Melon Appetizers in Two Different Mint Sauces

Ingredients

Mint and Balsamic Sauce

• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh mint leaves plus mint sprigs for garnish
• 1 ½ tablespoon sugar
• 2 honeydew melons cut into quarters and seeded
• 4 thin slices of prosciutto ( 2 oz)

Mint and Port Sauce

• 1/3 cup water
• 5 tablespoons minced fresh mint
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup tawny or ruby Port
• 2 Honeydew melons, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes .
• Fresh mint sprigs for Garnish

Directions

1. Balsamic mint sauce:  combine the vinegar, the minced mint, and the sugar in a small bowl and stir together.  Let this stand at room temperature for 30-40 minutes.
2. Strain this mixture through a fine sieve positioned over a bowl.  Make sure to press hard herbs to push all the great flavour through.
3. Set up three wedges of the melon per 4 chilled plates.  Sprinkle each serving with some of the vinegar mixture.  Then envelop each serving of melon with a slice of Prosciutto and garnish the plates with the mint sprigs.
4. Mint port sauce: combine 1/3 cup of water, 3 tablespoons of minced fresh mint, and add 3 tablespoons of sugar in a small saucepan.  Bring this to a simmer over low heat then take off the stove and cover with lid.  Let this sit for 2 hours.  Strain the sauce into a small bowl and stir in port and 2 tablespoons of fresh mint.
5. Place the cubed melon on a platter and drizzle these with the port syrup.  Garnish with fresh mint.