I love a sherbet, but in all honesty, I haven’t had it in quite a while. When I was a kid I would pretty regularly get the rainbow or orange versions at the local mini golf/ice cream parlor in Wildwood, NJ. So when Ry brought home a new melon I had never heard of, I figured, why not try and make a sherbet out of it?

Ry working at the produce terminal here in Philly has all the benefits you would assume it does. He has access to great produce, all the time, and there is never a shortage of new items to try out. There are always new varietals that just hit the market, and most importantly, special items he gets from farmers that they love. That’s how I acquired this lovely canary melon.

Of all the things Ry brings home, the largest array is certainly of melons and squashes. I generally have never heard of half the stuff that shows up in our kitchen, but have yet to be disappointed and I will always try them out. In this case he got a melon from Ray Vincent over at Vincent Farms in Delaware (Hi Ray!). I’m told Ray only grows these in small amounts, just because he likes to eat them and I can see why. This thing is incredibly sweet, and very delish. The closest thing to compare it to would be a really sweet honeydew, or maybe a Piel de Sapo.

So, since this melon was absolutely delish on its own, I wanted to keep the sherbet recipe as simple as possible. The whole recipe consists of just a handful of ingredients and there isn’t any actual cooking. Mainly just a blend, mix, freeze situation. It’s super simple and very refreshing. And, to top everything off I just made a quick sweetened vanilla bean whipped cream. Totally optional, highly recommended.

When I was a kid I would pretty regularly get the rainbow or orange versions at the local mini golf/ice cream parlor in Wildwood, NJ.

If you don’t have access to a canary melon the best approximation would be a honeydew. Just make sure it’s very ripe, you want it as sweet as possible. You can also certainly use a cantaloupe too, you just may want to add in some sugar to sweeten it up if you need.

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Canary Melon Sherbet

Melon sherbet with vanilla bean whipped cream

Prep Time30

Chill Time4

Total Time4 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: melon sherbet, sherbet

Servings:

Author: Rachel Lerro

Equipment

1 Ice Cream Maker

Ingredients

For The Melon Sherbet

1 canary melon or honeydew, cantaloupe or piel de sapo
6 oz sweetened condensed milk
1/2 C heavy cream
1/2 lime juiced
pinch of salt

For The Whipped Cream

1/2 C heavy cream
1 vanilla bean
1 tsp sugar

Instructions

Make sure your ice cream machine insert if fully frozen and ready to go. Mine needs to be in the freezer for at least 24 hours ahead of time. I typically just store mine in the freezer as long as there’s room. Follow whatever your manufacture’s instructions are.
Now onto the recipe. Roughly dice your melon into manageable pieces removing the skin and seeds. Throw it into a blender and blend till smooth. Once everything is super smooth, add in your condensed milk, lime juice, pinch of salt and heavy cream. Blend again until everything is mixed. Check to make sure it tastes good, just keeping in mind you want it slightly sweeter since once it’s frozen the flavors will be muted.
Get that mixture into a large jar, or container with a lid, and stash it in the fridge to get cold. A few hours will do, you just don’t want to be adding warm liquid to the ice cream machine.
Now we churn. Get your ice cream machine going and dump in your melon mixture and run till it’s frozen and has a nice soft serve consistency. Usually takes about 20 minutes.
Once it’s done, add it to a pre-chilled freezer ready container and freeze till solid. When you’re ready to eat, take the sherbet out of the freezer and let sit for about 5 mins, it’ll make it easier to scoop.
For the the whipped cream topping, combine your heavy cream, sugar and vanilla bean in a large bowl and whisk till you have soft peaks. Dish that sherbet into small bowls, or glasses, and top generously with your whipped cream. That’s it. Eat up!