Recipe 109: Cantaloupe and Pancetta Cream Sauce for Pasta

The challenge: "Trust me" Anytime one hears the words "trust me," be it from an inspiring chef, or an almost a food genius chef, one cringes and wonders what they are really in for. Cantaloupe and Pancetta with the words trust me...its going to be a fascinating ride.

The recipe: Begin to boil salted water for the pasta. Saute the panchetta in butter 3-4 minutes, we're starting off good. Next add the shallot and cook while stirring until it softens, about 2 minutes. Add the butter, then the melon-3 cups diced ripe cantaloupe. The good news, when else do you get to munch on cantaloupe while making dinner-only when you make fruit salad. Stir often for 8-10 minutes as you wait for the cantaloupe to completely break down. At this point, having worked with melons and squash before, I'm looking for the blender and sieve. Apparently, chunks are okay in this dish, small ones anyway. Next, add the cream to the sauce and reduce by half, about 3 minutes. The sauce should be smooth and thick, and coat the back of a spoon. I'm still looking for the blender and sieve. Not yet;-). Remove the sauce from the heat.

Finally, add the pasta to the boiling water and stir well. Cook about 10 minutes or until one piece(tossed) sticks to the wall. I know a young woman who threw the whole pan of spaghetti at the wall when she was twelve. I still get a chuckle at that as I toss the pasta at the wall and watch for it to stick. Once a piece sticks, peel it off the wall and toss it before you forget;-), then drain the pasta.

Next, add the hot pasta and 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to the warm cream sauce. Return the pan to medium heat and toss until the pasta is nicely coated with sauce and heated through. If the sauce is too thick, Emeril suggests adding in a half cup of the pasta water and mixing. Serve immediately garnished with the remaining Parmesan cheese and some fresh ground black pepper.

The taste: Interesting, but not married perfectly. I didn't spit anything out, but I didn't declare this heaven on a fork either. I wondered if it was from the natural disinclination of the words: "Trust me." I don't think it was. The second taste. The next day, when I made this for lunch, it was a little better, but not good enough to be declared heaven on a stick. I will not make this recipe again, as stated. As I tasted it the second time, I wondered if Emeril meant tomato instead of cantaloupe. It certainly would have worked better.