Chilled Summer Cantaloupe Soup

This vibrant, chilled cantaloupe soup celebrates the often-underappreciated melon, elevating it beyond a simple fruit plate. When perfectly ripe, cantaloupe offers a musky sweetness that forms the glorious base of this refreshing starter. We highly recommend sourcing your cantaloupes from a farmers’ market, prioritizing those with an intoxicatingly sweet aroma and, ideally, still warm from the field

Yields: 6 servings Prep time: Approximately 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 large, ripe cantaloupes
• 1 English cucumber
• 1 serrano chile
• 21​ cup white verjus (see Chef’s Note)
• Juice of 2 limes
• 41​ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for drizzling
• 3 tablespoons honey
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1 cup slivered Marcona almonds
• 1 cup sliced green grapes

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Cantaloupe: Halve the cantaloupes and scoop out the seeds. Cut each half into quarters, then carefully peel away the rind. Chop the cantaloupe flesh into large chunks and transfer them to a high-speed blender.
2. Add Cucumber and Chile: Peel the cucumber and halve it lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out as many seeds as possible. Chop the cucumber into chunks and add them to the blender with the cantaloupe. Halve the serrano chile, scrape out the seeds (for less heat, remove all seeds and ribs; for more heat, leave some), chop it, and add it to the blender.
3. Blend the Base: Purée the melon, cucumber, and chile until completely smooth.
4. Finish the Soup: Add the verjus, fresh lime juice, extra-virgin olive oil, and honey to the blender. Pulse a few times to thoroughly combine the ingredients.
5. Season and Serve: Season the soup with kosher salt to taste, pulsing once more to incorporate. Pour the chilled soup into six individual serving bowls. Garnish each bowl generously with slivered Marcona almonds and sliced green grapes, and finish with a final drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

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Chef’s Note:

Verjus is the exquisite juice of unripened white or red grapes. It offers a unique, sweetly tart flavor that is less acidic than vinegar, making it a sophisticated addition to sauces, salad dressings, and, as you’ve discovered, this delightful chilled soup. You can find verjus in specialty food stores or online. If verjus is unavailable, a high-quality white wine vinegar can be used as a substitute, though it will alter the nuanced sweetness and tartness slightly.