Joan’s Country Kitchen

The heat of summer is the perfect time for soup - Melon Soup, that is. This cool melon soup recipe with mint and basic is perfect for your next summer get-together. The warm months make you think of watermelon and the fresh cool taste of watermelon and cantaloupe in this recipe will cool you off in now time. The added flavor of mint brings out the summer freshness of this delicious recipe.

Melon Soup Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup water

1 TBS sugar

1 1/2 cups of fresh mint leaves

2 fresh basil leaves

1 1/2 cups cantaloupe, diced

4 tsp lemon juice

1 1/2 cups seedless watermelon, cut into small pieces

Directions

In a small cooking pan, add water and sugar, blending until sugar is melted.

Bring to a boil and turn down heat to medium.

Add mint and basil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Liquid should be reduced by 2/3rds.

Take from heat, cover and allow mixture to stand for about 2 hours or until entirely cool.

Strain out basil and mint and set liquid aside.

Using a blender or food processor, blend cantaloupe until smooth.

Add 2 Tbs of the mint/basil syrup and 2 tsp lemon juice. Pour this into an airtight container and put it into the frig until cool.

Blend watermelon in your blender until smooth and add 2 tsp of mint syrup and 2 tsp of lemon juice, put into airtight container and refrigerate until cold.

Throw away any remaining mint/basil syrup.

To serve, pour from both containers simultaneously into 1/2 cup serving bowl so watermelon and cantaloupe soup are side by side. Garnish with a sprig of mint. Makes 4 servings.

This recipe is a good one to make ahead if you’re planning a summer party.

Enjoy this cool dish on a hot summer day.

There’s nothing like a delicious blueberry cobbler on a warm summer evening. Try topping it with homemade vanilla ice cream and it takes you right back to a childhood spent in the country.

Ingredients

2 1/2 c frozen or fresh blueberries
1/4 to 1/2 c sugar to taste
2 tbs butter
1 1/2 c packaged biscuit mix
1 tbs sugar
2/3 c milk
1 tbs melted butter
1/2 c sugar
1 tbs cornstarch
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c boiling water

Blueberry Cobbler Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat blueberries and 1/4 c sugar to bubbling and until sugar is dissolved. Stir in butter.

Place this blueberry mixture into 8×8 baking dish.

Combine biscuit mix and 1 tbs sugar. Add milk and melted butter. Blend until smooth.

Spoon biscuit mix over hot blueberries.

Mix 1/2 c sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. Sprinkle this topping over batter.

Pour boiling water over the entire mixture.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until done.

Variation: You can also try this with double the biscuit mixture if you’d like more crust.