This recipe is just two weeks shy of being a decade old! Still, it is one that I use regularly. In fact, it was the focus of my solo dinner last week, and it was absolutely delicious.
The original post from July 2014
Last week I had an unusual occurrence. I had no children at home for dinner. My husband was not at home for dinner. I had no plans for myself outside of the house. My first instinct was to fill this void with a social outing, but then I thought about the beauty of a quiet house on a weekday night. With temps in the 90s and lots of humidity, it seemed like a fine idea to stay inside with a bit of air conditioning, some good food, and a book.
With an opportunity to cook for only myself I was faced with decision of what I, and only I, wanted to eat. The tricky part of this is that my husband really isn’t picky. His dislikes are limited to most beans (lentils, black beans, etc.), peas, and cherries. With the warmer weather I didn’t feel like making a heavier bean-centric dish. I had no inspiration for peas. Thus, I began to ponder how I could recreate cherries into a main dish.
I have made chilled strawberry soup, so I assumed that I could turn cherries into soup. Rather than using cranberry juice to add liquid and tartness, I decided to use white wine. It gave it a delightful bite and perked up the cherry flavor. If you are making this recipe for the under 21 crowd, you absolutely could use cranberry juice as a replacement.
Served with a side of toasted flatbread and guacamole, this made for a surprisingly filling dinner. Although it is a healthy and fairly calorie-light dish, there was a decent weight to the soup that left me feeling quite satisfied. If I could convince my husband that cherries are tasty, I would make it again soon. If not, I will just wait for my next night home alone.
- 1 pound cherries, rinsed and pitted
- 1-3/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon + 3/8 cup Sauvignon Blanc*
- 3/8 cup plain Greek yogurt
- Coarsely chop cherries. Set aside 1/4 cup cherries.
- Place remaining cherries in a small saucepan with water and sugar.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and allow to cook for 15 minutes.
- In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon wine and cornstarch.
- Add cornstarch mixture to cherries, stirring while mixture thickens.
- Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
- Transfer cherries mixture to a blender; process until smooth.
- Add 3/8 cup sauvignon blanc and yogurt, and process again.
- Transfer to a resealable container, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Ladle approximately one cup of soup mixture into a serving bowl.
- Garnish with a tablespoon or so of chopped cherries.
