Served straight from the fridge, this light and refreshing dish would make an excellent opener for barbecued pork. The soup is prepared with a simple sugar syrup infused with torn mint leaves. Cubed cantaloupe and honeydew melon are added to the aromatic syrup along with freshly squeezed lime juice, then chilled. Finally, the mixture is pureed with some of the cubed melon reserved for the garnish.
Although the recipe serves four, it can easily be doubled if necessary. Best of all, this dish needs no last-minute attention. At serving time, you simply ladle the soup into chilled bowls, mound some of the reserved diced melon in the center of each portion and tuck in a mint sprig.
Betty Rosbottom writes for Tribune Media Services.
CHILLED MELON SOUP WITH LIME AND MINT
Serves 4
2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup torn mint leaves, plus 4 extra mint sprigs for garnish
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice, plus 1 to 2 teaspoons more if needed
4 cups cubed cantaloupe, cut into 1/2 -inch dice
2 cups cubed honeydew melon, cut into 1/2 -inch dice
Combine water and sugar in a heavy medium saucepan set over medium high heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Then bring to a boil, and boil for 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from the heat.
Place the torn mint leaves in a medium mixing bowl and pour the hot sugar mixture over them. Let the mixture steep for 45 minutes. Then strain, pressing down hard on the mint leaves to extract as much liquid as possible, into a large nonreactive mixing bowl. Discard the mint leaves. Stir in 4 teaspoons lime juice.
Add the cubed cantaloupe and honeydew to the bowl and toss to coat. Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Strain 1 1/2 cups cubed cantaloupe and honeydew melon from the mixture for the garnish. Puree the soup in a food processor, blender or food mill, and return it to the bowl. Or, use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the bowl. Taste the soup and if you want a more pronounced citrus flavor, add 1 to 2 teaspoons additional lime juice. Cover the soup and the reserved melon cubes, and refrigerate until ready to use. (Soup can be prepared 1 day ahead.)
Thirty minutes before you plan to serve the soup, place 4 soup bowls in the refrigerator to chill.
To serve, divide soup evenly and ladle into the bowls. As a garnish, mound some of the reserved cubes of cantaloupe and honeydew melon into the center of each serving and tuck in a mint sprig.
Per serving: 184 calories, 2 grams protein, trace fat, 0 grams saturated fat, 47 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 42 milligrams sodium. Recipe analysis provided by registered dietitian Jodie Shield.