Hungarian Sour Cherry Soup (Meggyleves)

This is a light, slightly sweet, cold summertime soup made with whole fresh sour cherries, cream and/or sour cream. It can be served as an appetizer or dessert. It might be strange to have a sweet soup but this is a very traditional Hungarian dish. Some people put whipped cream on top, but I prefer without it. When fresh sour cherries are not available, a canned version can be used. In this video I show you how to make it – and I hope you'll like it. Ingredients (for 4) 500 gr (1lbs) fresh (or canned) sour cherries 100 gr (1/2cup) sugar pinch of salt 2 small cinnamon sticks (whole or break into pieces) 5 cloves 1 small lemon 180ml (3/4cup) sour cream 150ml (2/3 cup) cream 1 heaped tbsp flour 1tsp vanilla extract 1 liter (4,2 cup) water 1. The first step is pitting the sour cherries. I used an un-bent paperclip to remove the pits. Using this technique the cherries remain whole, undamaged. (of course, you can use pitted sour cherry compote) TIP: Use rubber gloves preventing your hands becoming purple. 2. Cut 3-4 slices of lemon 3. Put the cinnamon pieces and cloves into a tea infuser ball. (it will be much easier to remove them later from the soup) 4. Put the sour cherries into a pot and pour 1 liter water over. Add the salt, sugar, lemon slices and the spices. Cook on medium heat for 15-20 minutes. 5. Place the sour cream into a bowl, add the flour and stir well until smooth. Add the cream and stir again thoroughly. 6. Remove the lemon slices and tea ball from the pot....