A fortified wine, usually offered as a pre-dinner drink. It is available in varying degrees of sweetness, dry sherry being the least sweet and sweet sherry the sweetest.
Sherry is often added to a dish at the last minute rather than being used in its cooking. Many soups and sauces benefit from a dash of sherry added just before serving.
Rich fruit cakes can be enhanced with sherry, preferably the sweet type. Soak the prepared fruit overnight in sherry, and when the cake comes out of the oven sprinkle a little sherry over. Sweet sherry is also sprinkled over plain cake when used to prepare a trifle, and impromptu desserts can be quickly made with cake, sherry, fresh or stewed fruit and cream.