Melon salad recipe

Ingredients

• 7 oz (200 g) peeled seedless watermelon flesh, cut into fingers
• 5½ oz (150 g) peeled honeydew melon flesh, cut into wedges and/or balls
• 7 oz (200 g) seedless red grapes, halved lengthways
• generous ¾ cup (100 g) lychees, peeled and deseeded
• ⅔ cup (50 g) pomegranate seeds
• 1 freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 passion fruit pulp
• edible flowers, to garnish (optional)

• 1¼ cups (250 g) caster/granulated sugar
• 2 freshly squeezed blood oranges or normal oranges
• 2–3 tsp orange blossom water, or to taste

• ¾ cup (175 g) plus 2 tbsp golden caster sugar
• 1 tbsp glucose syrup
• 2 fresh mangoes, peeled, pitted and chopped
• 6 passion fruit pulp
• 2 freshly squeezed limes juice
• ice cream machine

1. To make the orange blossom syrup, combine the sugar with 100 ml/1 - 3 cup plus 1 tbsp water in a saucepan and stir over a medium-high heat until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Brush down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming, and continue to heat through for about 4–5 minutes until a light syrup has formed.
3. Remove from the heat and gradually add the orange juice (be careful as the mixture may spit). Return to the heat and stir to combine, then simmer until the mixture is syrupy. Remove from the heat and stir in the orange blossom water. Set aside to cool.
4. Meanwhile, prepare and slice the rest of the fruit for the fruit salad and divide between your serving bowls. Squeeze over the lime juice and scatter over the passion fruit pulp. Add a scoop of Mango & Passion Fruit Sorbet (below) to each bowl and drizzle with the cooled orange blossom syrup. Garnish with edible flowers, if liked.
Mango & Passion Fruit Sorbet
5. Combine the sugar, glucose syrup and 175 ml/¾ cup water in a saucepan. Warm through and stir over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved, then simmer for 3 minutes until syrupy.
6. Pour the syrup into a jug/pitcher and top up with cold water to make the total volume around 450 ml/scant 2 cups. Set aside.
7. Purée the mangoes in a blender and pass through a sieve/strainer into a bowl. Sieve/strain the seeds out of the passion fruit pulp. Stir the mango purée, passion fruit juice and lime juice into the jug/pitcher of syrup. Pour into an ice cream machine and then churn following the manufacturer's instructions.
8. Spoon the churned sorbet into a container and freeze until needed, removing it from the freezer 20 minutes before serving so that it can soften a little.