Cherry Sauce (Savoury and buttery)
Look no further because this will be the BEST Cherry Sauce you've ever tasted. Serve this gorgeous sauce with duck, quail or pork
Ingredients
For the ginger wine sauce
- ¼ cup raw sugar (NOTE 1)
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup dry red wine (NOTE 2)
- 1 cup salt reduced chicken stock (low-sodium) (NOTE 3)
- 20 gm fresh ginger (peeled & finely grated)
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- ½ tsp salt
For the cherry sauce
- 40 gm butter
- 400 gm fresh or frozen pitted cherries (NOTE 4)
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp cherry brandy (optional, or kirsch, regular brandy)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- For the ginger wine sauce - Place the sugar and vinegar into a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer for 2 minutes or until it thickens into a syrup-like consistency. Pour in the wine and simmer for a minute or until the alcohol smell dissipates. Add in the stock and simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce thinly coats the back of a spoon. Stir in the ginger, cayenne and salt, then simmer for another minute. Transfer the sauce to a large heatproof bowl and leave to cool at room temperature for an hour. This allows time for the flavours to develop.
- For the cherry sauce - Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium-sized saucepan, then add in the cherries and sugar. Stir for 2 minutes, during this time some cherries will break down. Use a wooden spoon to help crush some cherries, but leave some intact. Pour in the brandy and simmer for a minute or until the alcohol smell dissipates. Add in the ginger wine sauce and bring to a boil, then simmer for another 2 minutes. Have a taste, and add salt and pepper to your liking if needed.Serve the sauce warm over duck, quail or pork. The sauce will slightly thicken when it cools down.
Notes
(NOTE 1) Raw cane sugar (or turbinado or demerara sugar) - Raw sugar is less processed than regular white sugar. They have larger granules, and the molasses gives them a brown colour with a mild caramel taste.
(NOTE 2) Dry red wine includes Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Shiraz. I recommend using non-expensive wine that you enjoy drinking, as wine has a strong flavour. My dishes with wine always turn out better for me when I stick to this tip!
(NOTE 3) Chicken stock/broth - I prefer using salt-reduced or low-sodium chicken stock because I have more control over the sodium level. This way I can adjust the seasoning in dishes to my liking. It's always better to be under-seasoned than over-seasoned as it's easier to fix.
(NOTE 4) Cherries - For convenience, I used pitted frozen cherries. If preferred, you could use fresh pitted cherries. I don't recommend canned or jarred cherries for this recipe because of their soft texture and they usually come sweetened.
Leftovers - Allow the Cherry Sauce to cool completely at room temperature, then transfer it into a sealed container and store it in the fridge. The sauce should be good for 3 days.
I've used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 153kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 1gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 257mgPotassium: 172mgFiber: 1gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 233IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 13mgIron: 0.4mg