Fried Cantaloupe Food

CANTALOUPE JAM WITH VANILLA

Steps:

• Prepare a boiling water bath and 3 half-pint/250 ml jars (see process below). Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.
• Combine the cantaloupe pulp, sugar, and vanilla bean seeds in a nonreactive pot. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and the packet of liquid pectin. Return to a vigorous boil. Cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, until the bubbles look thick.
• Remove the pot from the heat and ladle the jam into the prepared jars. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
• How to Process:
• If you're starting with brand-new jars, remove their lids and rings. If you're using older jars, check the rims to make sure there are no chips or cracks.
• Put the rack into the canning pot and put the jars on top.
• Fill the pot (and jars) with water to cover and bring to a boil. I have found that this is the very easiest way to heat up the jars in preparation for canning because you're going to have to heat up the canning pot anyway. Why not use that energy to heat up the jars as well?
• Put the lids in a small saucepan, cover with water, and bring them to the barest simmer on the back of the stove.
• While the canning pot comes to a boil, prepare your product.
• When your recipe is complete, remove the jars from the canning pot (pouring the water back into the pot as you remove the jars) and set them on a clean towel on the counter. There's no need to invert them; the jars will be so hot that any remaining water will rapidly evaporate. Remove the lids with tongs or a magnetic lid wand and lay them out on the clean towel.
• Carefully fill the jars with your product. Depending on the recipe, you'll need to leave between 1/4 and 1/2 inch/6 mm and 12 mm of headspace (that's the room between the surface of the product and the top of the jar). Jams and jellies typically get 1/4 inch/6 mm, while thicker products and pickles get 1/2 inch/12 mm.
• Wipe the rims of the jar with a clean, damp paper towel or the edge of a clean kitchen towel. If the product you're working with is very sticky, you can dip the edge of the cloth in distilled white vinegar for a bit of a cleaning boost.
• Apply the lids and screw the bands on the jars to hold the lids down during processing. Tighten the bands with the tips of your fingers to ensure that they aren't overly tight. This process is known as "fingertip tight."
• Carefully lower the filled jars into the canning pot. You may need to remove some water as you put the jars in the pot. A heat-resistant measuring cup is the best tool for this job, as it won't transfer heat to your hand.
• Once the pot has returned to a rolling boil, start your timer. The length of the processing time will vary from recipe to recipe.
• When your timer goes off, promptly remove the jars from the water bath. Gently place them back on the towel-lined countertop and let them cool.
• The jar lids should begin to ping soon after they've been removed from the pot. The pinging is the sound of the seals forming; the center of the lids will become concave as the vacuum seal takes hold.
• After the jars have cooled for 24 hours, remove the bands and check the seals. You do this by grasping the jar by the edges of the lid and gently lifting it an inch or two off the countertop. The lid should hold fast. Once you've determined that your seals are good, you can store your jars in a cool, dark place (with the rings off, please) for up to a year. Any jars with bad seals can still be used -- just store them in the refrigerator and use within 2 weeks.

CANTALOUPE SOUP

Steps:

• Place the cantaloupes on a flat surface and split them in half. Scoop out and discard the seeds. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh in small increments. The goal is to tightly pack 3 cups of cantaloupe flesh.
• Place the cantaloupe in the blender and add the lemon juice and cider. Puree until smooth and taste for seasoning. Add the sugar, if needed. Use the water if more liquid is needed. Pour the soup into a medium bowl. Make an ice bath to chill the soup by combining some ice cubes and cold water in the bottom of a larger bowl. Put the soup in the ice bath and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
• Season the cucumber lightly with salt and pepper. When ready to serve, pour the soup into the chilled bowls and add some of the cucumber to each.

FRIED CANTALOUPE

Steps:

• Quarter the melon.
• Peel, remove seeds.
• Slice each quarter into four thin wedges.
• Put into a bowl and sprinkle the sugar over cantaloupe wedges.
• Pour the CREME DE MENTHE over them and stir.
• Put in refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours.
• After 2 hours remove cantaloupe from refrigerator and prepare batter.
• Mix together flour, wine and butter.
• Beat until smooth.
• Beat egg white until frothy and fold into flour mixture.
• Dip cantaloupe wedges into batter.
• Heat oil in a deep-fat fryer.
• Place cantaloupe wedges in the basket and fry until golden brown.
• Drain on paper towels and serve.