Melon au Porto is an easy French cantaloupe recipe made by filling a ripe Charentais melon with Port. My Corsican parents-in-law often serve it on lazy summer evenings: no cooking, barely a recipe, but always a winner.
What is Melon au Porto?
Melon au Porto simply means melon with Port. It's a classic-yet-retro French summer starter served directly in Canteloupe melons - and considerably more elegant than the effort involved.
Use a properly ripe Charentais melon and take it out of the fridge at least 10 minutes before serving, so you can taste its full fragrance. The recipe card below has the three tiny steps; for a restaurant-style finish, nestle each half in crushed ice.
French Melon as a Starter or 'Entrée' on the French Menu
My French family often serve melon au Porto - or melon with wafer-thin prosciutto - before le plat or main course. Its cool, fragrant sweetness makes a lovely beginning to a summer meal, particularly when nobody has the slightest desire to stand near an oven or do much washing up.
In France, an entrée means the starter or appetizer, unlike in American English, where "entrée" usually means the main course. One small word, two completely different stages of dinner.
Alexandre Dumas placed melon in some unusual parts of the meal. In his Grand Dictionnaire de cuisine, he suggested serving it between the soup and beef or between the cheese and dessert, followed by Madeira - or preferably dry Marsala.
Dumas loved the Melons of Cavaillon so much that, in 1864, he gave the Provençal town of Cavaillon his published works in return for twelve melons a year. Not a bad library card!
For more on the gourmet author, see my article on Alexandre Dumas, Monte Cristo and his gourmet Cuisine - just outside Paris.
Is Charentais Melon a Cantaloupe or Muskmelon?
Charentais is a small, highly fragrant French type of cantaloupe. In the USA, canteloupe is also often called muskmelon - although muskmelon is technically the broader family to which canteloupes belong.
Choose one that feels heavy, smells sweet and gives slightly at the base.
However, do not call every French muskmelon a 'Melon de Cavaillon': that protected IGP name applies only to qualifying Charentais melons grown within the designated Provençal area.
Melon and Prosciutto: Another Summer Classic
In France, Charentais melon is also often served with wafer-thin slices of prosciutto or jambon cru. Prosciutto di Parma works particularly well, as its salty flavour balances the sweet, juicy fruit beautifully.
The pairing may be more Italian in spirit, but it feels perfectly at home around our Corsican family table. Better still, it gives you another starter requiring no cooking whatsoever.
For more ideas to serve before le plat, browse my collection of
French starters and appetizers.
Prefer an Alcohol-Free Version?
Replace the Port with my French citronnade, adding plenty of freshly grated ginger so its flavour stands up to the sweet melon.
Finish with fresh mint and serve the melon over crushed ice, inspired by my Fraises à la Maltaise. It's particularly refreshing during a heatwave with all the French theatre but without the alcohol.
Melon au Porto: Easy French Cantaloupe Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 small Charentais melons ripe (French Cantaloupe)
- 120 ml (8 tbsp) Port Ruby, Tawny or white
- crushed ice optional, to serve
Instructions
- Cut each melon in half and scoop out the seeds and loose fibres. Trim a very thin slice from the rounded base of each half so that it stands securely without cutting through to the flesh.
- Lightly score the melon into sections, taking care not to pierce the rind.
- Set each melon half upright in a shallow bowl. Divide the Port between the hollow centres and serve immediately.
