Recipes

Pairs Well With

• Port

48 bars

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp.  ground allspice

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. of salt

1 cup Pedroncelli Four Grapes Port

1 1/2 cups dried tart cherries

1 1/2 cups of chopped prunes

1 1/4 cups golden raisins

1 cup dark raisins

2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

3 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

powdered sugar for sprinkling

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, butter a 10 X 15 inch baking pan and line the bottom with baking parchment allowing at least  2 " overhang on  each of the 10 inch sides. Butter the parchment.

Stir together the flour, spices, and salt, then set aside.

Heat port to a simmer in a saucepan, remove from heat. In a bowl, combine port with dried fruit then stir in 1 cup of the flour mixture to combine. Set aside.

Beat butter with brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, incorporating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract, add the remaining flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Fold in port fruit mixture and pecans until evenly distributed. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.

Bake approximately 35 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with no wet batter. Remove from oven and cool for 1 hour on a wire rack. Then remove from pan with parchment attached and allow to cool for another hour.

With cake placed between baking sheets or cutting boards, flip upside down to remove parchment, then flip back to right side up, sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into bars, 8 rows by 6 rows.