4 cups pitted cherries (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
A few drops of almond extract
Optional: 1 tablespoon kirsch
THE ALMOND DING:
1 cup whole blanched almonds
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt plus more for sprinkling
To make the cherry sorbet: Heat the cherries with the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a nonreactive saucepan. Simmer for about 3 minutes, until the cherries soften and begin to release their juices.
Remove from the heat and add a few drops of almond extract and the kirsch, if using. Pour the cherries and the syrup into a small bowl and freeze until solid, which will take at least 2 hours.
Once the cherry mixture has frozen solid, remove it from the bowl and put it into a food processor. Process until completely smooth. Serve immediately in tall glasses, or return the sorbet to the freezer until ready to serve. It will have a nice texture for at least a few hours. If it has become too firm, remove it from the freezer a few minutes before serving.
While the sorbet is setting up, use the time to make the almond ding. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Put the almonds, sugar, butter, and salt in a medium-size saucepan or skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring gently (stirring too much encourages crystallization), until the liquid begins to darken slightly.
Keep cooking, and when the liquid is a rich amber color (like dark coffee with a touch of cream), pour the mixture out onto the greased baking sheet. Do not spread it out. Sprinkle evenly with a hefty pinch of coarse salt. Cool completely, then break into bite-sized pieces and serve with the cherry sorbet.
Makes about 3 cups of sorbet.
