Cantaloupe Soup

It's late August. I live in the deep South. It's hot. I have no desire to cook much of anything. This is somewhat of a late summer annual event for me. Somewhere in the late part of August, I lose my desire to cook or even eat much of anything. Except for maybe ice cream...yeah I could bathe it a large bowl of cold creamy goodness right now...Oh sorry my mind is wandering! I kind of lose my appetite for much of anything else and I really don't feel much like getting in the kitchen and baking. When I was growing up my mom used to make cantaloupe soup in the late summer when she had dinner guests. She would cut the melons in half and scoop out the flesh and use the half rinds as bowls for the soup. Sometimes she used it as a first course and sometimes it was dessert. Either way it was always a hit with the company. Over the years I'd forgotten about that soup. I haven't had it since I was a teenager but was reminded of it as I flipped through an old cookbook looking at cold soup recipes recently.
There was a bumper crop of cantaloupes in our area this year. They have been really sweet and delicious. Really ripe sweet cantaloupe is nothing like the sad hard stuff you find on sliced up and served with continental breakfasts or on salad bars. As with all produce it's really only good in season, picked ripe. Anyway Hubs and I have eaten our fair share of cantaloupe this season. Just sliced and cold from the fridge...yum...

Although I have no desire to turn on the oven right now, I did muster up enough energy to whip up some cantaloupe soup. Whether you chose to eat it as a first course or dessert,this soup is perfect for these hot end of the summer days.

Cantaloupe Soup

1 large, ripe, cantaloupe

1 c. fresh orange juice

1/4 cup  plain yogurt

1 tsp. lime zest

2 Tbs. lime juice.

1 Tbs. mint, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish

1 Tbs. honey (optional if you'd like your soup a little sweeter)

Cut the cantaloupe in half , remove seeds, scoop out the flesh and place in a blender along with the orange juice, yogurt, lime zest, lime, and honey if using. Blend until smooth. Chill well. Stir in sliced mint leaves and serve. Garnish with additional mint leaves if desired.