Summer Cherry Wine Sauce

Summer cherries, red wine, and ice cream: what do these things have in common? Not a whole lot except that they are a few of my favorite "foods" and they're the major components of the really delicious summer dessert recipe I'm sharing with you today.

This easy recipe is so delicious-- and a great way to use up your summer cherry bounty or to make a simple ice cream sundae more elegant and grown up. Sweet red wine cools down and marries with the flavor of the cherries which are lightly sweetened with brown sugar. I added a cinnamon stick for a little warm spice in the background and it balanced the sauce really nicely. It has really nice rich flavor and the cherries get really plump and soft during the cooking process. I would imagine you could adapt this recipe for a fancy cherry pie filling too. Will definitely be experimenting with that later!

Since this can be served warm, cool, or at room temperature it is easy to make ahead of time if you're entertaining... What a perfect grown up addition to a sundae bar!

I love this sauce slightly warmed over vanilla ice cream (or frozen custard... Yum) with some chopped toasted pecans sprinkled over the top. It would also be a great sauce for cheesecake or angel food cake. And we may or may not have eaten it for breakfast on top of waffles... With more vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups sweet or semi-sweet red wine *I used Oliver Soft Red
• 2 Tbs. dark brown sugar
• 1 Tbs. cornstarch 
• 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 cinnamon stick 
• 2 cups fresh cherries, pitted 

In a small or medium saucepan, whisk together wine, brown sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla until totally combined. Bring to a boil and add cinnamon stick and cherries to the mixture. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20-25 until mixture has thickened and cherries become tender.

Remove from heat and allow to cool. Spoon over ice cream or dessert of your choice. Or store in a sealed container and refrigerate.