Melon Ballers
From Party Snacks!, by A.J. Rathbun

Not a team of basketball-playing cantaloupes at all – though I would applaud that sports team as if it were my own – Melon Ballers are, at first look, perhaps as enigmatic. Grilled melon may sound odd, but when you taste these fruit kabobs with a hint of heat, you'll forget any initial apprehension.

Note: Sriracha is an Asian hot chili sauce made from chiles and garlic. It's available in most Asian food stores and many large grocery stores. You may substitute another chili sauce, but be sure that it's a thick one.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon sriracha chili sauce, or to taste
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
2 ripe cantaloupes
2 ripe honeydew melons
wooden skewers

Instructions:

1. Soak your wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, light a hot fire in a charcoal or gas grill.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the sriracha, lime juice, and 1-1/2 teaspoons water.

3. Cut each cantaloupe and each honeydew in half and scrape out the seeds. Using a melon baller, an ice cream scoop, or a deep spoon, scoop out the flesh from each fruit in rounds.

4. Thread the balls onto skewers, alternating fruits and leaving about 3 inches on the bottom of each for a handhold. Place the kabobs on the grill and cook for 2 minutes. Turn them over, brush with half of the sriracha mixture, and cook for 2 minutes more. Turn the kabobs over again, brush with the remaining sriracha mixture, and cook for 2 minutes more.

5. Serve hot, either on a platter or placed facing down into a bowl (leaving the handle ends of the skewers pointing upward for easy access).

Yield: Makes 16 to 18 skewers

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