Summer is here, looking for something refreshing? Try this Cantaloupe Bird's Nest Mousse, it's refreshing, healthy, and cooling. This time, we selected seasonal Japanese red-flesh Aru Shizuoka cantaloupe, which is sweet and moistens the lungs, paired with bird's nest for extra nourishment!

Why Japanese Cantaloupe?

The Japanese consider cantaloupe a precious food, and local farmers are serious and rigorous about cultivating them. Each cantaloupe is carefully grown, guaranteeing high quality. Taking Shizuoka cantaloupe as an example, farms adopt a "one vine, one melon" cultivation method: one cantaloupe vine can grow three melons, but Japanese farmers only keep the best one, allowing it to fully absorb sunlight and nutrients. With such an extreme method, the resulting cantaloupe is naturally excellent. Japanese cantaloupe comes in two types, green flesh and red flesh, generally in season from May to August. Red-flesh cantaloupe has firmer flesh and a crisper texture, which is why we chose it. Their sweetness usually exceeds 13 degrees, and better varieties, well-cultivated ones, and those in season can reach 18-20 degrees. Aru Shizuoka Cantaloupe Aru Shizuoka cantaloupe is a premium variety of cantaloupe. Both the skin and stem emit a rich fragrance, which is why it is also known as "musk melon." The net-like pattern on the skin is fine and firm, and the flesh is smooth, sweet, and juicy. It tastes even better when chilled. Red-flesh Aru Shizuoka cantaloupe is mainly produced in Kochi Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan.

Cool Summer Dessert: Bird's Nest Cantaloupe Mousse

Main Ingredients

 

Cantaloupe

Cantaloupe is rich in nutrients, containing protein, dietary fiber, vitamins, and multiple trace elements such as phosphorus, sodium, and potassium. It has the effects of nourishing yin and moistening the lungs, dispelling heat and promoting fluid production, and relieving vexation and fever, making it an excellent summer cooling fruit.

 

Bird's Nest

As recorded in "Compendium of Materia Medica": "Bird's nest can promote the mutual generation of metal and water, nourish the lungs with kidney qi, and stabilize stomach qi, making it the best among edible products." Bird's nest has the effects of moistening the lungs and benefiting qi, nourishing without causing dryness, and moisturizing the skin.

 

Ingredients List

1 Red-flesh Aru Shizuoka Cantaloupe

125g Cream Cheese

25g Sugar

75g Yogurt

1-2 drops Banana Oil

100g Whipping Cream

10g Gelatin

Appropriate amount of Mint Leaves

20g Bird's Nest

Step One: Extract Cantaloupe Flesh and Juice

Scoop out the cantaloupe flesh, trying to make round balls. Juice the irregularly shaped flesh to get 100g of cantaloupe juice and set aside. Wrap the cantaloupe rind with plastic wrap and set aside.

 

Step Two: Cheese Mousse

1. In a bowl, add cream cheese, sugar, yogurt, and banana oil, then whisk until smooth. Next, add whipping cream and whisk again until smooth.

2. Pour out 1/3 of the cheese mousse and set aside.

3. Add 6g of gelatin to the remaining 2/3 of the cheese mousse and mix thoroughly. 4. Pour the cheese mousse with gelatin into the cantaloupe rind and chill for 20 minutes.

 

Step Three: Cantaloupe Mousse

Add 100g of cantaloupe juice and 4g of gelatin to the reserved cheese mousse and mix thoroughly. Pour the cantaloupe mousse over the chilled cheese mousse to form two layers, then chill for about 2 hours.

 

Step Four: Add Cantaloupe Flesh, Mint Leaves, and Bird's Nest

  Place the cantaloupe flesh and mint leaves on top of the mousse that has been chilled for 2 hours. Finally, add bird's nest on top of the cantaloupe flesh.

Summer cooling sensation, the cantaloupe bird's nest mousse is complete.

 

Lohongka's Thoughtful Tips

It is recommended to use red-flesh cantaloupe because its flesh is firmer, making it easier to scoop out round pieces, and its sweetness is higher. When cutting the cantaloupe, pay attention to cutting vertically, otherwise the cantaloupe halves might be uneven, affecting the appearance. The amount of sugar can be adjusted according to the sweetness of the cantaloupe; this recipe uses cantaloupe with a sweetness of 18. How to choose a cantaloupe:

1. Look at the stem: The best ratio for the length of the left and right sides of the stem is 6:4. It is best to choose a drooping stem, which indicates it is ripe.
2. Look at the bottom: Press the bottom with your hand; if it feels slightly soft and springy, it is a ripe and delicious cantaloupe.

 

Learn more about instant bird's nest >