We received this great recipe from our friend Jean, author of “A Chef’s Journey”. Stop by the tasting room to pick up a copy of her book to try some other wonderful recipes.

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Just had to send you this recipe, Sara - we stopped by the winery the other day and picked up a bottle of the Bliss, came home and reduced it and served as a sauce over ice cream with sliced bananas. It was just wonderful.

Pear & Port Reduction

Recipe By: a Chef's Journey

1 firm but ripe pear -- peeled and cut in half

1/2 cup granulated sugar

5 whole cloves

3 whole allspice

2 stick cinnamon -- broken in half

1 bottle ruby port or Merlot wine -- (750 ml) (and now Blackberry Bliss wine)

Bring port, sugar, cloves, allspice and cinnamon to boil in heavy 2-qt. saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Reduce heat to medium low; add pears, cover and simmer 20 min. Remove pear and keep to use on a salad or fruit platter.

Strain the liquid and return to saucepan.

Bring to a boil over medium heat. Let reduce to a syrupy consistency - stay close, once the reduction starts, it goes quickly.

At this point you'll have to play with to get the consistency you want. I would stop when the liquid is like a maple syrup, it will thicken more as it cools.

If it's not the thickness you want after cooling, return the pan to the heat and reduce a little more. This step will just take practice.

You can use this reduction to drizzle over a salad, fruit platter ( I arrange the fruit, drizzle with the reduction and sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano ), over ice cream, pound cake, hot cakes/waffles.....it's fantastic!

Tip for marking a reduction of 1/2 - measure 12 oz (approx. half of a 750 ml) of water and pour in pan you will use for reduction - stick a skewer in and mark with a pen where the level is. Discard the water and go on with the recipe - when reduction starts, every minute or so measure with your skewer till the same amount is reached. That's when the reduction will go quickly, so stay close.

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C. Jean Denham, CC

Owner/Chef, a Chef's Journey

achefsjourney.com