What do you say when a nice Jewish boy gives up a promising career as a lawyer to become a self-appointed “amateur gourmet”? (“Oy!” his mom probably said.) When the audacious amateur himself, Adam Roberts, used my recipe for Strawberry Frozen Yogurt (page 91) as inspiration for churning up a batch of Sour Cherry Frozen Yogurt, he posted the results on his web site, www.amateurgourmet.com. It was an idea too delicious not to include in this book. However, when pressed for minor details like, say, a recipe or exact quantities, Adam played the amateur card and feigned ignorance, forcing a certain professional to do his duty. This recipe calls for sour cherries, which are different from their sweeter counterparts and sometimes require a bit of foraging to find (Adam found his at Manhattan’s Greenmarket). Their tiny little pits can easily be slipped out by squeezing the cherries with your fingers or with the help of a cherry pitter.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 3 cups (750 ml)

　　1 pound (450 g) fresh sour cherries (about 3 cups, measured unpitted)

　　3/4 cup (150 g) sugar

　　1 cup (240 g) plain whole-milk yogurt (see Note)

　　2 drops almond extract

　　

Step 1

Stem and pit the cherries. Put them in a medium, nonreactive saucepan with the sugar. Cover, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to encourage the juices to flow, until the cherries are tender and cooked through. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

　　

Step 2

Purée the cooked sour cherries and any liquid in a blender or food processor with the yogurt and almond extract until smooth.

　　

Step 3

Chill for 2 hours, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

　　

Perfect Pairing

Step 4

Make Sour Cherry Profiteroles by filling Profiteroles (page 232) with Sour Cherry Frozen Yogurt and topping them off with a few Sour Cherries in Syrup (page 185) and a scribble of Lean Chocolate Sauce (page 165).

　　Cooks' Note

　　I don’t recommend using Strained Yogurt (page 49) for making this, as I find the flavor too tart when combined with the sour cherries. If you’d like to make it richer, use Greek-style yogurt instead.

　　The Perfect Scoop