Summer fruit salad. Strawberries melon and mint in a lime syrup dressing
Melon and strawberries with lime and mint
I like this for breakfast, with a good thick Greek yogurt, but if the idea of adding syrup and mint over your morning meal doesn't appeal, this is fantastic served with on ice cream for an easy and fresh summer dessert.
This recipe calls for simple syrup, which is very easy to make, and is a great thing to have at the ready. Simple syrup will last indefinitely, and is great for sauces, in coffee…whatever. Simple syrup is simply equal parts water and white sugar, boiled until all the sugar is dissolved.
Melon and strawberries in mint lime syrup
1 cup fresh, ripe and luscious strawberries, cut into halves or quarters, depending on their size. These are much better at room temp, and there is no need to refrigerate your strawberries if you plan to eat them relatively soon after purchase.
1 cup fresh melon, cut into bite sized chunks; cantaloupe or honeydew, whichever is ripe.
2 Tbls fresh mint, chopped
Some simple syrup and a bit of lime juice. You don’t need to think about exact measurements here, just add a couple of good spoonfuls of the syrup, and squeeze a few quarters of lime in. You just want a little sweet and tart to enliven the taste of the fruit, and this is more for background anyway; the fresh fruit should star in this show. Taste and adjust for balance. The smallest pinch of salt will also help, but only a very small amount, as you certainly don't want this to taste salty!
Serve with yogurt or on its own as a great light brunch or breakfast dish. To class this up a bit, you could always serve it parfait style. Take a wine glass, spoon in a first layer of yogurt, top with an equal amount of the fruit salad, more yoghurt, more fruit, more yogurt, and a mint garnish on the top. Looks impressive, but really, your 4 year old could pull this one off!
The strawberries and melon are just a guideline, and you should use whatever is in season and looks best; peaches, obviously, are another good choice, as are other berries.
A lovely and very healthy start to the day and it's always a pleasure to eat local fruit, in season. Keep your eyes peeled for farmer's stands on the drive home from work, for a quick and easy 5 minute breakfast that beats cheerios and milk hands down.