Melon Mango Soup

In August, when melons are plentiful, and mangoes are readily available in Illinois, this soup is a delight. The recipe is quite flexible in terms of the proportion of mango and melon. I like to use a lot of fresh lime. Since we try to keep a large supply of Canadian hard cider in the house, we use hard cider in the recipe. If you don't have hard cider, you can try either a light white wine or sparkling wine.

Ingredients

3 pounds ripe canteloupe flesh
3 pounds ripe mango flesh
1/2 cup fresh lime juice, more to taste
3 cups hard cider (dry, sparkling) or champagne
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Yield: 8-9 servings

Pit, peel, and coarsely cut mangoes. Peel and remove seeds from canteloupe. Puree the fruit, add the lime, and refrigerate the mixture for 2 hours. Just before serving, stir in the sparkling dry cider. Garnish with chopped fresh mint.