This Cream Sherry Butter Sauce is the topping on the cake! No pun intended, but this rich caramely sauce is dreamy and it’s a perfect compliment to my Gluten Free Basque Cheesecake.
How Did this Cream Sherry Butter Sauce Come To Fruition?
So here’s the lowdown on the Cream Sherry Butter Sauce. A few days back, I had the urging for a cheesecake. Generally, I’m not a sweets person, but it just sounded delicious! As I was browsing my colleagues food blogs, I came across Spanish Sabores’ Basque Cheesecake. It immediately struck me as my next project, mainly so I could indulge. So, went on to develop my own recipe and make it gluten free.
In my mind, I thought, “This Basque Cheesecake sounds great, but how can I really indulge?” Keeping in tradition with a Spanish style of cheesecake, I decided that a sherry based sauce would be ideal. Berries are too typical with cheesecake, so I ruled out the sherry berry. But what’s more indulgent? A rich caramel butter sauce… And man is it good!
The Sherry of the Sauce
Intertwining the last paragraph, Sherry is a Spanish fortified wine. While my Gluten Free Basque Cheesecake originates from the northern part of Spain in the Basque Country, Sherry is from the south western portion of Spain in the Andalusian region. Andalusia is a mountainous and has some of the hottest and driest weather in all of Europe.
The grapes used for making sherry are Moscatel, Palomino, and Pedro Ximenez varieties. Minimally 40% needs to be from Palomino grapes to be an authentic sherry. These grapes thrive in the chalky mountainous soil, as it retains moisture well during the hot and dry summer months. Additionally, the light soil color reflects the sun’s rays, further aiding photosynthesis of the vines.
Once the grapes have been harvested, they’re fermented for 2 months. A dry white wine is produced from the fermentation, which is then fortified with a distilled alcohol made from lesser grades of wine. At this point, the fortified wine is casked and aged for a minimum of two years.
Cream Sherry goes through the same process, but it has added sugars to add a sweet finish to the palate. I found Wikipedia’s Sherry post quite informative in writing this summary.
The Steps of the Cream Sherry Butter Sauce
This recipe is really quite simple. I’m letting you know in advance, timing is everything…
Step 1: Gather your ingredients
Step 2: Throw all the ingredients in a small/medium sized saucepan on medium-high heat.
Step 3: Melt the ingredients while mixing often until you reach a boil.
Step 4: Stir steadily while it’s in a rolling boil for 80 seconds! (Over 90 seconds and you’ll get too much caramelization and your sauce will be overly tough at room temperature.)
Step 5: Pour your Cream Sherry Butter Sauce into a heat safe glass bowl to chill.
Step 6: Pour the yummy goodness over anything you’d like, but primarily my Gluten Free Basque Cheesecake! And Enjoy!
There you have it. In summary, you throw some stuff in, stir, boil, remove, and eat! The end!
Tips and Tricks to Cream Sherry Butter Sauce
Make It In Advance- You can make this in advance, seal it in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to a month. Most likely you can keep it around longer, but let’s go with a month.
Reheat- If you’re removing your cream sherry butter sauce from the fridge, reheat it in the microwave. Heat it in 10 second intervals, give it a stir, and repeat until its at the proper viscosity.
Suggestions- Use this on ice cream or as filling in between layers of a chocolate or vanilla cake! You can also use it as a dip for apples!
Overcooking- If you go past the 90 second mark of the boil, get out some parchment, lay it in a shallow dish, and make cream sherry caramels! Top it with some flaky salt, such as Maldon Salt, and you’re set!
Take A Gander At These Delicious Recipes
Delightful Apple Cinnamon Muffins – Gluten Free
(Think Caramel Apple Muffin)
Easy Decadent Cream Sherry Butter Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Stick Salted Butter
- 1 Cup Sugar
- ¼ Cup Cream Sherry
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- ½ tsp Himalayan Pink Salt
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a small saucepan.
- On medium-high heat, melt the ingredients, stirring often.
- Once all the ingredients are melted, wait for a rolling boil. Once at a rolling boil, stir for approximately 90 seconds.
- Turn off the heat, then pour your Sherry Butter Sauce into a heat safe bowl and chill in the freezer for 20 minutes and serve!