Black Cherry Barbeque Sauce

Bing cherries, cherry soda, lemon juice, cinnamon, and red wine make a fabulous barbecue sauce for chicken or pork.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
3/4 cup black cherry soda
1 can Bing cherries (17 ounces), drained
3 Tablespoons cherry preserves
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon sugar, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:
Put the cherry soda, cherries, cherry preserves, lemon juice, butter, sugar, cinnamon, and 3 tablespoons of the wine in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and let the sauce simmer gently for 5 minutes.

Put the remaining 1 tablespoon wine and the cornstarch in a small bowl and stir to form a slurry (thick paste). Whisk this paste into the cherry sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil over high heat to thicken, about 1 minute.

Taste for seasoning, adding more sugar or lemon juice to adjust the sweetness and salt and pepper to taste; the sauce should be highly seasoned. Serve warm or at room temperature. The sauce can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 1 week. Let return to room temperature or warm over medium heat before serving.