By Pamela Walker, writer and local farm and food activist (www.GrowingGoodThingsToEat.com)
Sour cherries made their first appearance this season last Saturday, thanks to Santa Cruz Farms. I snapped them up and used this recipe from the current issue of Edible Santa Fe.
Ingredients:
Makes 1 quart
- 2 pounds of sour cherries, pitted
- 1 cup water
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Kosher salt
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- In a roasting pan with sides, mix pitted cherries with sugar and a generous pinch of salt. Toss well to evenly coat. Roast 30-35 minutes, until the fruit has softened and its juices are bubbling and starting to thicken. Add the water and roast for another 5-10 minutes, until the juices start to bubble again.
- This step essentially creates a simple syrup in the pan. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.
- Transfer the cherries and all accumulated juices to a blender, and blend well. Add lemon juice. Note that the freezer dulls sweet flavors, so aim for a base that tastes slightly too sweet before churning.
- Strain through a fine-mesh strainer, pushing down gently on the solids to extract as much juice as possible. Scrape the underside of your strainer to get all of the puree. Straining is optional, but worthwhile to get a smooth, velvety sorbet.
- Cover and chill until very cold, at least one hour or overnight. Pour the chilled base into an ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer’s directions.