This recipe is a perfect example of food that excites more than one area of the palate. It blends the cool sweetness of melon with sour lime and hot chili syrup. Any ripe, firm-fleshed melon will work work here. Once the chili syrup is made, this dish can be thrown together just before serving.
Firecracker Cantaloupe
Yield: 8 servings
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1-1/2 teaspoons seeded and minced serrano chili
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint
2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
2 large, ripe cantaloupes
In a small saucepan, make a chili syrup by combining the sugar and water over medium-high heat and boiling until the sugar is dissolved. Pour into a small bowl and let cool. Stir in the chili, lime juice, mint, and bell peppers.
Cut the melons in half and remove the seeds. Cut into wedges or other interesting shapes and arrange attractively on 8 chilled plates. Drizzle about ½ cup of the chili syrup, or to taste, over all the melon. Reserve the remaining chili syrup for another use.
Source: “Home Food” by Debbie Shore and Catherine Townsend, (Clarkson Potter, $25)
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