Polish Chilled Sour Cherry Soup with Noodles

Cook 120 g of thin egg-free pasta according to the package directions, allowing roughly 5–7 minutes, until tender but springy. Drain and rinse briefly with cold water. Transfer to a clean container and, once cool, refrigerate until ready to serve the chilled soup.

Put the cherries, 900 ml of water, 60 g of sugar and the cinnamon stick in a second pot. Reserve the remaining 10 g of sugar for adjusting the flavor. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes, until the cherries soften and the liquid takes on their color.

In a cup, mix the potato starch with 3 tablespoons of cold water into a smooth slurry. Pour it into the simmering soup in a thin stream, stirring constantly, and cook for 1–2 minutes, until the chilled soup becomes slightly thick and distinctly silky.

Take the pot off the heat, remove the cinnamon and stir in the lemon juice. Taste and add the reserved 10 g of sugar if needed, using no more than 70 g in total. Cool the soup in a cold water bath, stirring with a clean spoon and replacing the bath water when it warms up. Allow roughly 30–60 minutes for the whole soup to cool noticeably. Then refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until completely cold.

Add the cooked noodles to the chilled soup or divide them among bowls and ladle the chilled soup over them. Serve immediately while the chilled soup is thoroughly cold and the noodles are tender and separate.