I’m posting this now because this past weekend – Fathers’ Day – is when the cherries are usually ready for picking at our local orchard. This year, everything is about three weeks ahead of schedule, and instead of following the strawberries, cherries were ripe at the same time. The orchard grows over a dozen different kinds of cherries, under “tents” that keep the birds away, and it’s a visual and well as culinary treat to sample some of each.

The early season caught me off guard, and I didn’t make the most of the cherry harvest for preserving.  But did get to make both cherry and strawberry sorbet. There’s enough body in the fruit to keep the sorbet from becoming too icy, but I added a little kirschwasser to each to forestall the ice and perk the flavor.  This is a pretty standard formula for fruit sorbet around here, inspired by the inimitable David Lebowitz’s book The Perfect Scoop.

Strawberry Sorbet

I quart strawberries, hulled and sliced

¾ cup sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp kirsch

Macerate the strawberries in the sugar, lemon juice and kirsch for an hour or so, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Puree in a food processor and chill well. Process in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Cherry Sorbet

1quart cherries, pitted

½ cup water

1/3 cup sugar (or a little more, depending on the sweetness of the cherries)

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp kirsch

Cook the cherries with the water, sugar and lemon juice over moderate heat until the cherries are tender, about 10 minutes. Cool. Puree in a food processor. Add the kirsch and chill the mixture well. Process in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Categories: Berries, Farmer's Market, SorbetTags: Cherry sorbet, Strawberry sorbet