Sauce For Duck And Ham : Black Cherry, Port & Redcurrant Jel

1. 1

   (Some cans of cherries have a lighter, less sweet syrup, some have a thicker, sweeter syrup than others, so please taste sauce as instructions below indicate, and adjust).

2. 2

   Drain the cherries in a sieve over a bowl, and keep at hand.

3. 3

   In a pot, measure off the water and stock powder OR use 1/4 cup chicken broth.

4. 4

   Add all the ingredients, from the 1/4 cup water down to the pinch of ground cloves -- BUT do NOT add the cornflour and water.

5. 5

   Use 2 - 3 tablespoons lemon juice to start, but keep extra juice in case you need to add more to the sauce when you taste it.

6. 6

   Stir the sauce over medium heat until the redcurrant jelly dissolves, then boil quite vigorously until about 1 cup liquid is left. As you start out with about 1 3/4 cup, this does not take long.

7. 7

   If in doubt about the amount as it boils down, pull off heat, cool slightly, and pour into a Pyrex or heat-resistant measuring cup. I simply tilt the pot, and take a guess.

8. 8

   Pour sauce back into pot.

9. 9

   Mix the cornflour with the water, add to the sauce, and bring to a simmer while stirring. Let the sauce thicken, and remove from heat. Do not boil longer than a minute, as the cornflour might split.

10. 10

    Taste for seasoning: you will almost certainly want to add more lemon juice. I did not add salt, but a pinch will probably improve the taste.

11. 11

    Add about 3/4 cup of the cherries in the sieve.

12. 12

    Number of servings will depend a lot on how the sauce is used on the meats.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.