My Nemesis, the Cantaloupe

For the life of me, I can't buy a cantaloupe. I don't know why this skill evades me, but the cantaloupe and I seem to be at loggerheads. Now, I know the advice you want to give me because I have researched the subject endlessly. I have stood observantly next to my mother in the grocery store as she chooses a perfectly perfect melon. I have prevailed upon little grandmotherly women next to me at the farm stand to show me their best techniques. I have mined the knowledge of the internet to see if there is some elusive secret hiding itself from me. And still, I fail to find the fragrant melon that will propel me out of the ranks of the amateur produce shopper.

You who are in the know will probably fall into one of four camps as you seek to offer your secrets of success. Some of you will tell me to pick the cantaloupe up and see if it is heavy for its size. Others of you swear by the thump test, seeking to hear a dense and thick rather than hollow sound. Still others will advise me to press the end opposite the stem end to make sure it gives a little. And most of you will quote the conventional wisdom which is to inhale deeply of the cantaloupe's particular aroma and determine if it smells like--you guessed it--rich, ripe, juicy cantaloupe. I've tried all these methods and invariably, I bring home my prize only to slice it open and find the mushy, mealy, not-quite-there, should-have stayed on the vine another day or two cantaloupe. It is my lot to be disappointed!

Just this past week, I visited Windmill Market to check out the farmers' goods who gather there on Thursday afternoons. I spent time visiting with a Baldwin County farmer who had just picked his cantaloupes that morning. Together, we lifted, thumped, pressed and sniffed until we agreed upon the best candidate for that evening's supper. Admittedly, I was there late in the day after other shoppers had already lifted, thumped, pressed and sniffed and most likely skimmed off the prime offerings, but STILL, I had high hopes. Later that evening when I sliced into the cantaloupe and took a taste test, my hopes were dashed and I was denied the satisfaction, once again, of a succulent summer melon. Rats! Paul agreed whole-heartedly that I had missed the mark, so there we were, stuck with a plateful of chunked cantaloupe, all dressed up with nowhere to go.

I may not be very skilled at choosing prime melons, but I do have one skill I rely on quite often in life and in the kitchen. When life gives me lemons, I know how to make lemonade. Or when the farmer and I choose a not-quite-ready for prime time cantaloupe, I know how to make cantaloupe soup. Thanks to Chef Deese Chatwood from the Grand Hotel and a recent cooking class he taught at the Village Peddler featuring summer soups, I have a simple and sumptuous recipe and generally have all the ingredients on hand in my pantry, in my herb garden and refrigerator. By the way, this one is a healthy offering. Perhaps I am paying penance for one too many bowls of peach ice cream!

Mint and Melon Soup

(large batch directions listed in parenthesis)

1 cantaloupe or other melon (3 melons)

Juice of one lemon (1/2 cup fresh lemon juice)

2 Tb. sugar (1/2 cup)

1/4 cup honey (3/4 cup)

1 cup vanilla yogurt (3 cups)

2 Tb. Sauterne (1/2 cup) or Grand Marnier or Triple Sec

salt to taste

mint to taste, about 2 Tbs. for small batch (up to about 1/4 cup for large batch)

julienned prosciutto ham for garnish

1. Chunk up the melon and put into a blender. Add lemon, sugar, honey, yogurt and a dash of salt and blend until smooth. Taste for sweetness and add more honey, sugar or salt as necessary.

2. Add torn mint leaves and pulse in the blender. You don't want to turn the soup green. It is better to add a small amount to begin with and then add more according to your own taste.

3. Refrigerate the soup and serve cold with prosciutto for garnish. Soup will need to be whisked a bit as ingredients will have separated some while in the refrigerator.

Notes: I used the yogurt I had on hand, which was Greek-style flavored with honey almond. Since it was already sweetened, I reduced the sugar a bit. Chef Deese brought a very expensive and luscious Sauterne from the Grand to use in the soup and treated us the night of our class. I had Grand Marnier on hand, and used that with very pleasing results.

Serving ideas: I served this in some of my nicest china coffee cups. I'd say the small batch would feed about 4-6. We had this as an appetizer one night as I was cooking supper and it was the perfect prelude to an evening meal, tiding us over a bit but leaving us wanting more!