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Kissel was one of our favorite childhood treats. It is a very popular dish among Slavic families. I absolutely loved it when Mom made fruit soup for us and we requested it often! It’s really easy to make and has just 4 ingredients (if you don’t count water).
There are different varieties of kissel in the world, but this is how we enjoyed it growing up. If you don’t have fresh cherries; great news! You can also use frozen cherries and enjoy this treat all year long.
This has definitely been a week of cherry recipes, but the next one will be a savory dish; something scrumptious (with cheese!!), so stay tuned ;).
Ingredients for Cherry Kissel:
1 lb sweet red cherries (fresh or frozen), pitted
8 cups filtered water
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 Tbsp Potato Starch in 1/4 cup cold water
How to make Cherry Summer Soup – Kissel:
1. Fill a medium pot with 8 cups of water. Add 1 pound of pitted cherries and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 12 minutes, partially covered (don’t cover it completely or the contents may spill over. Stir in 3/4 cup of sugar and 1 Tbsp lemon juice and continue simmering another 3 minutes.
3. Finally dissolve 4 Tbsp of potato starch in 1/4 cup of water and slowly add it to the pot while stirring the soup. Remove from heat and let kissel cool slightly. You can strain out the cherries if you prefer, but I love the texture and flavor they add to the soup.
To serve, ladle the very warm soup into bowls or mugs. It also reheats really well. My husband likes his kissel cold. Warm or cold; it’s such a treat!
P.S. Potato starch works really well in this soup. We’ve tried substituting with corn starch with disappointing results. We found that you need more corn starch to do the same job and you can taste the corn starch. Look for potato starch in the bins of your grocery stores. We’ve found it at Rosauers, and most European stores. Try whole foods as well.
Cherry Summer Soup (Kissel) Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb sweet red cherries, fresh or frozen, pitted
- 8 cups filtered water
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 4 Tbsp Potato Starch in 1/4 cup cold water
Instructions
- Fill a medium pot with 8 cups of water. Add 1 pound of pitted cherries and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 12 minutes, partially covered (don't cover it completely or the contents may spill over. Stir in 3/4 cup of sugar and 1 Tbsp lemon juice and continue simmering another 3 minutes.
- Finally dissolve 4 Tbsp of potato starch in 1/4 cup of water and slowly add it to the pot while stirring the soup. Remove from heat and let kissel cool slightly. You can strain out the cherries if you prefer, but I love the texture and flavor they add to the soup. To serve, ladle the very warm soup into bowls or mugs. P.S. It reheats really well. My husband likes his kissel cold. Either way, it's such a treat!
Notes
Does this bring back memories for you? Do you add any special or unique fruit to your kissel?