Cherries!

What have I been doing for the past month rather than blogging?  I can't think of anything significant.  I took a break to finish some kitchens I've been working on, and I made another rag rug for a friend, but you've all seen that stuff before.  And while I've had a few culinary adventures, I think I just lost my momentum.  Not to mention, I kept forgetting to take pictures, and we all know we don't really read the blogs!  We just look at the pictures!

So this weekend, I got up early on Saturday and took my boys to the local pick-your-own farm to pick cherries.  This was my first experience picking cherries, and it was pretty coo.  The cherry orchard at this farm is enclosed with a big net structure to keep out the birds, so the cherries were abundant and nibble-free.

I intended to come home with 5 or 6 pounds, but the boys lost interest pretty quickly, and we had to move on before I had all I wanted.  We ended up with just under 2 pounds.

I had intended to make cherry preserves, but with only 2 pounds that wasn't happening.  A wonderful facebook friend recommended a recipe for cherry sorbet, so that's what I did.

But first, I decided to pour some vodka in a jar with a handful of cherries and see how cherry infused vodka would come out.  (Good).

Sorbet, it turns out, is really simple.  Give it a try!

Sour Cherry Sorbet
Here's what you need:
2 lbs of cherries
2/3 cup of sugar or agave nectar
2 Tbsp lemon or lime juice

1.  Wash and pit the cherries.  If you don't have a cherry pitter, get one.

2.  In a pan, bring to a boil the cherries, about a cup of water, 2/3 to 1 cup of sugar or agave nectar (I did the nectar), and a Tbsp or two of lemon or lime juice.

3.  After it's boiling, cut the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

4.  Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.  After that, pour it in a container and chill in the fridge for a few hours.

5.  Put the chilled mixture in the food processor or blender and puree.  If you like a smooth sorbet, put it through a fine sieve.  I didn't have a sieve, so I decided chunky sorbet was preferable to going to the store.

6.  Freeze the mixture in your ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

I let it freeze hard over night, and served it up to the neighbors the next night.  It was tart, but had a nice flavor.  It was a gorgeous color, and everyone ate it, but nobody was over the moon about it, except for my two boys, who have a perverse love of all things sour.

If I did this again, I might use strawberries or some other fruit.  Whatever, the method will be the same.

But now I'm reminded that I've been experimenting with my ice cream maker, and have had some delicious results.  I will share those another day.