Sour Cherry Soup
  by Amy Rabb-Liu

3 1/2 cups pitted fresh sour cherries (about 2 lbs before pitting)
2 cups water (or more if needed to cover cherries in pan)
1 cup sugar 
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 cup sweet red wine (such as leftover Manischewitz)
1 tablespoon corn starch
8 oz Greek yogurt (optional, but recommended)

Put cherries, water, sugar, cinnamon, wine into saucepan and bring 
to simmer.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat.  When cool enough, 
put all cherries and some liquid into a blender.  Pulse a couple of times, 
to make a coarse puree.  Remove cinnamon stick from saucepan.  
Put cornstarch in a small cup and add some of the cherry liquid 
(or add cool water if liquid is too hot) to make a slurry.  
Return puree to saucepan; stir in cornstarch slurry.  Return to 
simmer, stirring.  Simmer for 1-2 minutes.  

Can be served warm, room temperature or chilled.  

Ladle into bowls, and put a dollop of yogurt in the center of each bowl.  
Or, for a creamy soup, stir all of the yogurt into the pot of chilled soup 
before ladling into bowls.  Okay to omit yogurt, but yogurt cuts the "sour"
very nicely.  Small servings (one generous ladle full in a small bowl 
per person) seem to work well for this soup.

This makes a tart, sweet, refreshing summertime dessert.

(Note: Measurements do not need to be precise, estimating is fine.)

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