Hungarian Black Cherry Soup
- 3 pounds Bing cherries rinsed
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
- ½ cup fresh orange juice
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup sweet Tokay or Riesling wine
- Salt to taste
- 6 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream, for gamish
- 6 fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
- Set aside 18 cherries.
- Remove the stems of the remaining cherries, and pit them with a cherry pitter.
- Place the prepared cherries in a non-reactive soup pot
- Toss with the sugar, orange and lemon zests and juices.
- Add the water.
- Bring the soup to a boil.
- Add the wine, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer, uncovered until the cherries are soft about 15 minutes.
- Skim any foam that rises to the surface and stir occasionally as it cooks.
- Season the soup with salt. Remove from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
- Remove the cherries with a slotted spoon to a food processor or blender and process until smooth, adding a bit of liquid if necessary. Return the cherry puree to the soup liquid.
- Refrigerate 4 to 5 hours to chill the soup completely.
- To serve, ladle the soup into six shallow bowls.
- Garnish each with a tablespoon of creme fraiche, three reserved cherries, and a sprig of mint
Serves 6