Cantaloupe Sorbet

Dear Devon,

With temperatures soaring into the mid-90's, I can't bring myself to turn on the stove, the oven, or even the lamps. Any appliance that emits heat must be eliminated. To alleviate some of my discomfort, I decided to make sorbet. I always keep an ice cream work bowl in the freezer for an impromptu frozen dessert on a scorching summer day. If I feel the need to whip up some refreshing, utterly delicious ice cream or sorbet, I don't have to wait a full 24 hours for the work bowl to freeze (yes, it really takes that long). Two summers ago, when I first got the machine, I was too excited to wait it out, and the ice cream didn't congeal. Total disaster! The gaping mouth of the trash can was the only mouth that was cool that night. While this first attempt- at mango ice cream, I admit- ended up being inedible, the frozen treats that followed filled my summer and my freezer.

Although melon appeared regularly on the summer table, I was largely indifferent to melons as a child. Watermelon is the only exception. I can eat a whole watermelon in one sitting: I just can't carry one five blocks. My distaste for honeydews and cantaloupes (I don't like those weird hybrid ones) has diminished. I still don't love them, but melons are appreciated now, instead of just being tolerated.

The cooling effects of the melon makes it an ideal fruit for summer. Nothing beats biting into a juicy, cold slice of melon on a hot, humid day. Melon sorbet seemed an obvious second step. At first, I was a bit skeptical about cantaloupe sorbet. My recipe drawn from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop asks for pureed cantaloupe and sugar. Cantaloupe is a delicate and soft flavor. Would cantaloupe on its own be enough? I also worried that the water content would be too great and I would end up with an icy sorbet with only a hint of cantaloupe flavor. I was completely wrong. Cantaloupe is perfect for sorbet. It is light, flavorful, and amazingly refreshing. The flowery taste of cantaloupe dominates the sorbet, releasing pleasant notes of citrus and mild honey. The texture is smooth and actually quite similar to the soft juiciness of a melon.

I pureed the melon in a food processor. A blender works better, but my kitchen doesn't have enough cabinet space for one. As a result, I strained the cantaloupe puree to get a smoother consistency. Store the finished sorbet in a glass loaf pan with a lid. It allows for easy scooping. Drag the ice cream scoop along the length of the pan to make those perfect ice cream shop scoops.

I am now fortified for a sticky, hot July.

Cantaloupe Sorbet
from Lebovitz, David The Perfect Scoop, p. 111.

1 cantaloupe
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 lime juiced

Carefully remove the skin from the cantaloupe, cutting where the green skin just meets the light orange fruit. Halve the cantaloupe and remove and discard the seeds. Dice into large 1 inch chunks. Place fruit into the bowl of a food processor along with sugar and lime juice. I suggest tasting the fruit before adding the sugar. If the fruit is already very sweet, adjust the amount of sugar. Puree until smooth. Using a flexible spatula and a sieve, push 2/3 of the mixture through a strainer. Whisk the remaining puree into the strained mixture. Cool in the fridge for 2 hours. Pour mixture into prepared ice cream maker for 35-40 minutes. At first, it looks like nothing is happening, but in the 20th minute or so, the sorbet will begin to thicken and come together. When the sorbet is thick, remove from the machine and place into a loaf pan. Cool in the freezer for an additional hour before serving. This will help the texture and continue to develop the flavors. I often find that homemade ice cream or sorbet tastes better the next day.