2 cups pitted and halved fresh sweet cherries
2 tbsp. orange juice
2 tbsp. sherry
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. grated orange peel
¾ tsp. Dijon mustard
¼ tsp. salt
3 drops Aromatic bitters (optional)
1 tbsp. cold water
2 tsp. cornstarch
Combine cherries, orange juice, sugar, orange peel, mustard, salt and bitters. Cover and simmer gently 5 minutes. Combine water and cornstarch; stir into cherry mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and clear. Sauce may be stored up to a week in the refrigerator. Serve with grilled chicken, ham or sausages.
Cherries are divided into two varieties: tart cherries used mainly for pie filling from Michigan, and sweet cherries from the northwest states for eating out of hand. A one-cup serving of sweet cherries has about 87 calories, 3 grams of fiber and 16% of the RDA for Vitamin C.
