Rhubarb Cherry Sauce

by Bonnie B.
(Parry Sound)

This rhubarb cherry sauce recipe is adapted from Emeril Lagasse which he uses with a rice-stuffed turkey recipe.

The recipe also calls for "port wine" and makes about 3 cups.

A few tips about the "port" wine. Port wines are usually called for in sauces served over red meats and poultry.

A ruby port will be called for when serving the sauce with red meats. A "tawny" port (such as in this recipe) will be called for when serving with fish and poultry.

Tawny port wines are Portuguese in origin and red, but they can be white too. They are served as dessert wines, nutty in flavor and purposely made very sweet.

If you don't have any port wine, you can substitute with any white wine you have. Sweet white wines are usually used to replace the port.

If you have Zinfandel, Chardonnay or Riesling, use either one of those as the substitute in this recipe for the port wine if you need to. The rhubarb cherry sauce will still taste great!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of port - tawny white

1 cup sour cherries - dried

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1/3 cup shallots - chopped

3 cups chopped rhubarb

2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups chicken-stock (from the store, low salt)

2 tsp. chopped thyme

pinch ground cloves

6 tablespoons cold butter cut up into small chunks


Rhubarb Cherry Sauce Method:


Over medium heat in a saucepan, heat up the "port" or whatever type wine you are using. When hot, take off the stove and add the cherries. Cover and let the cherries soak in the wine liquid for 15 minutes.

In a frying pan, add the olive oil. Using medium high heat, add the shallots and stir/cook until they become translucent. This only takes about 3 minutes.

Now add in the rhubarb. Stir frequently for 3 or 4 minutes. Pour this mixture into another bowl and set aside for now.

Pour the port-cherry mixture into the frying pan and simmer for a minute or so.

Add in the chicken stock and the rest of the spices (thyme, cloves, salt and pepper). Let this simmer down to one-third of the original volume.

Add in the butter - little bits at a time. Make sure it's completely melted and mixed in before adding more pieces.

Now add back in the rhubarb mixture from the bowl, stir and let simmer for one minute.

Serve this rhubarb cherry sauce as soon as possible over your turkey or chicken. It's quite delicious.