Melon Smoothies

By DreiFromBK

We wanted the ideal smoothie recipe, for an icy, fruity, slightly sweet shake that would be lightly creamy and thick but straw-friendly. We simply filled the blender with plenty of fruit and added just a touch of whole milk for a drink that was chock full of fruity goodness. A few spoonfuls of sugar and a squeeze of lemon balanced out the flavor. Three ice cubes were enough to make a cold but not overly icy drink.

Ingredients

• Makes 4 1/2 cups, enough for 4 servings
• Make sure the melon is absolutely ripe, if not overripe. Underripe melon yields bland smoothies that taste, if anything, like cardboard. Vary the amounts of sugar and lemon juice depending on the ripeness of the fruit.
• Ingredients
• 1 medium banana (ripe, about 4 ounces), peeled and cut crosswise into eight pieces
• 3 1/2 cups watermelon, cantaloupe, or honeydew 1- to 2-inch cubes
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup white cranberry juice or apple juice
• pinch table salt
• 3 - 6 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 2 - 3 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3 ice cubes (about 1 1/2 ounces total)

Details

Adapted from cooksillustrated.com

Preparation

Step 1

Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; arrange banana and melon in single layer on baking sheet. Freeze fruit until very cold, but not frozen, about 10 minutes. In blender, puree cold fruit, milk, juice, salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and ice until uniformly smooth, 10 to 15 seconds. Taste for sugar and lemon; if desired, add more sugar or lemon and blend until combined, about 2 seconds longer. Serve immediately.