Rosemary Pomegranate Sauce

I thought to myself, “champagne turkey with rosemary pomegranate sauce!” Now finding a recipe for that was another matter. Couldn’t find anything like it. So I decided to create it. The ingredients themselves aren’t so complicated: Rosemary, Champagne, and Pomegranate… how hard can it be to make it into a Champagne turkey with Rosemary Pomegranate sauce?

3 Tbsp butter

1/4 C champagne

1 1/2 C pomegranate juice

1 small onion, pureed

1/2 Granny Smith or other tart apple, pureed

5 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 Tbsp raw sugar

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar or sherry vinegar

Leaves of 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped (makes about 1 1/4 Tbsp chopped rosemary, packed)

1/8 tsp freshly cracked coarse black pepper

1 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp pomegranate bits (optional)

• Melt the butter over medium heat and sweat onion, apple, and garlic until just tender, about two minutes. Add pepper. Set aside.
• Add cornstarch to pomegranate juice and dissolve completely.
• Add everything except the rosemary (including onion and garlic) to the pot and mix well.
• Raise temperature and reduce sauce slowly, working toward a medium-thick sauce consistency (about the consistency of a slightly thin gravy), about 5-10 minutes.
• When the consistency is about two to three minutes till finished, stir in rosemary.
• Plate beneath turkey or chicken, or drizzle over the top.
• Sprinkle juicy pomegranate seeds over the top (optional).
• Serve.