Ketchup is a simple sauce made of fruit, sugar, vinegar, and spices. But the fruit does not have to be tomatoes. Pick cherries to make a delicious ketchup! My favorite ketchup is made with cherries, specifically the tart Montmorency cherries. This year (unlike the last two years) is a fabulous year for cherries. Here is a delicious recipe to use the bumper cherry crop. Use the sauce on chicken, pork, beef, lamb, and, of course, French fries.

Cherry Ketchup

• 6 cups pitted tart cherries
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 head of garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/4 cup minced ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground cardamon seeds

Combine the cherries, sugar, vinegar, salt, garlic, ginger, and cardamon in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour. Puree (using an immersion blender or food processor) until very smooth. Continue to cook the mixture until thick and jammy, about 20 more minutes.