Its full-on tree fruit season here in BC, and with the hot, dry weather we’ve been having, the tree fruits this year are fantastic! So that means we are up to our ears in apricots, plums, and cherries!
Most people think of cherries as dessert fare, but with their slight tartness, they also pair nicely in savoury dishes – incorporated into rice pilaf with pistachios, providing a bright note in stuffings, or turned into a simple pan sauce as we’ve done here with our salmon.
As an aside, much of the area in our neck of the woods was orchard back in the day. Most larger parcels of land were converted to suburban subdivisions back in the late 1960s/early 1970s, but the fruit trees remained in many back yards. I can remember sneaking over fences – blood pounding in the ears – to pluck the cherries from their branches, still warm from the sun and devour them on the spot! Tree-ripened cherries are a delicious thing, but there is an extra thrill in devouring forbidden fruit!
We’ve paired this sauce with a simple pan-fried salmon filet here, dusted with sumac and coriander, but it would also pair well with pork or chicken! A little something different to jazz up your summertime dinner.
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Ingredients
- 1 shallot, finely julienned
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 cup cherries, pitted and halved
- 1-2 T balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 T sugar
- salt
- 1 cup liquid (water, stock, whatever is on hand!)
- 2 T butter to finish the sauce
Instructions
- Use the same pan you saute your fish (or pork or chicken) in. The browned bits will help flavour your pan sauce.
- Over medium-high heat, saute the shallots and garlic with a pinch of salt until soft and translucent.
- Add the cherries to the pan and saute until the cherries start to soften and release some of their juice.
- Add the remaining ingredients except for the butter and lower the heat to simmer until the cherries are very soft and the liquid have reduced to about 1/4-1/2 cup. Adjust seasoning as needed.
- Swirl in the butter to finish the sauce, making sure you keep the pan moving.
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