Best substitute for Marsala wine?

Piglet85

Hi all,

I need to use up a few bits in the fridge today, and was thinking of doing a chicken thigh, mushroom and crème fraiche dish. I know you often see marsala in mushroom recipes, but I haven't got any. Any ideas on what might work well instead? I know white wine will be nice if necessary, but I thought a change would be interesting. I've got a possibilities in store: brandy, vermouth, port and a not-great sherry. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

duploelabs

What kind of sherry is it? Dry, medium, or sweet? Alternatively buckfast can be swapped out for marsala believe it or not

MissFlitworth

duploelabs wrote: »

Alternatively buckfast can be swapped out for marsala believe it or not

This has just made me grin from ear to ear

Piglet85

MissFlitworth wrote: »

This has just made me grin from ear to ear

Haha, me too! I think I must be getting old, though - I don't have any buckfast in stock :pac:

duploelabs wrote: »

What kind of sherry is it? Dry, medium, or sweet?

It's dry, if that's any good? Oh, and I just spotted some Shaoxing Rice Wine in the press too, so maybe that would be a runner?

duploelabs

Leave the dry (fino sherry) for a fish or shellfish dish. Bucky is great for cooking, works fantastically for both sweet and savory dishes. I made a buckfast cheesecake for 200 people recently and have a recipe for pig cheeks braised in buckfast which makes the cheek turn out like confit duck

duploelabs

MissFlitworth wrote: »

This has just made me grin from ear to ear

Yes, you can now go down the offy and get a bottle in without having to bear the shame

Alun

I think either of those would do. Sherry is often suggested as an alternative to Chinese rice wine too. It probably depends on whether it's a recipe where it's just a dash to add a bit of flavour, in which case any of the alternatives would probably be OK, or if it's a major ingredient in which case it might be worth while investing in a bottle of Marsala wine. It'll keep pretty well just like any other fortified wine, including Buckfast (!), so it won't go to waste.

ibarelycare

duploelabs wrote: »

Leave the dry (fino sherry) for a fish or shellfish dish. Bucky is great for cooking, works fantastically for both sweet and savory dishes. I made a buckfast cheesecake for 200 people recently and have a recipe for pig cheeks braised in buckfast which makes the cheek turn out like confit duck

Could you post the recipe for this please? My friend loves buckfast, would love to make it for him

duploelabs

Alun wrote: »

I think either of those would do. Sherry is often suggested as an alternative to Chinese rice wine too.

Not doubting your source, however the range of flavour that sherry has from the fino to px could never be shoehorned in to a single substitue

duploelabs

ibarelycare wrote: »

Could you post the recipe for this please? My friend loves buckfast, would love to make it for him

I'll try and scale it down

Bateman

They do buckie in cans now, I noticed in Belfast the other week :pac:

StripedBoxers

I'd go with the brandy, I've often made creamy pasta dishes with whiskey/brandy and they always turned out delicious.

duploelabs

StripedBoxers wrote: »

I'd go with the brandy, I've often made creamy pasta dishes with whiskey/brandy and they always turned out delicious.

yeah but you'd run the risk, since it's a much more concentrated flavour, of letting it overpower a dish

the beer revolu

Use a blend of white wine and brandy.
Maybe add a bit of sugar.

The Hill Billy

ibarelycare wrote: »

Could you post the recipe for this please? My friend loves buckfast, would love to make it for him

Your friend? Yeah, right.

StripedBoxers

duploelabs wrote: »

yeah but you'd run the risk, since it's a much more concentrated flavour, of letting it overpower a dish

I've used anything from 1-4 bar shots of brandy in cooking and have never had it over power a dish.

Not sure if different brands make a difference? But I always use Hennessy because its what we have in.

I usually use it in chicken pasta dishes and would cook those from 1-3 hours so maybe that's why it hasn't had a strong taste or overpowered a dish on me. I don't know tbh.

The only alcohol I've had overpower a dish on me is white wine.