Cherries are held in such high esteem, that Hungarians actually have two separate words with which they differentiate the sweet cherries (cseresznye) that light up fresh fruit platters from their smaller, darker, mouth-puckering-sour cousins (megy), which tend to be cooked (with sweeteners) into pies and preserves.
Only the lucky few who have inherited a recipe for—or tasted its product on their travels —know about one of summer’s greatest pleasures: the chilled tart cherry soup. Make a big bowl and invite friends to dip in for a cooling snack. The soup keeps well (on the colder bottom shelf of the fridge) for 8-10 days or longer. Your taste buds will think they’re at camp.
Serves 8 portions (for better flavor, use organic tart cherries if available):
- 6 cups of canned or frozen tart cherries
(A word of CAUTION: Whether the can or package says “pitted” or not, it is best if you split and check every cherry for pits or shards. It wouldn’t hurt to also alert everyone else to watch for any pieces you might have missed. Don’t worry, eating slowly will only add to the pleasure of savoring this refreshing soup.) - 3 cups of organic, low- or non-fat yogurt
- 2 whole eggs
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
- ½ cup brown or raw sugar (or more, if cherries’ tartness or your sweet tooth requires)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon liquid, concentrated vanilla extract (optional)
- A couple of pinches of cinnamon (optional)
- 2 tablespoons rum or brandy (optional)
POUR cherries into deep, stainless steel soup pot. Cover them with 12 cups of water (more if needed), stir, cover with lid and cook. Assemble in the blender: yogurt, eggs, lemon zest, sugar, honey, vanilla and cinnamon. Blend first on Low, then High until it becomes frothy and sugar and honey are completely melted. Let cherries and water come to a boil, turn heat to Low, uncover, let it simmer for 45 – 60 seconds, remove from heat and let it cool for about 8-10 minutes. Whip up blender contents one more time, then VERY SLOWLY, start trickling the blend into the soup with one hand, while stirring the whole time with the other. The trick is to pour the blended ingredients in while the soup is still hot enough to cook the eggs, but not so hot it curdles the yogurt. Stirring also prevents curdling. (If the yogurt curdles a bit anyway, all you have to do is stir the soup from the bottom with the ladle before serving.) Leave soup out to cool. When it reaches room temperature, add the rum or brandy and stir it in thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.