Cantaloupes are the ideal fruit for a cocktail (or a smoothie)
There are few fruits that can escape my blender once the weather gets nice, which in my book is the starting gun for daiquiri season. Strawberry daiquiris, watermelon, banana even when I’m in a very tropical mood, and you know what, soon a cantaloupe will have to get the same treatment too…
That cantaloupe will then be perfectly ripe, fragrant and soft, because I paid close attention to these tips, which will help you choose a perfect cantaloupe every time too!
Distinctive on the outside, beautiful on the inside
Cantaloupes are a type of melon with a gray-green exterior and beautiful soft orange flesh. The seeds are inside, and you can easily scoop them out when you cut the fruit in half. When they’re properly ripe, you can smell their fragrance through the skin, but make sure you don’t choose one that’s too soft. If your cantaloupe isn’t completely ripe yet, you can keep it on the counter for about three days (but out of the sun) before cutting it open.
Easy to work with
Hold the cantaloupe firmly on a cutting board while cutting it in half, scoop out the seeds and their soft surrounding flesh, cut it into wedges and slice the wedges away from the skin. There’s not really anything else you can do with the skin except throw it away. You can serve the wedges as they are, for example as a snack with a few slices of fantastic Iberico ham, or cut them into cubes. Delicious in a fruit salad (why not try a Japanese-style fruit salad!), but also great for making jam.
From breakfast smoothie to cocktail
You can keep cut cubes in an airtight container for three days. But if the cantaloupe was already very ripe, it’s better not to store the flesh for too long. Just toss it into a delicious smoothie or make popsicles with it, or, as we began this story, turn it into a fantastic frozen melon mule or daiquiri!
Also read:
- How to cut every fruit you can think of perfectly
- How to make the most delicious champagne watermelon mimosas
- 5 fruit and vegetable peels you shouldn’t throw away
