A Deliciously Tasty German Cherry Soup Recipe
Cherry Soup (Kaltschale in German), is a popular dish in Eastern Europe designed to beat the heat. It’s a soup recipe often used as an appetizer or a dessert. Every country has its own unique take on the recipe. The German people don’t like sugar-laden desserts, so this version goes easier on the sugar than most.
A Delicious German Cherry Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of dark, sour cherries (preferably fresh Morello’s)
- 1 stick of cinnamon
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 cup of milk
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
- the zest of 1 lemon
- 3 egg yolks
- 4 cups of water
- 1/2 cup of sugar + 2 tablespoons
- 1/3 cup of cream of wheat
- 3 tablespoons of rum (if you want)
Directions
1. Wash the cherries and remove the pits.
2. In a large pot, place the 4 cups of water, the half cup of sugar, the sliced open vanilla bean, and the cinnamon stick. Then add the cherries.
3. Boil for 10 minutes. Mix the cornstarch with some water until smooth. Add it to the soup and continue to boil.
4. In a separate pot, bring the milk, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons of sugar to a boil. Add the cream of wheat and stir for 5 minutes over a low heat. Beat the egg yolks and add them to the cream of wheat mixture and beans well.
5. Spoon out the cream of wheat mixture and form a small dumpling using another spoon. Drop them into the soup and turn it to simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove the soup from the stove and let cool. Then refrigerate to chill.
6. Before serving, add the rum – or not.
Nutrition Information
- calories: 140
- fat: 1 gram
- sodium: 5 milligrams
- carbohydrates: 34 grams
- protein: 1 gram
What’s The Difference Between Sweet Cherries and Sour Cherries?
A cherry is a cherry, right? Nope. While most cherries may look pretty much the same, there are distinct differences in taste and how they should be used.
Sweet Cherries
With over 900 varieties, the sweet cherry is the type we find most commonly in the supermarket. The ones we look forward to each summer. The juicy snack that goes in the lunchbox or gets taken on a picnic. The snacking cherries.
The most well known of the sweet cherry family are Bing and Lambert. These cherries are big and the flesh is firm. As delicious as these sweet delights are, it’s for this very reason they don’t do well as an ingredient in most recipes.
Sour Cherries
These are the cherries you call upon when making delicious desserts like cherry pie, Black Forest cake, or cobbler. The most well known of the sour cherries are Morello and Amarelle.
Sour cherries will become sweeter as they cook. But not so much that they will change the flavor and texture of the dish. Tart cherries also have a better texture for baking. The flesh is delicate and will fall apart when cooked.
How Do I Pick A Good Cherry?
The cool thing about cherries is, they are ripe when picked. So, by the time they reach the store, it’s go time. There’s no need to poke, prod, shake, or do the hokey pokey to check for ripeness (talking to you avocado). But you do want to pick the shiny, non-bruised fruit.
Don’t worry about stems or no stems. Some folks spread the rumor that stemless cherries are no good. Untrue. All this means is that stemmed cherries were likely handpicked. Stemless cherries were picked with a machine. The cherry pickers shook them from the tree, causing them to lose their stems along the way.
Is There A Proper Way To Pit A Cherry?
Aside from just buying a cherry pitter, there are a few ways to get that pesky pit out.
1. Just tear the cherry open. This is the easiest if you don’t care about what the cherry looks like. If you’re using it for soup or smoothies or such, just rip it open with your fingers.
2. Use a paper clip. Pull open the clip into an S shape. Stick inline in the cherry and twist until the pit loosens up and can be pulled out.
3. Use the peach pit method. If you want attractive cherry halves, grab a paring knife. Pull the stem off and run the knife around the pit until the cut is complete. Turn the cherry halves like you’re opening a jar. Remove the pit.
Do Cherries Have Any Health Benefits?
Whether sweet or sour, cherries are chock full of stuff that’s good for the body. Both types are full of antioxidants, the natural chemical that helps fight cell damage.
Drinking cherry juice after a workout or athletic event has been found to fight off muscle damage and ease soreness. Another study found that women with diabetes who drank tart cherry juice lost weight and lowered their blood sugar.
Cherries are a great source of melatonin, a natural sleep aid. So the next time you can’t sleep, go for the cherry juice instead of the warm milk.
These little stone fruits have also been found to aid in the verbal and memory skills of people with dementia. This might not be a vegetable soup, but it offers some of the same health benefits.
Nutritional Information (per one cup)
- Calories: 97
- Protein: 2 grams
- Carbohydrates: 25 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Vitamin C: 18% (DV)
- Potassium: 10% (DV)
- Copper: 5% (DV)
- Maganese: 5% (DV)
Can My Pet Eat Cherries?
No. The pit, stem, and leaves are extremely dangerous for pets. Not because they may choke on them (but that too), they contain the lethal poison cyanide. Which, even in small amounts, can be deadly to a pet. So do not feed them to the dog and keep them where Fluffy can’t get to them.
What Else Can I Make With Cherries?
If you still have a hankering for some cherry-based goodness, try some of these recipes:
- fresh cherry sauce (great for ice cream and yogurt)
- cherry jam
- grilled chicken and cherry salsa
- cherry chocolate cake
- cherry tarts
- cherry cheese cake
- cherry crumble
- cherry mojito
Cherry Fun Facts
1. Most of the world’s cherries are grown in the United States and Turkey.
2. Washington, Oregon, Michigan, and Wisconsin are responsible for 95% of the United States cherry production.
3. Cherries are related to plums.
4. Archeologists uncovered fossilized cherry pits in caves dating back to 300 BC.
4. There are about 7,000 cherries per tree in each harvest.
5. January 3rd is National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day.
