Cold cherry soup
In this version, we’re using sweet dark cherries rather than the traditional sour, but we’ve still got a touch of tang from crème fraîche. Key to the subtle flavour is the spice bag of aromatics. This is lovely as a refreshing dessert but it could even make a surprising appetizer.
Ingredients
- 5 cardamom pods
- 5 allspice berries
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick, broken into 2
- 4 strips of lemon zest
- 400 grams cherries, pitted
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup crème fraîche, sour cream or yogurt
- 1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch, optional
Instructions
- Lay out a piece of cheesecloth and place the cardamom, allspice, cloves, cinnamon stick and lemon zest in the centre. Pull in the corners to enclose and tie with a string.
- Add the cherries, spice bag and water to a medium- sized saucepan. Over medium heat, slowly bring the contents to a boil, then reduce the heat slightly and keep simmering for approximately 5 minutes until the cherries are soft.
- In a separate bowl, add the crème fraîche (if you’d like it to be thicker add a teaspoon of cornstarch) and a few ladles of the hot cherry liquid and stir well before adding the remainder of the cherries. Transfer to a glass container with lid and chill in the refrigerator for 6 hours. The cream and cherry liquid may separate during the refrigeration. Simply give it a stir, ladle into bowls and garnish with a little more crème fraîche.
