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Here's what Ken Martin from Las Cruces, New Mexico, says about this soup, and I have admit I adore the advice: "The cherry soup laced with champagne is a Russian favorite we make all summer long when I visit my Russian/Siberian family. It's best when laced lightly with fresh Russian Champagne right out of the bottle, just before serving. Actually we do this with many different berries and fruits as well."

Luxurious, totally refreshing, you'll think you're the Tsar or Tsarina of old Russia at a soirée. This is such a pretty soup from 19th century Russia, with pools of crème fraîche puddling the warm blush of a peach-rose colored soup laced with champagne. Plus so interestingly sweet sour with just the right bit of tender sour cherries on your teeth. Serve cold to 6 people as a first course or for dessert.

• 2 pounds fresh sour cherries, pitted--reserving both the pits and 1 cup of the pitted cherries (canned cherries are okay in a pinch, but really not the same thing at all)
• 3 cloves
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 1 and 1/3 cups water
• 2 cups champagne
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• grated zest of 1 orange

Garnish: crème fraîche

Wrap the cherry pits in cheesecloth and whack them with a pestle or hammer to break them; then add the cinnamon stick and cloves, secure the bag with a twisty, and put in a saucepan with the cherries (except for the reserved ones), water, champagne, and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes, when the cherries will be very soft.

Remove the cheesecloth bag and puree the soup, solids first. Return to the pot with the cheescloth bag, the reserved cherries, the orange juice, lemon juice, and grated orange zest, and reheat on low, removing the pot when the cherries just begin to soften and the broth begins to boil. Cool, then remove the cheesecloth bag and refrigerate.

When ready to serve, ladle into soup plates and spoon pools of crème fraîche onto the surface of each.