Cherry Sauce

Growing up I always loved eating those maraschino cherries out of the jar at my grandparents' home.  You know, those bright red ones that always top off an ice cream sundae?  I would eat those like candy and then drink the juice in the jar.  Kind of gross, but they were oh so good at the time!  I'll still ask for a small cup of them any time I see them at a bar alongside the limes.

While I also love those big, plump cherries you can get in the summer, I always miss them when they're out of season.  Enter dried cherries.  While they definitely can't compare to the fresh, ripe fruit, they are great for adding delicious cherry flavor to dishes and desserts.

I had some dried cherries left over from some granola bars I made the previous weekend (that post is coming soon...promise!) and decided to figure out a way to incorporate them into my pork loin that was sitting in my freezer.  I've had cranberries with pork, but never cherries.

This sauce was incredibly easy to make and I loved the different flavor the cherries lent to the dish.  It was sweet, but the balsamic vinegar balanced that out perfectly.  I served the pork with the honey glazed carrots I posted last week, but next time I'm definitely going for some mashed potatoes.

And don't be shy about adding this sauce to something other than pork.  It would work great with turkey or chicken as well (I'm having a Thanksgiving vision....).

The recipe below is just for the sauce.  I seared and roasted my pork loin and simply added the sauce over it at the end.




Cherry Sauce adapted from Food Network
Printable Version
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
2 Tbsp onions, chopped
3/4 C chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 C dried tart cherries

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions and cook until tender, 2-3 minutes.

Add chicken broth, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and cherries.  Cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 4 minutes.  It will also thicken.

Pour sauce over meat and serve immediately.