Mar 20, 200610:26 AMThe Life

Recipe: Meggy-leves for the Vernal Equinox

An equinox occurs when the day and night become equal in length. According to the U.S. Naval Observatory, this year's vernal (spring) equinox occurs right now, at 10:26am. [Universal Time is currently 8 hours ahead of Pacific.]

In Hungary, the onset of spring is often celebrated with a delicious sour cherry soup, called "Meggy-leves" (MED-yuh lev-esh).

This is my wife's recipe for the traditional Hungarian sour cherry soup, in a slightly-sweeter American adaptation. [Anikó recommends checking out a specialty store like Ernie's for authentic sour cherries.]

Active preparation time: approximately 1/2 hour.
Total preparation time: approximately 3 hours.
Servings (when cold): approx. 4 to 6 - just under 2 quarts.

Pour only the liquid from:

> 32 ounces (approx. 2 cans) pitted Bing cherries in heavy syrup

into a 4-quart pan, and sauté this syrup at 70% heat. While waiting for it to boil, add:

> 1/2 cup sugar
> 1/2 cup water
> 1/4 teaspoon imitation rum extract
> 1/8 tsp. vanilla extract
> 10 cloves
> 1/4 stick cinnamon
> 2 pinches salt

Meanwhile, put the cherries themselves into a 1-quart bowl, and sprinkle:

> 3 heaping tsp. flour

on the top, while carefully stirring them with a spoon. After the above syrup mixture finally boils, turn it down to a simmer and stir in the cherry/flour combination. Then add:

> 2 lemon slices (round, 1/8 inch thick, cut from the fruit's center)

and turn the heat back up to 70%, stirring frequently. When it boils again, slowly stir in:

> 1 pint whipping cream

Continue at a low boil for 5 minutes and stir often. Allow to cool for 1 hour, then discard the lemon slices. Refrigerate for at least 1 more hour, and serve in bowls at your convenience. For an extra festive touch, put a dollop of whipped cream on top of each portion.

Jó étvágyat (yo ate-VAD-yat) - bon appétit!