Cherry Sherbet

Ingredients

• 3 lbs fresh morella cherries (You will separate these into large and small cherries. Morella (also called Morello) cherries are sour/tart cherries — look for them at farmers markets or specialty grocers. Regular sour cherries can be substituted.)
• 1.25 lbs crushed loaf sugar (Loaf sugar is a dense, refined white sugar. You can substitute regular white granulated sugar or caster sugar in the same quantity.)
• 3 pints water (You will use 2–3 pints (roughly 1.1–1.7 litres) to boil the large cherries. About 2 pints (roughly 1.1 litres) of the resulting cherry-infused water will be used in the final sherbet.)
• 0 a few drops essence of orange-flower or rose (Use either orange-flower water essence or rose water essence — not both. A few drops means approximately 3–5 drops. Available in Middle Eastern grocery stores or the baking aisle of larger supermarkets.)
• 4 pieces pieces of ice (Use 3–4 large ice cubes or chunks of ice for serving. Modern ice cubes from your freezer work perfectly.)

Instructions

1. 1Wash all 3 lbs of morella cherries under cold running water. Sort through them and separate them into two groups: the larger, plumper cherries in one bowl and the smaller cherries in another bowl. The large cherries will be boiled whole and served in the sherbet; the small cherries will have their juice extracted for the syrup. Set the large cherries aside for now.
2. 2Take the small cherries and place them in a clean piece of muslin cloth, a fine mesh straining cloth, or a clean tea towel. Hold the cloth over a medium saucepan and squeeze firmly to press the juice out of the cherries into the saucepan below. Squeeze as much juice as possible. Discard the squeezed cherry pulp and skins left in the cloth. You should have a small amount of rich, dark cherry juice in the saucepan.
3. 3Add 1¼ lbs (approximately 570g) of crushed loaf sugar (or granulated white sugar) to the cherry juice in the saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and stir gently to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil — you will see it start to bubble actively. Allow it to boil for exactly one minute, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat immediately after one minute and set the syrup aside. This is your cherry sugar syrup.
4. 4Place the large cherries you set aside in step 1 into a separate, larger saucepan (a stewpan or stockpot works well). Pour in 2 to 3 pints (roughly 1.1 to 1.7 litres) of cold water — enough to submerge the cherries comfortably. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook the cherries until they are tender when gently pressed but still hold their shape — this should take around 10 to 15 minutes. Do not add sugar to this water. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Note: The cherries are boiled without sugar so they remain firm and do not sink to the bottom of the sherbet when served.
5. 5Allow the saucepan with the boiled cherries and water to cool until it is only partly cold — warm to the touch but not hot. This will take around 20 to 30 minutes. Do not let it cool completely at this stage. Once partly cooled, very carefully use a slotted spoon to lift the cherries out of the water one at a time, placing them gently into a bowl. Take care not to bruise or break the cherries. Reserve the cherry-infused water in the saucepan — do not discard it, as it forms the base of the sherbet.
6. 6Take a large glass serving bowl. Carefully pour approximately 2 pints (roughly 1.1 litres) of the cherry-infused water from the saucepan into the glass bowl. If needed, ladle it in gently to avoid disturbing any sediment at the bottom of the saucepan. The water should appear a beautiful deep ruby or pink colour from the cherries.
7. 7Take the cherry sugar syrup you made in step 3. Add it gradually to the cherry water in the glass bowl, stirring gently after each addition, until the sherbet is sweetened to your taste. You may not need all of the syrup — add it little by little and taste as you go. Stir gently to combine without creating too many bubbles.
8. 8Gently place the reserved boiled cherries into the sweetened cherry water in the glass bowl. Add a few drops (approximately 3 to 5 drops) of either orange-flower essence or rose essence — choose one, not both. Drop in 3 to 4 pieces of ice. Give the sherbet one final gentle stir and serve immediately, ladling into glasses along with some cherries and a piece of ice per glass.