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Spirited Cooking: Port, Chocolate, and Blackberry Milkshake
This blackberry milkshake begins with a Port Chocolate Syrup. Port is a fortified wine from Portugal's Douro Valley. It comes in many styles; I've used ruby port in this recipe for its smooth, fruity sweetness and its vibrant ruby hue. The combination of reduced port and blackberries tastes like a big, full-bodied, jammy red wine. The chocolate plays a supporting role, offering extra depth and richness.
While I love this milkshake with the texture of the blackberry seeds included, I know not everyone is hip to that crunch. If you're a non-seedy person, another option is to continue cooking the blackberries and sugar until they are very soft and mushy, then press the juice through a fine mesh strainer, discarding all unwanted seeds.
Note: The milkshake only requires a few tablespoons of syrup, but the recipe yields one cup. Use the extra to drizzle over scoops of coffee ice cream or chocolate cake, or even swirl it into a batch of brownies. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator and gently reheat in a saucepan or microwave to use.
About the Author: Caroline Ford is a food stylist, food writer, and recipe developer in Portland, Oregon. In this column she'll be sharing recipes that feature a wide variety of spirits and liquors (plus beer and wine.)
About This Recipe
| Yield: | 4 servings |
| Active time: | 30 minutes |
| Total time: | 30 minutes |
| Special equipment: | Blender |
Ingredients
- For the Port Chocolate Syrup:
- 1 cup Ruby Port
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup finely chopped dark chocolate (60-70% cacao)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- For the Shake:
- 10 ounces frozen blackberries
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 cups good-quality store-bought or homemade vanilla ice cream
- 1 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons Port Chocolate Syrup (recipe below)
Procedures
-
1
For the Port Chocolate Syrup: Combine port and orange zest in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until the liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup, 5 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low, slowly add butter and chocolate, stirring frequently until completely melted. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract. Set aside for milkshake.
-
2
To make milkshake, place blackberries and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until sugar is dissolved and fruit begins to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add berries to blender along with ice cream, milk, and 3 tablespoons of the Port Chocolate Syrup. Blend on high speed until fully combined, scraping down the sides as needed. Immediately pour into glasses and serve.