Cherry soup

Cherry soup is a soup of fresh cherries poached in wine, often with enough sugar added to make a light syrup. This soup is a late summer delicacy in several European cuisines.

*Hungarian cuisine: Sour Cherry Soup [June Meyers Authentic Hungarian Heirloon Recipes Cookbook] or "hideg meggyleves" is a cold, cream-based sour cherry soup (Prunus cerasus). The name is formed from "hideg" meaning 'cold', "meggy" meaning 'sour-cherries' / morellos, and "leves" being 'soup'. Traditionally served as a dinner course--usually as either the appetizer, soup or dessert--on warm summer nights or hot summer luncheons. The dish is inspired by the sour cherry trees which are so numerous in Hungary, and is a good example of the quintessentially Hungarian fusion of eastern/Asian influences and traditional continental European cuisine. It is customary that the soup contain fresh sour cherries, fresh cream, and sometimes cloves and cinnamon or allspice. Canned regular cherries are sometimes added, and sour cream is often substituted for fresh cream. A small amount of sweet white or dry red wine is also sometimes added before serving. Packets of dried "meggyleves powder", as from the Knorr company, are also sold in Hungary. The dish has been adopted by the Austrians, Poles, Slovaks and Germans. Hungarian-Americans and Hungarian-Canadians brought the soup to the New World. [June Meyers Authentic Hungarian Heirloon Recipes Cookbook]

*Basque cuisine: "gerezi beltza arno gorriakin"cite book |last=Hirigoyen |first=Gerald |coauthors= Cameron Hirigoyen |title=The Basque kitchen: Tempting food from the Pyrenees |origyear=1999 |publisher=HarperCollins Publishers, Inc |location=New York |language= |isbn=0-06-757461-0 |pages=262 , page 214] is served warm or cold. The soup is cooked without cream, but often is served with a dollop of sour cream, creme fraiche, or icecream.

Preparation

A morello or other variety of sour cherry with a free pit is preferred for this dish. To release their flavor, the cherries are carefully pitted or cut in half. Usually the soup is prepared on the day it will be served, because 24 hours is enough time for the cherries to blanch noticeably in the liquid.

References