A Tawny Port from Portugal served with Grilled Figs topped with Goat Cheese for #WinePW

This month for our Wine Pairing Weekend we are exploring the wines of Portugal.  Christy, of A Culinary Diva, sent out the invitation and it was so lovely I couldn't resist joining in this month. Even though I know absolutely nothing about Portugal, it's food or it's wine.

I did some searching on the internet and found that Portugal is most well known for it's Port although it also has some reds and whites but most of Portugal's wines, it appears, are on the sweet side. I am not a big fan of sweet wines and have never found a Port that I was fond of but I decided to be a good sport and give it another try.

I asked Frank to stop by the wine store on his way home from work one day and to pick up a wine from Portugal for me.  He came home with Tawny Port from Fonseca.  I googled again for foods that would pair well with a Tawny Port and saw that fruits and cheeses were often paired successfully with Tawny Ports.  My son, Chuck, was home on leave from the Navy, so on a quiet Saturday afternoon as we all sat around reading and relaxing, I decided to make us a snack.

I had been to our local International Market earlier in the day and they had some wonderful green figs.  I love figs.  I love them enough to pay a dollar each for them when I can find them in season.  I had bought a case of 12 and was given a "deal" and only charged $9 for them.  I justify spending this type of money by telling myself I pay a dollar for a good piece of chocolate and figs are certainly better for me than chocolate is.

So I put some Prosciutto on a platter, grilled some figs, topped them with a little goat cheese and added them to the platter, poured Frank, Chuck and I each a glass of the Fonseca Tawny Port and we gathered around the table.  

Chuck smelled the Port and made a face saying he had never met a Port that he liked and he could not understand why they were so expensive.  I took a sip and said yep, it's a Port, sweet and raisiny (raisiny is a word...it means it is reminiscent of raisins).  Frank said he was afraid to try it, it smelled musty.  I explained that we weren't being fair and that we needed to try the Port with the food.  Chuck said he had never had fresh figs and wasn't sure he was going to like them either. Frank told Chuck he could not understand why I was so crazy about figs...they were just okay but not like a Honeycrisp Apple or something.  I put on my Mom voice and told Chuck to try them.  He did and he liked them, he especially liked them with the goat cheese.  We again tasted the Port, now with the food.  Frank said it tasted like Cabernet that was turning.  Chuck pushed his glass in front of me.  I thought the second sip was much better than the first and each subsequent sip was better than the last.  I finished my glass and Chuck's glass.  Now, I am sitting with a glass as I write this post.  Frank says it is because the Port is 20% alcohol and I am getting lit LOL.  I am anxious to learn about some of the other wines that our group tried so that the next time I will have a bigger selection from which to choose.

I couldn't let Little Miss Melody try any of the wine but she LOVED the figs and goat cheese.

Grilled Figs with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto

4 fresh figs, halved

2 oz. goat cheese

4 slices Prosciutto

Roll the Prosciutto into rosettes and place on a plate or platter.  Place the figs, cut side down onto a hot grill and cook until warmed through and grill marks are showing. Place the figs around the prosciutto on the platter.  Top each fig with a dollop of goat cheese and serve.  Print Recipe

Here are the other Food and Wine Pairing being shared this month

• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla is sharing “Vinho Verde Caldeirada with Pluot Port Granita”
• Christy from Confessions of a Culinary Diva pairs “Poco Do Lobo Arinto with Seabass”
• Constance from Vinhos do Alentego is featuring “Alentejano Black Pork with Clams”
• David from Cooking Chat shares “Grilled Pork with Portuguese Potatoes and Kale”
• Jade of Tasting Pour is pairing “Vinho Verde with Caldeirada”
• Jeff from food wine click shares “Perfect Pairing with Port”
• Jennifer from Vino Travels  shares “Agro Batoreu Terre Silvestre Portugese Blend with Asian Pork”
• Lori from Draceana Wines features “Portugal: Not just for Port. Who Knew?”
• Martin of Enofylz Wine Blog tempts us with “Grilled Fish Setubal Style and 2008 Torre de Tavares Encruzado”
• Michelle from Rockin Red Blog shares “Portuguese Wines: Just Say Yes”
• Nancy from Pull That Cork pairs “Amêijoas na Cataplana with Soalheiro Alvarinho”
• Sarah from Curious Cuisiniere  pairs “Piri Piri Chicken with Verdelho”
• Wendy creator of A Day in the Life on a Farm shares “A Tawny Port from Portugal served with Grilled Figs topped with Goat Cheese”

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