Easy Cantaloupe Sherbet

Spread the diced cantaloupe on a rimmed baking sheet. Cover and place the pan in the freezer until the fruit is frozen solid, at least 2–3 hours. I usually leave it in overnight. Place the sweetened condensed milk in the refrigerator to chill.

Remove the tray of fruit from the freezer and leave it on the counter for a few minutes while assembling remaining ingredients. It makes the fruit not as rock hard so your food processor won’t have to labor as much chopping through it.

Place the cantaloupe, condensed milk, kosher salt and vanilla extract in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse the mixture a few times to get the fruit chopped into small bits, then process until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy. It may not look like it’s processing much and could form a ball and spin around the processor bowl for a bit. That’s okay—in a minute or so it will start to smoothen out. Stop the machine every so often and scrape down the sides to make sure all the cantaloupe is being processed. It will take a few minutes for the mixture to get really smooth. You’ll know it’s ready when it’s the texture of soft-serve ice cream. That’s easy to check by grabbing a spoon and giving it a taste—what’s hard to do is to put the spoon down after you’ve tasted it!

Scoop the sherbet into a freezeable container. Cover and freeze for at least 4 hours or until firm enough to be scoopable. When ready to serve, remove the container from the freezer and let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes to make it easy to scoop, or you can put the container in the microwave on high for 10 seconds or so to soften the sherbet slightly.

Makes about 1 pint.

Recipe adapted from Bigger Bolder Baking.