Cockburn’s® Late Bottled Vintage 2000 to accompany Tomato Consommé
With hugely intense flavour, this light consommé works brilliantly as a starter for a more filling main course. Its depth of flavour allows it to stand up to the sweetness and full body of this classic vintage style, oak-aged Port.

Tomato Consommé

Serving suggestion: Cockburn’s® Late Bottled Vintage 2000

Ingredients – serves 4

• 12 large very ripe beef tomatoes, or twenty smaller vine or plum tomatoes
  
• 1 stick celery
  
• 1 clove garlic
  
• 1 shallot
  
• 1 small bunch of chives
  
• Salt and pepper
  

Method

Season the tomatoes, celery, onion and garlic with rock salt and ground pepper. Blend together in a liquidiser for a few minutes. Take the pulp and place in a large sieve lined with a piece of muslin, or a clean kitchen cloth that is rinsed of any detergent. Put the sieve into a large jug or bowl and allow the liquid to drip through, gently squeezing the pulp occasionally. This may take overnight for all the liquid to drip through, but you will be left with a perfect clear, intense tomato consommé.

You can serve as it is, or if you prefer garnish with some finely diced tomato flesh and some very finely chopped chives.

It can be served hot, but is much better chilled – it loses some of its intensity by warming.

Cockburn’s® 10 Year Old Tawny to match Seared swordfish with chorizo
Swordfish goes perfectly with the paprika spices found in chorizo; this modern style combination is very well matched with the dry and light Cockburn’s 10 Year Old Tawny Port. There is also a touch of chilli in the recipe, which further enhances the flavours.  We suggest serving the Tawny chilled to get the most from the combination.

Seared swordfish with chorizo

Serving suggestion: Cockburn’s® 10 Year Old Tawny

Ingredients – serves 4

• 4 swordfish steaks (180g each)
  
• 16 small discs of chorizo
  
• 16 cherry tomatoes
  
• Vegetable oil
  
• 1 dried chilli
  
• Lemon juice
  

Method

In a non stick frying pan heat a little vegetable oil, then sauté the chorizo until crispy; remove from the pan and reserve. Add a dried chilli to the pan, and turn up the heat. When the oil is hot, sear the swordfish for two minutes on each side, remove and leave to rest for a moment. Roll the tomatoes in the hot oil of the pan until they are gently cooked. Season the fish with a squeeze of fresh lemon, and serve with the crisp discs of chorizo.

This can be simply served on a bed of peppery salad leaves, but we suggest serving the fish on a bed of a chorizo and pepper risotto, which is very simple to make:

Risotto Ingredients

• 100g diced chorizo
  
• 1 sweet ramiro red pepper diced
  
• 200g Arborio rice
  
• 2 tbsp olive oil
  
• ½ red onion, peeled and finely chopped
  
• 900ml chicken stock or water
  
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
  

Method

In a medium saucepan heat the oil, add the onion, pepper and chorizo, and cook until the vegetables soften Stir in the rice and then pour in the stock a little at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed. Continue until the rice is cooked through, season well with salt and pepper. This will take about twenty minutes, so start the fish about 5 minutes before the risotto is ready.

Cockburn’s Special Reserve® paired with Loin of venison with bitter chocolate sauce. Venison and bitter chocolate is now a highly fashionable combination – it also marries two culinary ingredients that go well with Port. The big flavour combination of the sweet venison and peppery radishes needs a big wine to accompany it, and the fruity flavours and smooth tannins of Cockburn’s Special Reserve is the perfect match.

Loin of venison with bitter chocolate sauce

Serving suggestion: Cockburn’s Special Reserve®

Ingredients – serves four

• 4 loin of venison steaks (200g each)
  
• 200g potatoes
  
• 1 bunch red radish
  
• 1 bunch carrots
  
• 8 shallots
  
• 50g girolle mushrooms (or another wild variety or even button mushrooms will be fine)
  
• 235ml beef/game stock
  
• 1 glass red wine
  
• 50g bitter chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids
  
• Thyme
  

Method

Peel and trim the vegetables and blanch by boiling in water until tender; reserve the vegetables for a moment. Wash the mushrooms. In a non stick pan, fry the venison for five minutes on each side in a little oil or butter. Remove the venison onto a plate and allow to rest. Meanwhile, collect any juices released from the venison and set to one side. In the residual oil, sauté the vegetables until they are golden and slightly caramelised, add some sprigs of thyme, and at the last minute stir in the girolles, cooking until they just soften.

Reduce the venison juices over high heat with the red wine. Add the stock and reduce until thick and syrupy. Take off the heat and whisk in the bitter chocolate. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

To serve, arrange the vegetables neatly on a plate, place on a piece of the venison and dress with the sauce.

Stockist Information

• Cockburn’s Late Bottled Vintage 2000 - Waitrose, Asda, Morrisons, RRP £10.49
  
• Cockburn’s 10 Year Old Tawny - Sainsbury’s, RRP £9.29
  
• Cockburn’s Special Reserve - Waitrose, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda,
• Morrisons, Somerfield, Co-op and Thresher, RRP £9.29