Dessert melons have a very high water content and fragile flesh. They are best eaten raw and treated very simply. Ripe melons shouldn’t need any extra sweetening but use lemon or lime juice to bring out their sweetness if necessary. Mint, ginger, pear, cucumber, cured ham, strawberries and raspberries each taste good with melon. They also make good sorbet and ice cream.
To prepare melons, cut them in half and remove their seeds. If wished, strain the extra juice from the seeds. Rinse the seeds, dry and lightly roast as a salty snack. Their peel can be sliced off, along with a thin layer of hard flesh, leaving the sweet flesh.
