And here we go! International Sherry Week is here again. From 4.11 until 10.11 sherry is being celebrated in all four corners of the world with a variety of different events all related to sherry. I’m taking part in the celebration by raising a glass of sweet sherry to this delicious chocolate ganache. What about you?

I really like a glass of sherry every now and then. A cold fino at noon is so refreshing when on holiday but I do enjoy the thick, raisiny and sweet sherry wine, too.

Again this year I was one of the 20 chosen participants taking part in the sherry week cooking competition. Each of us received a randomly selected sherry bottle to pair with a dish. Last year I got a nutty, dry sherry that was a heavenly match for an aromatic cep soup.

This year I got Lustau’s East India Solera, an Oloroso sweetened with Pedro Ximénez. The wine is 80% of Oloroso and 20% of Pedro Ximénez. These wines have aged separately and then they have been blended and aged again.  

The result is a deep and dark wine full of raisiny notes with aromas of coffee, chocolate and dates. The long after taste comes with a hint of burnt sugar.  So what to pair with this rich and almost syrupy dessert wine? Since we Finns are true chocolate lovers and we have  –  hands down – the best chocolate here in Finland – I decided that a rich and decadent chocolate ganache dessert is a perfect match to this intense, sweet sherry. Chocolate ganache is simple to make, delicious and mouth-watering. 

CHOCOLATE GANACHE
for 4 persons

200 gr dark chocolate (70 %)
150 gr of dark chocolate
2 1/2 dl heavy cream
4 tbsp of soft butter

Chop chocolate roughly. Add heavy cream and butter to a saucepan.  Heat on low heat until the butter has melted and the cream is warmed throughout. Pour the warmed cream and butter mixture over the chocolate. Allow to stand for about 5 minutes to soften the chocolate completely. Stir until smooth.

Allow the ganache to cool to room temperature and incorporate some air into the ganache toy whipping it by hand with a whisk. Let it cool a while in the refrigerator and then make quenelles of the ganache by using two spoons and shaping ganache into four three-sided quenelles.

Decorate quenelles with edible flowers, roughly chopped hazelnuts or pistachios and finish with a few drops of dulche de leche.

And was it a match made in heaven? Oh yes, very much so. Lustau’s East India Solera is a lovely sweet wine that compliments this elegantly decadent dessert perfectly. The coffee aromas of the wine pair nicely with the not too sweet chocolate in the dessert. Chocolate ganache’s richness is balanced with the tangy acidity of the wine.  This sweet sherry makes a great combo with rich, chocolatey desserts, puddings and cakes but it can also be enjoyed on it’s own. 

——–

KNOW YOUR SHERRY

Dry sherries:

Fino – dry, light sherry from Jerez de la Frontera ja El Puerto de Santa María bodegas, a great aperitif. 
Amontillado – light brown, lightly nutty, ripened by oxidation, aged finosherry, serve with food.
Palo Cortado – dry, deep-colored, multi-dimensional sherry, enjoy on its own as a meditation sherry or with a food of your choice.
Oloroso – strong, deep-colored sherry, which sweetness varies from dry to semi-dry and which serves well as an accompanion of meat dishes.

Sweet sherries:

Pale Cream – light, sweet version of finosherry, great with patees or duck liver.
Medium – nut-colored sherry, which is a wonderful aperitif, but also goes with starters.
Cream – dark chestnut-colored, semi-dry ”sweet oloroso”, savour as aperitif, drink or with deserts.  
Moscatel – dark tinted, raisin-flavored, sweet desert sherry.
Pedro Ximenez – dark brown, syrupy and raisin-flavored, even chocolate-flavored, said to be sweetest sherry in the world that also goes well with deserts and cheeses.

Enjoy Sherry Week 4.-10.11.2019!