This is an adaptation from a blackberry, jalapeno butter sauce that I love to make in the summer. But when I went to the store today, there were no blackberries! When I tried to think about another fruit that was in season that had the same sweet and sour qualities as a blackberry- the natural solution was a cherry. Because I used cherries, I chose a wonderful dark, fruity Zinfandel as the base for the sauce. The jalapeno’s add a very subtle kick and the butter makes the sauce incredibly luxurious and velvety. I love this sauce over grilled salmon, which is a hearty enough fish to stand up to the flavors, but with the cherries, I think that this would also be incredible with roast pork.

Grilled Salmon

2 lbs salmon filet
Olive oil and salt and pepper

Preheat grill to medium heat.

On a sheet of foil, place the salmon and drizzle with olive oil. Generously sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook the salmon for about 10 minutes or until it is just cooked through, and the white fat has come up to the surface of the fish.

Cherry Jalapeno Butter Sauce

1 ½ cups red wine (I used Rombauer Zinfandel)
Cook for about 10 minutes on medium-high heat, until boiling and reduced to half .

Add 1 ½ cups sliced cherries (or whole blackberries) and reduce the heat to low and let cook another 5 minutes.

Add 1 freshly minced jalapeno pepper, and
2 TBS sugar

Simmer together for about 3 minutes and remove from the heat. Stir in 1 stick salted butter, the sauce should be slightly thickened and shiny.

Add about a tsp of kosher salt or to taste.