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Melon cranberry salad
This melon cranberry salad harkens back to a favorite home preserve I used to make - pickled melon - by combining the strongly flavored, sweet melon with acid and salt from a sweet pickling solution. In this recipe, I use lime juice instead of vinegar but it has a similar effect. If you're really adventurous, try using 1/4 cup vinegar instead!
Dried cranberries are a great thing to keep around the house - you can quickly rehydrate them and toss them into an easy fruit salad recipe for dessert. I'm especially fond of muskmelons - larger than the cardboard-tasting supermarket canteloupes - but any melon should do here.
Ingredients
1 medium to large melon (musk melon, canteloupe, honeydew)
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or substitute dried currants)
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
dash salt
2 Tbsp white sugar (optional)
Directions
1. Bring a cup water to a simmer and remove from heat. Toss in cranberries or currants and let soak.
2. Cut the melon in half and remove the seeds. Using a melon scoop or a small dessert spoon, scoop out small pieces of melon and place in fruit salad bowl.
3. Strain the water from the rehydrated cranberries, then lightly squeeze them to remove any excess water.
4. Mix the lime juice, salt, and optional sugar (use sugar if the melon is not exceptionally sweet and ripe) until the sugar is blended in.
5. Toss the dressing in with the melon, and sprinkle the cranberries on top.
6. Only when ready to serve, toss again to blend the cranberries in with the melon balls.
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