Pedro Ximénez: The Dessert Sherry

Pedro Ximénez (often shortened to PX) is a Spanish dessert sherry made from sun-dried Pedro Ximénez grapes, producing an intensely sweet, syrupy wine with deep flavours of fig, raisin, molasses, and dark caramel. Katie circled her hazelnut tart with a PX reduction; Michael Cimarusti named it among his favourite ingredients. At home, you don't need to reduce a good-quality PX much — a few minutes over gentle heat will thicken it slightly without scorching the sugars. Use as a drizzle over vanilla ice cream, blue cheese, dark chocolate, or caramelised nuts. A little goes a very long way.