Try this Melon Soup recipe
- salt to taste
- black pepper freshly ground
- 4 carrots; peeled, and
- 4 qt chicken stock
- 1 lg honeydew melon
- 2 ts black peppercorns
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 6 bay leaves
- 1 whole chicken -; 4 to 5 lbs
- roughly chopped
- 3 lb pork blade roast
- 1/4 c finely-chopped fresh parsley
- 2 onions; quartered
- cheesecloth
- 4 celery sticks; roughly
- 2 garlic heads; cut in half
- Carbohydrate 50.98364875 g
- Cholesterol 28.8 mg
- Fat 11.9989525 g
- Fiber 2.22978749847412 g
- Protein 25.35916125 g
- Saturated Fat 3.2125195 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (1294g)
- Sodium 1402.5335 mg
- Sugar 48.7538612515259 g
- Trans Fat 0.932872500000001 g
- Calories 414 calories
Step-by-step
- Season the chicken and pork roast with salt and pepper.
- Place the meat in a large stock pot.
- Add the onions, carrots, and celery.
- Pour water over the chicken and pork roast (about 3 to 4 quarts).
- In a double piece of cheesecloth (about 4 inches by 4 inches) place 2 garlic halves, 3 bay leaves, 3 sprigs of thyme, and 1 teaspoon black peppercorns.
- Using a piece of twine, tie the cheesecloth closed, forming a pouch.
- This is called a bouquet garni.
- Place the garni in the stock pot and cover.
- Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
- Cook until the chicken and pork are very tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Skim off any scum that has risen to the top.
- Remove the chicken and pork from the pot.
- Pick the meat from the chicken and discard the carcass.
- Slice the chicken and pork meat into 1/4-inch slices.
- Set the meat aside.
- Strain and reserve the liquid.
- Season the reserved liquid with salt and pepper.
- Using a sharp knife, cut 2 inches off the top of the melon and reserve the top.
- Using a spoon, scrape out the seeds of the melon and discard.
- Using the sharp knife, cut away as much of the melons flesh as possible, but still leaving the whole melon intact.
- Try to cut pieces that are about 1-inch in thickness.
- Cut the flesh into 1-inch pieces.
- Place the melon in the stock pot and cover with the reserved liquid.
- Make another bouquet with the reserved garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and peppercorns.
- Place the garni in the melon and cover with the reserved melon top.
- Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer the liquid for about 1 hour.
- Carefully remove the top of the melon and add the chicken, pork meat and reserved melon pieces, replace cover, and continue to cook for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the melon is tender.
- Add the parsley.
- Carefully remove the melon from the pot, using two large spiders.
- Place the melon in a large decorative bowl.
- Ladle the remaining liquid from the ot into the melon and around the melon.
- Serve the soup hot.
Standard fruit soups rely heavily on purées and heavy cream, but this preparation builds a deeply savory backbone by starting with a traditional stock. Simmering a whole chicken and pork blade roast for roughly ninety minutes extracts collagen from the connective tissues, transforming water into a rich, gelatinous broth that coats the palate rather than tasting watery. Skimming the surface foam during the initial boil prevents impurities from muddying the flavor profile.
Constructing a bouquet garni using cheesecloth and kitchen twine keeps whole peppercorns and herbs contained while allowing their essential oils to infuse the liquid uniformly. Peppercorns require sustained heat to release their pungent compounds, which is why enclosing them alongside garlic and bay leaves ensures the aromatics do not scatter throughout the pot and become difficult to remove before serving.
Hollowed-out honeydew functions as both a cooking vessel and an edible component, though structural integrity depends entirely on knife control. Carving the interior flesh into uniform one-inch pieces guarantees even cooking times once they return to the simmering stock alongside the sliced meats and fresh parsley. Fresh melon introduces natural fructose that balances the savory saltiness of the pork and chicken broth.
Accompaniments should remain simple to avoid competing with the complex broth, making crusty artisan bread an ideal pairing for soaking up the remaining liquid. The dense crumb of sourdough absorbs the stock efficiently without disintegrating into the bowl.
