Roasted Cherries

Strained yogurt:

1. Start with the yogurt. Place a fine-meshed sieve on top of a bowl. The sieve should not touch the bottom of the bowl, there should be some space left in between the two.
2. Add yogurt: Place a very clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth on the sieve and pour the yogurt in there. Gather the ends of the kitchen towel and cover the yogurt with them.2 lbs Greek yogurt / 1 kg
3. Strain yogurt: Place the bowl with the sieve in the fridge and let it sit for at least 5-6 hours or, ideally, overnight.
4. Discard the strained liquid once during this time, so that the accumulated liquid doesn't touch the yogurt in the sieve.
5. Add sugar: When ready to serve, turn the strained yogurt into a clean bowl and add brown sugar and vanilla extract to taste. Stir well and leave for a while to give the sugar time to disintegrate into the yogurt. By waiting a bit, you avoid adding too much sugar. 2-3 tablespoons brown sugar + vanilla extract

Roasted cherries:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F/ 200°C.
2. Marinate cherries: Place the halved cherries in a roasting tray, add the sugar, and mix gently, distributing the fruit evenly on the tray. Add the split vanilla bean, the cinnamon stick, star anise, and cardamom seeds. Let the fruit marinate for about 10 minutes.2 lbs cherries/ 1 kg + 4 tablespoons brown sugar + 1 vanilla bean + 1 cinnamon stick + 2 star anise + 3 green cardamom pods
3. Squeeze the oranges and mix the juice with the elderflower syrup, if using. Pour over the cherries and mix well.⅔ cup orange juice/ 150 ml + 2 tablespoons elderflower syrup
4. Roast the cherries: Place the roasting tray in the oven and bake the cherries for about 15 minutes. Stir well, distribute the fruit evenly again, and continue roasting for another 15 minutes.
5. Serve hot on cooled on top of the strained yogurt.