Cantaloupe & Basil Granita

Recipe & Pic from Grab A Plate

A lovely antidote to this smoky weather and a great way to appreciate your melon!

~Rae

1 cantaloupe, seeds and rind removed, and cut into chunks

1/2 cup water

2-3 tablespoons honey (based on how sweet your fruit is)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 basil leaves, divided, plus extra for optional garnish

Add the water, honey, lemon juice, and two basil leaves to a saucepan over high heat. Use a spoon to press down on the basil leaves a few times to help release their flavor.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from the heat, remove and discard the basil leaves, and allow the mixture to cool.

Add the cantaloupe and the liquid mixture to a food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Add the two remaining basil leaves, and blend again until they’re incorporated into the mixture.

Place the mixture into a shallow glass pan and place in the freezer.

After an hour, remove the pan and use a fork to scrape the mixture around. It should have begun to freeze by this point, but may still be in a fairly liquid state. Place the pan back in the freezer.

Repeat this process after another hour, and repeat hourly, as needed, until you reach your desired consistency (you may want to leave yourself several hours of freezing time before you want to serve the granita).

Serve in individual bowls, and garnish with basil leaves if you’d like.

Melon & Cucumber Salad

Recipe & Pic From Martha Stewart

Try this refreshing salad with grilled meats or veggies for an end-of-summer treat!

1 cantaloupe, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch slices

1/2 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, and freshly ground pepper

Extra-virgin olive oil

Fresh mint leaves, for serving

Arrange melons and cucumber on a platter; season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil. Just before serving, sprinkle with mint.

Recipe: Spiced Melon Tea Loaf

from Jo Cooks

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 3/4 tsp cinnamon ground

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ginger ground

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 cups sugar granulated

3 large eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups cantaloupe ripe, grated (only the flesh)

Heat the oven to 350 F degrees. Grease and flour two 5×8 inch loaf pans. Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, ginger, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl.

With an electric mixer or a whisk, beat the sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla in a bowl until well blended and slightly frothy. Fold in the grated cantaloupe. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and fold until just blended; don't overmix or your tea cakes will be tough.

Divide the batter between the loaf pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry, about 1 hour.

Let cool on a rack, then invert. Serve just slightly warm or at room temperature.

Recipe: Sweet & Spicy Grilled Melon

from Luci's Morsels

ripe cantaloupe

smoked paprika

honey

Slice cantaloupe in 1/2" pieces. Sprinkle each side liberally with smoked paprika (not regular paprika).

Preheat grill to medium-high. Grill cantaloupe slices 5-7 minutes per side. Remove from grill. Drizzle with honey.

If grilling other foods, cook cantaloupe last.

Recipe: Melon Tomatillo Salsa

adapted from Edible New Hampshire

1 cup diced melon 

1 cup diced tomatillo, skinned and husked

½ cup diced onion

1 small jalapeno, seeded and chopped

¼ cup chopped cilantro

salt

lime juice

In a medium bowl, stir together the melon, tomatillo, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeno with a pinch of salt and a dash of lime juice to taste. The tomatillo brings it’s own tart flavor, so do not go too heavy.