Fancy some Melon Sorbet today? Try this recipe!
Summer is finally hitting us hard in South California. We haven’t had high temperature until now. Which made me realize we haven’t had much ice cream this summer, except for my favorite Mint and Chocolate Ice cream.
I found very good melons at the market, super sweet and tasty and decided it would do a great melon Sorbet.
Sorbet is very nice and refreshing in summer. It is lighter than an ice cream since it only contains the fruits and sugar.
Tips to pick the right Melon
Look at the stem end: there shouldn’t be a stem because that means the melon was picked before maturing. Try to slightly push with your thumb the round section on top the melon where the stem was. When the melon is ripe, it is slightly soft.
Inspect for defect: try to avoid melons that seem to be damaged (bruised, mold, soft spots or cracks)
Check the weight: your melon should feel heavy in your hand
Check the color: for cantaloupe, the ring spot of the melon should be more of an orange or gold color. Avoid the ones that are white or green as they are underripe.
Smell it: it should give away a nice and sweet smell. Smell the base of the cantaloupe (opposite to the stem end).
How to prepare the Melon Sorbet
Now that you have picked up your fruit, let’s the fun begin!
The sorbet is actually very easy to do.
Blend your melon to get 500g of pulp. We will then heat half of it in a pan with sugar and lemon until it reaches 50C (122F), stirring all the time. We will then mix it with the remaining melon, a tiny bit of dry milk and refrigerate for an hour before placing in our Ice Cream maker.
Depending on yours, you might have a different attachment. I have the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker and it comes with two paddles: one for ice cream one for Sorbet.
The ingredients to make the Melon Sorbet
Melon: most important ingredient, get a very good melon for the best flavor. Don’t hesitate to try a piece of your melon before turning it into a sorbet. Cut into pieces and blend it to get a pulp.
Lemon: to give it a little kick
Sugar: even if the fruit itself has sugar, we still need to add sugar to help with the consistency. If you were to just blend melon and freeze it, you will get some sort of granite. Not a sorbet. The sugar will help retard ice crystallization.
Milk powder: same as with the sugar, the milk will help with ice crystallization. It gives us a sorbet that is more unctuous. We use powder and not fresh milk as we want to have as less liquid as possible. You can skip it if you want a 100% dairy free version.
Melon Sorbet
Equipment
- Ice Maker
- Saucepan
- Whisk
- Fine mesh strainer
Ingredients
- 500 g melon pulp cantaloup
- 1 lemon juice
- 140 g sugar
- 1 g milk powder
Instructions
- Combine half of the melon pulp, the lemon juice and sugar in a saucepan. Heat until it reaches 50C (122F), stirring all the time.
- Remove from heat and let cool down. Add the remaining melon pulp and the milk powder. Mix.
- Strain the mixture and refrigerate until cold (about one hour).
- Place the mixture in your ice maker for 25 minutes (or follow the manufacturer’s instructions).
- Transfer to a container and place in the freezer for at least 2 hours before serving.
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