Melon Gazpacho…

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there have been a lot of changes in the melon world lately. Gone are the days of watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew as your only three choices. Here are some of the new guys: Lemon Drop, Honey Kiss, Orangedew, Crenshaw, Canary, Muskmelon, Galia, Hami and Santa Claus. Each has a texture and color reminiscent of the traditional cantaloupe and/or honeydew, but every one has its own unique melon-y flavor. Aside from adding them to smoothies and eating them straight out of the rind, I like using melon in…wait for it…soups! Move over vichyssoise and borscht, there is a new cold soup in town and it’s fruity and perfect for the summer!

This chilled melon soup is based off of a traditional Spanish Gazpacho: a tomatoey, savory, chilled soup. (Here is my recipe for the traditional, if you prefer tomatoes to melon.) Swapping out melon for the tomatoes gives you…fruit gazpacho! Let’s be clear, this is no smoothie bowl: it’s sweet yet savory, with a vinegar punch and an herby pop. There is still enough sweet in this soup to be served as an appetizer or dessert.

I experimented with this fruity version when I found the unfamiliar Santa Claus melon in the grocery store. Shortly after bringing it home from the market, I found a recipe from a nutritionist blogger friend of mine who often seems to be on the same creative page as I—he made a gazpacho with the same melon! I borrowed many of the components of his recipe and tweaked it a bit to make it my own. The below recipe is a nod to Steven from Earthtoforknutrition.com; thank you for the inspiration!

The texture of melon—no matter the variety—makes for a cooling, fresh, smooth soup. Few fruits are actually off-limits when creating a sweet cold soup: I’ve seen recipes with cherries, berries, peaches, grapes, and nectarines. If you branch out and choose something different, you may not need the garlic/shallot component and some addition of dairy may complement your fruit better; some recipes even use white bread for texture. No matter your choice, enjoying this chilled soup al fresco can make a day with 95% humidity feel like a cool day in the mountains. 

MELON GAZPACHO
The longer, thinner European—or Hothouse—cucumber works better in this recipe as it is less watery and the seeds are smaller than the typical cucumber.

2  1/2 cups ripe melon, seeds and rind removed
1  1/2 cups European or Hothouse cucumber, roughly chopped—plus more for garnish
4 pieces frozen pineapple
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 medium shallot, minced
2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
3 TBSP cilantro, roughly chopped—plus more for garnish, optional
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients into powerful blender; turn dial mid-way and allow to blend for approximately 45 seconds until combined.

Serve chilled with diced cucumber and/or minced cilantro for garnish.