Damn Fine Cherry Pie

We all went to the cherry fair at St Constant at the weekend, it was the hottest day yet this summer and we had a full beef casserole lunch with potatoes cooked with ceps loads of red wine followed by cherry pie. Boof as we say out here.

There were some lovely cows for auction as well as stalls selling cherries. For the first time I managed to buy some griottes which are small sour wild cherries that everyone wants to use when making jam.

Hours later with black fingers stained by the cherry juice I have 3 kilos of griottes prepared for jam and another bowl full of the best ones to make a sorbet.  I also quickly chopped up and pitted a bowl of lush sweet black cherries and mixed them with half a cup of icing sugar 120mls of milk and 300mls thick farm cream.

It churned up beautifully into a thick creamy mixture and tastes wonderful but I am not sure if I like the texture of all the little bits of cherries. It is however another wonderful colour.

After some rigorous testing we discovered that the icecreams  texture is absolutely fine. However it all tastes better if left to defrost for an hour. It then becomes softer and the cream combines with and envelops the cherries in a very pleasing way.

But it wasn't a sorbet so I will have to get some more black cherries, and in the meantime the best of the girottes are sitting in the fridge washed and pitted.