The drunken melon – Tuscan melon soup with yogurt and white port
On a saoulé le melon! – Soupe de melon au yaourt et porto blanc
I got inspired by my mom’s traditional appetizer she loves to serve in summer which are called melon au porto, a quite delicious way to serve melon. In France we have those small round melons called melons Charentais, which are grown in the Charente region. They are so sweet, and so delicately flavored, their pulp has a deep orange color that makes your mouth water. They tend to be expensive, but such a treat. For melon au porto, you need to cut the top, like a little cap, remove the seeds from the inside and fill the melon with red port. Everyone at the table has it’s own melon to eat and anytime you take a spoonful of melon, you take some port with it, and it’s absolutely delicious. you just need the best melons.
I had bought a Tuscan melon (or what they call it in the US), not sure they come from Tuscany, but it’s the melons I use to eat in Italy at my uncle’s house. He grows a huge field of those melons and we used to eat them all summer long. I think what they call Tuscan melon is similar to cantaloupe, but I would go with the Tuscan melon if possible, since I had bad experiences with cantaloupe, sometimes they don’t have too much flavor.
I like this as an appetizer or a cold soup you serve before a meal, so I did not add any sugar, we just keep the natural sweetness of the melon and nothing else. I love the idea of a fresh summer and fruity soup, they’re light, nutritious and so healthy. This soup needs to be very chilled, you can leave it for a couple of hours in the refrigerator. Also, I added a little bit of ginger, but that’s optional, it’s up to you. Usually, I never add ginger to any of my fruit dishes, I think ginger is overpowering and kills the natural flavor of the fruit.
Ingredients for 2-3
- 1.12 lb (or 800 gr, or 1/2 melon) Tuscan melon
- 4 tbs plain yogurt
- 4 tbs white port
- 1/3 tsp ginger, grated (optional)
Preparation
Cut melon in pieces, leave some slices for decoration. Place in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, 2 hours minimum. Blend with a food processor and make it a purée. Add port, yogurt and ginger, mix well. Leave in the refrigerator for another hour or so. Serve very chilled in bowl. Add slice on top and mint leaves for decoration.
I have a beautiful muskmelon and a lovely small watermelon in my fridge right now..hmm