Melon, Berry, And Pear Salad With Cayenne-lemon-mint Syrup

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 10
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 6 cups cubed cantaloupe (1-inch cubes)
• 6 cups cubed honeydew melon (1-inch cubes)
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 2 cups quartered fresh strawberries
• 1 1/2 cups cubed ripe pears (1/2-inch cubes)
• 1 cup fresh blackberries
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Recipe

• 1 to make syrup: combine the first 5 syrup ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boil.
• 2 cook 3 minutes or until mixture is slightly syrupy.
• 3 remove pan from heat; stir in 1/4 cup mint and lemon rind; let stand 30 minutes.
• 4 strain syrup through a sieve into a bowl; throw away solids.
• 5 to make the salad: combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
• 6 add syrup; toss gently to coat.
• 7 cover and refrigerate 2 hours, stirring occasionally.