A recipe for Utah's heat wave survival sorbet

Fates have aligned such that the West's crushing heat wave arrived just in time for the secret Utah weapon you absolutely need to survive it:

• Let's call it "Heat Wave Survival Sorbet."

You may not know that on Utah's produce map, Payson is cherry central — up there with Brigham City peaches, Bear Lake raspberries and Green River melons.

Driving the news: Multiple growers are harvesting their famous Montmorency sour cherries starting this week.

• Search Google and call around for exact dates; Payson Fruit Growers and McMullin Orchards confirmed they'll have fresh and frozen pickings by the bucket starting Wednesday.

The intrigue: Montmorency cherries are almost exclusively used for pie filling — but that's not their highest expression, in my not-so-humble opinion.

• Look instead to sour cherry sorbet to bring out the vibrant tang in a shockingly familiar way: It tastes exactly like the sour cherry flavor in candy — but like actual fruit.

Why it matters: This is one of the most gourmet desserts you could possibly make when it's too hot to summon energy.

The recipe: Play around, but mine starts with 4c cherries and 1c sugar, puréed.

• I tossed in 2 tablespoons of Luxardo maraschino liqueur, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1/2 a teaspoon almond extract for a second round of blending. But if you don't cook with liquor, it's fine to skip that.

• Freeze in an ice cream machine; if you don't have one, freeze and stir twice at 3-hour intervals, then freeze overnight.

Be smart: The skins are fine in the sorbet, but consider straining after blending if you want to mix your scoops with a drink.

What's next: Highs are expected to hover around 100°F all week, per the National Weather Service. So get thee to Payson.