Johnny Nordic, who at the moment seems to be my #1 fan (thank you!), has asked if I could provide him with a sorbet recipe to keep his mom from making only chocolate and vanilla ice creams. I do love those dearly, but there is so much more to life than just two flavors. So I am happy to expand Johnny's mom's repertoire, especially since the tart cherry season is at its peak!

This recipe is ridiculously simple, but it requires a fair amount of time for several stages of preparation in addition to chilling. Just plan a day ahead, then impress friends, family, guests -- even yourself! -- with this gorgeous dessert ....

Cherry Sorbet (Adapted from Bruce Weinstein's The Ultimate Ice Cream Book)

3/4 cup sugar 2/3 cup water 2 cups tart cherries, pitted (fresh Montmorency or Balaton cherries from the Farmers Market are highly recommended!) juice of 1/2 lemon 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan, and cook over medium heat just until the sugar melts. Place the sugar syrup in a blender with the cherries, the lemon juice and the extract; puree until smooth. Place into a covered container and refrigerate until chilled, preferably overnight.

Place the cherry mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's directions, then scoop the sorbet into a covered container and freeze until firm. Serve in decorative glasses.

Makes less than a quart, and it is so good that it will disappear almost immediately! Start another batch as quickly as you can ....

The stone pictured at the top of this post was a gift from a very dear friend who took a recent trip to Israel. The Hebrew lettering is a verse from Deuteronomy 16:15 -- “You Should Always Be Happy.” As explained in my very first post, that seemed a fitting sentiment for a blog about passion for food!