Melon au Sauternes

Gascony's incomparable summer starter: a Charentais melon halved and filled with ice-cold Sauternes, the sweetness of two perfections meeting in a single bowl

Origin: France

From the journey of Musk Melon.

In the Charente and Périgord regions of southwest France, the Charentais melon and the wines of Sauternes exist in a relationship of natural affinity. The Charentais melon, round, green-ribbed, with intensely orange, perfumed flesh, is considered France's finest melon, grown on the same limestone soils that produce the world's great cognacs. Sauternes, the legendary Bordeaux dessert wine of botrytised Sémillon, has notes of apricot, honey, and tropical fruit that mirror and amplify the melon's flavour. The preparation is one of the simplest in French cuisine: halve the melon, remove the seeds, pour in chilled Sauternes, chill for an hour, and eat the melon while drinking the Sauternes from the cavity. It is the flavour of the French summer at its most refined.

Ingredients

Base

  • 1 ripe Charentais melon (or the ripest, most fragrant cantaloupe available)

Wine

  • 150 ml Sauternes (chilled), or Pineau des Charentes, Monbazillac, or a late-harvest Riesling

Seasoning

  • 1 pinch flaky sea salt

Method

  1. Chill the melon in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Chill the Sauternes in the freezer for 15 minutes before serving; it should be very cold but not frozen.
  2. Halve the melon crosswise (equatorially, not top-to-bottom). Scoop out the seeds with a spoon, leaving a clean cavity in each half.
  3. Place each melon half on a plate or in a small bowl (to keep it stable). Pour 75ml of chilled Sauternes into each cavity.
  4. Add a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt to each melon; just enough to heighten the flavour, not enough to taste savoury.
  5. Return to the refrigerator for 30–60 minutes. The wine will infuse with the melon juice.
  6. Serve cold. Eat the melon flesh with a spoon, scooping some Sauternes with each mouthful. When the flesh is eaten, drink the remaining wine-and-melon-juice from the skin.

Notes

Pineau des Charentes (a local fortified wine from the Cognac region, made with fresh grape juice and cognac) is the more rustic and arguably more characterful pairing. Sauternes is the prestigious choice. Monbazillac (a less expensive Dordogne botrytised wine) produces an equally delicious result for a fraction of the price. The dish is also made with Port in some French homes, melon au Porto, particularly in Paris bistros.

The Gastrographer

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