Melon, Mint & Lime Soup

📝 Ingredients

• 2 very ripe Charentais melons (about 1 kg each)
• 2 unwaxed limes
• 20 g fresh mint (15 g blended, 5 g for garnish)
• 2 tbsp honey (about 40 g)
• 300 g fromage frais, 3 % fat
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 6 butter biscuits (about 50 g)

🍴 Utensils

• Blender
• Melon baller
• Knife
• Fine grater
• Citrus juicer
• Jug

📖 Steps

1. Put the melons in the fridge at least 3 hours ahead, ideally the day before: the soup must be served very cold. Also put 4 soup plates in the freezer 15 minutes before serving.
2. Halve the melons and scoop out the seeds and fibres with a spoon. From one melon half, scoop about 200 g of balls with a melon baller (or a teaspoon), put them in a bowl, cover and keep in the fridge.
3. Cut the skin off the rest of the melons with a knife, not forgetting the flesh left around the holes from the balls, and cut everything into large chunks. Wash and dry the limes, finely grate the zest of one, then squeeze both.
4. Pick the mint leaves, setting aside 5 g of small leaves for garnish. Blend the melon flesh with 15 g of the leaves, the lime juice, half the zest and 1 tbsp honey for 1 to 2 minutes, until the soup is perfectly smooth.
5. Taste and add the second spoonful of honey if the melon isn't very sweet, then blend for another 10 seconds. Pour into a jug, cover and chill for at least 30 minutes: the mint infuses and the soup stays ice-cold until serving.
6. Whisk the fromage frais with the vanilla extract for 30 seconds with a fork to make it smooth and glossy. Roughly crumble the butter biscuits with your fingers, keeping a few pea-sized pieces for crunch.
7. Just before serving, divide the soup between the chilled plates. Place a spoonful of fromage frais in the centre, add the melon balls, then scatter over the biscuit crumbs, the rest of the zest and the shredded mint leaves. Serve before the biscuit goes soft.