Sherry is a fortified wine coming from white grapes near the city of Andalusia, Spain. While sherry is most known for cooking and dessert sipping, there is a whole world of sherry meant to be paired with food.
What is sherry?
Sherry has a high alcohol content, which is why it can be challenging to drink it straight.
There are many varieties ranging from sweet to dry and everything between. This is why some recipes will call for a sweet sherry and others for dry.
Color also has a broad spectrum from light and pale to a deep rosy hue.
It and port wines are sometimes confused because they are both fortified wines. They do have similar attributes, but are ultimately different based on region and grape varietal.
How to Use Sherry In Cooking
Sherry is called for in many baking recipes, but also savory dishes. Here are its best uses:
- To deglaze a pan– after searing meats, sherry is an excellent choice for deglazing the pan. It makes an excellent pan sauce.
- To brighten soups and stews– just a splash of sherry right before serving can give a nice kick to many cream and broth based soups.
- Add it to your bechamel– it also flavors cheese sauces perfectly. It is the key ingredient to my award winning seafood stuffed shells.
- Braising– I love the depth sherry adds to my braised meals.
- Sipping– Despite popular beliefs, you can totally sip sherry.
Sherry Cooking Wine
Sherry is fairly shelf stable because of the high alcohol content. It will stay fresher if refrigerated, but does not require so.
Sherry cooking wine also has salt added and is shelf stable for even longer without refrigeration.
Recipes That Use Sherry
- Romesco Sauce
- Mushroom Chicken Skillet
- BBQ Flank Steak
- Garlic Mahi Mahi
- Bourbon Bacon Jam
- Beef Stroganoff
