Monday: Chicken and cherries

First the context:
On Sunday I read a section in Kamman where she has a bit of a rant about the use of the term saute. The rant was amusing and was connected with a description of a technique that she refers to as true sauteeing. The technique, somewhere between pan roasting and braising, sounded interesting.
We still have a couple jars of cherries from last year in the house. Since cherry season will be upon us in not too long, it's time to start using those up.
Then there was my chicken craving.

All of these bits of context combined to give rise to last night's improvisation: Chicken sauteed with cherries.

Brown some chicken leg quarters well in neutral oil. Drain off the oil and add some sour cherries along with their liquid, a splash of wine, and a good pinch of salt. Simmer almost completely covered until the chicken is mostly done. Add some sliced red onion and freshly-squeezed lime juice and finish cooking. Remove the chicken from the pot and add a bit of essence to the sauce along with a pinch of cayenne and some white pepper. Reduce a bit and then adjust seasonings. Thicken with some potato starch if needed, then add the chicken back and let it heat through. Serve topped with a couple of "raw" cherries.

We ate this with jasmine rice and some cauliflower browned in butter (yay! it's cauliflower time again!).

and a big green salad.