Cooking with Port vs. Madeira
In looking at my weekly email from the Splendid Table radio show (I love NPR! :)), I saw a recipe for Madeira-Glazed Portobello Steak Sandwiches.
Obviously a major component of the recipe is madeira - something I don't have on hand at the moment. However, I do have a decent port. Being that I'm not voiced in the similarities and differences between the two, I'd like to hear from other Chowhounders! I realize these are both fortified Portuguese wines...but that's about all I know as far as similarities and differences.
Specifically, can you tell me if I would be missing anything in color, taste, or consistency if I substitute port for madeira?
By luvsseattle
on May 16, 2007 05:47 PM
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Do you have a Tawny or Ruby Port on hand? Tawny would be fine, not as much citrus a Madeira but a good stand in as is is also nutty but Ruby port is so different that it would indeed change the dish.
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When one is cooking, Madeira is the "go-to," as it has already been "cooked." That is part of the process of Madeira. Port, does get a bit of "Douro-Bake," but to a much smaller degree, than does Madiera. When a sweet, or fortified wine is called for in a recipe, unless there is a very compelling reason to not do so, Madeira should be the first choice. The heat will have far less effect on the flavor profile, than with almost every other wine.
There are some similarities, as Bubbles4me, points out, between some Tawny Ports, and Madeira, and both are Portugese fortified wines, but there is 800 miles between the growing areas. Madeira is that much closer to the Equator. The processes for the production, and the grape varietals differ in many, many ways.
Also, as Bubbles4me points out, there is a lemony aspect to many Madeiras, that will be lacking in most Ports - Cockburn's 20 Year Tawny is the only real exception that comes to my mind. Still, I'd opt for Maderia, without hesitation.
Hunt
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Which type of Madeira would you use in cooking, the drier or the sweeter, or does it depend on what you are preparing? I made a Julia Child Madeira sauce for beef tenderloin. I don't think Julia specified, so I used a Bual. The sauce was okay, but I'd like your thoughts on this.
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I've used a pretty broad spectrum, with the exclusion of the "Rainwater," as I am not a big fan of that ilk. I usually go for what is around the house, so it is more likely to be a Malmsey, or Bual. If I'm looking for a bit more tang, than a sweeter element, I'll opt for a drier varietal (it's nice that with the EU, the Madeira varietals of yore, are being used/planted again). The tone of the recipe dictates the choice of wine that I cook with.
Hunt
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Which type of Madeira would you recommend for Chicken with morels? I'm thinking of using Ina Gartnen's "Barefoot in Paris" recipe but there is no guidance about which type of Madeira to use.
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I'm with Bill . . . .
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Port is a different wine, than is Madeira. Both have similarities, but they are different.
In general, when much heat is to be added, Madeira is a better choice, because it has already been "heat treated." There is usually a wonderful "sour" apsect to most good Madeiras. Some Tawny Ports exhibit this, as well. I would say that it is an element of the oak, which I often find slightly "sour."
Both work well for reductions, but if that is not part of the recipe, I'd say you should pick up a bottle of 5 year Malmsey and go for it. Until you get to the really old Madeiras, the price is really OK.
I love 'em both, but do not freely substitute them in recipes.
Hunt
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Seems to me everyone assumed that SWEET Madeira was called for! I would guess not.
There are not too many taste similarities between any Port I've ever had and Sercial Madeira, which is what I most often use in cooking!
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