Cantaloupe Soup with Basil

I’m on a melon mission this week. We’ve been making cantaloupe granita from a great recipe from Walker Brown of Inman’s Park’s Wisteria Restaurant. Can’t share that recipe yet, it publishes in the AJC on August 11, but here’s a similar recipe for a melon soup that you could turn into a granita just by adding a little simple syrup and then freezing it. If you need some other melon ideas, check out https://grassfedcow.com/ingredient/watermelon/. The recipes there are generally for watermelon, but you could use the cantaloupe in most.

This recipe is fabulous. No idea where I first found it. Use it as a cold soup as it was first intended, add a little seltzer or club soda and make a spritzer, add a little gin and make a cocktail, add a little simple syrup and freeze it for a granita. It couldn’t be simpler and it couldn’t be more delicious.

Melon Sorbet with Roasted Fig, Honey and Sea Salt

This recipe comes from Justin Burditt of Miller Union. For simple syrup, combine 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup granulated sugar and heat just until sugar dissolves. You’ll want an ice cream maker for this, or you can freeze the mixture in a freezer-proof container and stir it every half hour or so to break up the ice crystals and make a sort of granita. Since figs are widely available from your own tree or at a farmers market, this is a perfect August dessert.