Cantaloupe Sorbet

Recently, during a B&B stay, Dan and I were served fresh cantaloupe with lime juice and cranberries.  And it was a taste revelation!  I’ve always been a big melon fan, especially during the summer, but this totally reinvented the taste sensation.  Dan and I immediately tried to figure out how we could translate this flavor combination into another medium.  Soup?  No, cantaloupe soup is best with yogurt, and that wouldn’t jive.  It needed to be something water based- sorbet!  Genius!

My original recipe included just cantaloupe, simple syrup, lime, and lime zest.  But it felt… lacking.  It needed something, I just couldn’t put my finger on it.  Basil?  I took my thought process to twitter and facebook and our friend Lauren nailed it.  MINT!  Mint had the flavor I was looking for from basil but was more… direct?  It was perfect.  It added a dimension that made the whole sorbet more interesting, and played nicely off the sweetness of the cantaloupe and the tartness of the lime.  It was so delicious, in fact, that I can’t stop eating it.

Cantaloupe Sorbet

1 small cantaloupe

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

5 limes, juiced

1 tbsp lime zest

1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

Start by making your simple syrup.  Heat together sugar and water until sugar is dissolved.  Cool.

Peel, pit, and cube the cantaloupe.  Combine in food processor with mint.  Blend until smooth.

Juice limes, and add the juice and zest to the simple syrup.  Combine with cantaloupe mixture.  Churn in ice cream maker, then freeze at least 4 hours.