Cold Cherry Soup

One of the favorite dishes on our recent cruise was the cold fruit soup.  So refreshing on a hot summer day!  If you've never made a fruit soup, try this one.  You can also use canned sour cherries, if fresh cherries are not available.

2 pounds fresh cherries
2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons kirsch (optional)
1 cup creme fraiche, heavy cream or sour cream

Pit the cherries, reserving 18 cut in half for decorating the soup. You can pit cherries by cutting them along each side with a paring knife, but it's much more efficient to use a cherry pitter (they also work for olives). 

In a mixing bowl, stir together the water and sugar until the sugar dissolves. If you use hot water, let it cool before proceeding.

Puree the cherries in a food processor using some of the sugar/water mixture to get them moving or strain them through the fine disk of a food mill. Strain the pulp through a medium-mesh strainer. 

Combine the sugar/water mixture, lemon juice, and kirsch, if you're using it, with the strained cherries. Taste the soup. If it's too tart, add 2 or 3 tablespoons sugar dissolved in 1/2 cup water. If it needs to be tangier, add more lemon juice. 

Serve in chilled bowls. Decorate with the reserved cherry halves and serve with the cream.