Here me out…

This is for all the chilled soup lovers out there! I live on chilled soups in August. After all, I live in Texas! It’s 100 degrees outside and I refuse to turn on my oven when it’s that hot. My favorite chilled soups are Chilled Cucumber Soup, Chilled Cantaloupe Soup, and Gazpacho. I’ve updated my chilled cantaloupe soup here to include crispy bacon. I know what you’re thinking: bacon? In cantaloupe soup? Yes, ma’am! Think about it: prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe is a thing so bacon really isn’t a stretch.

The secret ingredient here is the cinnamon. Don’t leave it! The four simple ingredients of cantaloupe, orange juice, lemon, and cinnamon blend together so beautifully and taste so complex, your friends won’t believe you when you tell them it’s such a simple dish.

The bacon adds a ton to this chilled soup: crunch, smokiness, and tons of flavor. Cherrywood smoked bacon is my favorite and I always but thick cut bacon. Make your soup in the morning (or at least hours before you’re serving it) and have it ready to go in the fridge. Right before serving, snip bacon into lardons with kitchen scissors, fry until crispy, drain well, and toss the bacon in the soup. It’s magic on a spoon!

Bacon Cantaloupe Soup
1 whole cantaloupe
2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice (don’t even think about using the boxed sugary stuff)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 lemon
4 slices of thick cut bacon
Mint for garnish

1. Slice cantaloupe down the middle and scoop out seeds. Carefully cut off rind, dispose. Cut cantaloupe into large chunks.
2. Pour freshly squeezed orange juice (with no additives – use pure orange juice!) into blender. Add cantaloupe chunks. Purée. It should only take a minute or so.
3. Add cinnamon. Squeeze half a lemon in there as well. Purée again, just long enough to incorporate.
4. Chill for at least an hour but several hours is best.
5. When ready to serve, cut bacon into lardons using kitchen scissors and fry over medium heat until crispy. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon onto paper towel to drain access fat.
6. Pour cantaloupe soup into four bowls. Top with bacon and a mint sprig. 

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Happy blending,

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