Melon Sorbet

It's that time of year for fireflies and June bugs - and sitting outside on the porch after dinner in the cool of the evening to enjoy a bite of something sweet.  What?  You had that surgery where you can't eat anything sweet?  P-shaw!  You haven't been paying attention!!

I am a melon junkie.  A ripe honeydew, a sweet cantaloupe or a luscious watermelon can take my breath away, so why not make them into a simple sorbet that you can enjoy at your leisure?

I found a perfect honeydew at the local market, but you can use virtually any melon in the same way.

Ingredients

1 melon  (adjust watermelon proportionately!!)

1 Tbsp lemon juice

up to 1/2 cup (sugar equivalent) artificial sweetener - depending on the sweetness of the melon

1/4 cup water
pinch (1/8 tsp) salt (optional)

Instructions

Peel and chop melon into bite sized pieces

Arrange loosely on a parchment covered sheet pan and freeze 4 to 5 hours until solid.

Add frozen melon to bowl of food processor

Add lemon juice, water, salt and sweetener

Process until smooth

Pour the pureed melon mixture into a freezer proof container (I used a lined metal loaf pan) and return to the freezer for at least 1 hour. Cover for longer storage.

Scoop up and serve!

If you prefer your fruit on a stick, pour the puree into Popsicle molds before you refreeze

Cook's Notes:

• This recipe works with most melons, berries and fresh fruits! 
• You can make your sorbet more "elegant" by bringing the water to a boil and steeping finely chopped mint, basil or thyme leaves in it before adding to the food processor.
• The salt is a "Southern Thing" - we put it on melon down here to enhance the inherent sweetness - yes, it's weird - but Southern cooks know a LOT about FLAVOR 

Have a great summer and CHILL!