Sunday, July 20, 2008

Cantaloupe Sorbet


I love cantaloupe. It’s got such a cool, sexy flavor if you think about it. It works with sweet and salty.

Growing up, cantaloupe was always for breakfast. Always ice cold with salt and pepper on it.

Not any more.

In an effort to maximize the cantaloupe in our lives, I decided it would be the perfect thing after this wonderful spicy dinner Groom was making for a summer supper for friends.

Thanks to a wonderful blog, Vanilla Basil, and a little help from the our big daddy ice cream maker comes a divine Cantaloupe Sorbet. A little Pernod, a little lime makes this an easy, knockout summer dessert.

Cantaloupe Sorbet
Adapted from Vanilla Basil and Cuisinart recipes

2-½ -3 lbs (1 extra large) cantaloupe, seeded and cubed
1 lime, juiced
4-3 inch wide zests of lime
1 cup freshly squeezed Valencia orange juice
¾ cup vanilla sugar
1/3 cup water
Pinch of coarse salt
3 tbsp Pernod

Puree the cantaloupe in a food processor.

Take a 1-½ quart saucepan and put sugar, lime juice, lime zest, Pernod, pinch of salt, orange juice, water over medium high heat and add about 1 cup and a half of pureed cantaloupe. Chill the remaining cantaloupe.

Bring syrup ingredients to boil, then immediately reduce the heat and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves..

Remove from heat and let cool to room temp. (of course I was in a hurry, so I put it in a bowl and then that bowl in a larger bowl of ice and stirred until it was cool.)

Add the syrup to the cantaloupe, cover and chill for two hours. Remove lime zest before freezing.

Put in freezer bowl of ice cream maker and follow directions, letting this stir and chill for about 30-40 minutes. It will be like an Italian ice, according to Cuisinart, meaning slushy, or you could freeze it til you are ready to eat! If you like, a little Pernod on the side is wonderful!

Makes a ton..

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9 comments:

Peter M said...

This sounds fabulous (and of course refreshing) with the vanilla sugar.

Anonymous said...

What a cool sorbet, I would have never thought of using this flavor.

Sharona May said...

Super! That is great. I just made watermelon sorbet last week and I was surprised how yummy it was.

Sharon May

pam said...

Okay, bookmarked another! I love sorbets!

Anonymous said...

okay, yum.

Anonymous said...

Sounds delicious. I am not a huge cantaloupe fan, but this might convert me.

Anonymous said...

thank you so much for the comment on my blog. this sorbet is so unique. never really thought about cantaloupe as a flavor but it would work perfectly!

Mary Coleman said...

Peter: It was pretty spectacular if I say so myself. The Pernod was perfect with it.

Cathy: Thanks, you'll love this.

Sharon: Thanks for stopping by. I'm checking that watermelon sorbet out myself!

Pam: I plan to fill up all your bookmarks!

Michelle: Right back at ya!

Jessica: I love cantaloupe, but never thought about it for dessert. This has changed my mind!

Full: thanks for stopping by here as well!

Anonymous said...

For whatever reason, I have never thought of cantaloupe sorbet - thanks for the inspiration.