Fresh Cherry-Limeade Sorbet

I've got a million sweet memories of my growing up years .............  and there's one that always makes me smile at this time of the year .............
........... when I see sweet cherries all shiny and piled high at the market, I'm instantly transported back in time to days long ago when my sister, Annie and I used to pool together our pennies in order to buy a HUGE bag of the delightful seasonal fruit. We'd usually polish off the whole bag before we even got home, joyfully spitting the pits here there and everywhere . We probably ate our weight in those cherries .............. and were just as happy as little larks with each delicious bite!

Well, I'm still quite fond of these sweet, juicy scarlet gems and it seems that here in the States, it's been an winning year for the cherry crop - they're plentiful and very reasonably priced. I've been finding cherries for $1.89/lb ................. when I see them at this price, I'm once again ready to take every penny I can get my hands on and buy CHERRIES!! I wish Annie was here, but since she's not I have to think up other ways to use them .............. although I do still quite often just gobble them up, unadorned, with great abandon! (I do try these days though, to be just a tiny bit more sophisticated about where I spit the pits.)

I decided to make a cherry sorbet for a light dessert one evening recently and had the idea to combine cherries with limeade concentrate. The results are delightful; the sweet cherries pair fabulously with the tart lime flavor. It's the kind of dessert that you can just keep on eating on these hot summer days, one tiny bite after another sweetly melting and cooling your palate................. Try it, you'll see just what I mean!

P.S. See those wonderful looking cookies behind the sorbet? Check back Monday for the recipe - they're, for sure, one of the most delicious but unusual recipes I've come across lately  ............... an Italian cookie with a fun name; Canestrelli!

Cherry Limeade Sorbet

Ingredients:
2 pounds sweet cherries, stemmed and pitted (I used Bing cherries)
½ cup water
½ cup sugar
½ cup frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier*, can use another type of liquor (see below)

Instructions:
1. Place cherries, water and sugar in a medium saucepan; simmer for 5 minutes until cherries are slightly softened and sugar is dissolved.

2. Remove from heat and allow to come to room temperature then add limeade and place mixture in a blender.

3. Blend until smooth then allow to cool in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

4. Add Grand Marnier and freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions.

Notes:
Grand Marnier (or any other type of liquor) will keep homemade sorbets and ice creams from getting hard and icy. All you need is a tablespoon.

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