1 orange(^1) / 4 c (60 ml) sugar
2 oz (60 g) dried cherries
2 oz (60 g) hazelnuts, shelled and coarsely
chopped
2–3 oz (60–80 ml) Port
Aged (15–25-year-old) balsamic vinegar
8 oz (225 g) Oregonzola
8 oz (225 g) Cougar Gold Cheddar
Preparation
Place the honey and thyme in a saucepan. Steep the honey
mixture over low heat for about 45 minutes or until
the herb flavor is infused in the honey. Remove from
heat and strain out the thyme. For the conserve,
blanch the apricots in boiling water to loosen the
outside peel. Remove the peel and pit. Chop the
peeled apricots into medium dice. Combine the diced
apricots with the orange juice and the sugar. Bring to
a boil and cook to 9°F above the boiling point (221°F
[105°C]) or until thick. Remove from heat and skim.
Chill and refrigerate until ready to serve. For the
compote, combine the dried cherries, chopped
hazelnuts, orange zest, and Port in a small bowl.
Allow these to soak to blend the flavors and soften
the cherries. To serve, drizzle a little of the infused
honey and balsamic vinegar on the bottom of the
plate. Cut the cheeses into wedges of about 1–1^1 / 2 oz
(30–40 g) and arrange on top of the honey and
vinegar. Place a small spoonful of the conserve and
compote next to the cheeses.
Dessert Course The dessert course features a small cookie bowl filled with vanilla
ice cream and a sauce made by combining strawberries and rhubarb. The cookie is like a
Florentine, with a caramel-nutty flavor. It is made with walnuts, a popular nut in the North-
west, but you can substitute other nuts such as almonds or pecans. Vanilla ice cream is a
favorite everywhere in North America, but the addition of strawberry-rhubarb sauce adds a
regional touch. Washington and British Columbia are significant commercial producers of
rhubarb, and strawberries are an abundant fruit crop in the Willamette Valley of Oregon,
Idaho’s Treasure Valley, and the Columbia Valley in Washington.
The custard base of the ice cream, the nuttiness of the cookie, and the fresh acidity
of the fruit provide for several possible wine matches. A late-harvest Riesling, Sauternes, or
ice wine would create a nice match of acidity and sweetness. The nutty character in the
cookie shell would provide a match with a tawny Port. And the crisp acidity and bubbles of
a demi-sec sparkling wine would provide a stimulating match for this ending to the meal.
For this menu, an Oregon white Port by David Hill was selected. The David Hill
Vineyard is located near Forest Grove in the northern Willamette Valley. While traditional
ports are made from red grapes, this Port is made from Muscats. The grape imparts a strong,
sweet flavor, which is fortified with high-proof brandy and aged in French oak barrels. The
finished wine contains 20–21 percent alcohol with flavors of peach, sweet orange, and soft