Serves 6
• A perfect first course for a summer supper.
• 2½ lbs. fresh, sweet, dark cherries
• 5 cups water
• 4 Tbs. sugar, or more to taste
• ⅓ cup white wine, or to taste
• juice of 1 or 2 lemons, or to taste
• 1 cup heavy cream
1. Wash the cherries, remove their stems, pit them, and put them in a large enameled pot along with the sugar and the water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the cherries, but do not discard the liquid. Remove 24 cherries and put them aside.
2. Rub the remaining cherries through a fine sieve and return the purée to the cherry liquid. Add a little white wine and fresh-squeezed lemon juice. If the soup is too sour, add a little more sugar.
3. Chill the soup. When it is quite cold, whip the cream without sweetening it. Put 4 of the reserved cherries into each of the 6 bowls, and divide the soup equally among them. Finish each serving with a generous spoonful of the whipped cream.
