Melon Sorbet

This delicious, frozen dessert from Geoff Jansz is perfect to serve during summer heatwaves or after a heavy meal.

Ingredients

• 1 rockmelon or cantaloupe
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• small segment of vanilla bean, seeds removed (or use vanilla essence if you prefer)
• 1 slice lemon peel
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• icing sugar, for garnish

Method

1. Remove seeds from rockmelon, then scoop out all the flesh onto a sheet of plastic. Wrap the melon in the plastic and put it into the freezer. Leave it there until it is completely frozen.

2. Prepare a syrup by placing the sugar, water, vanilla bean and lemon peel into a saucepan, then bring to the boil and simmer for about five minutes. Chill in the fridge.

3. Strain the sugar syrup and put it into a blender along with the frozen rockmelon and lemon juice. Blend well, scraping down the sides occasionally. Put the mixture into a container then into the freezer. Freeze for several hours, scraping and stirring it every now and then.

4. For a light, summery presentation, scatter some flower petals on a plate. Pile the sorbet into half a rockmelon shell, garnish with icing sugar and serve. (Tip: Cut a slice off the base of your rockmelon shell so that it doesn’t roll around on the plate.)