Why it works: Melon and honey share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and 71 recipes mention both. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
The recipe
Serves 6Ingredients
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Cut the honeydew melon in half, scoop out the seeds, and slice each half into wedges about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Cut off the rind.
Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat, about 450°F (232°C), and lightly oil the grates.
Warm the honey in a small bowl for about 15 seconds in the microwave so it brushes on easily. Brush the melon wedges on all sides with about half of the honey.
Grill the melon wedges for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until they have grill marks and are heated through. Move them to a plate.
Wrap each warm wedge with a slice of prosciutto, tearing or halving the slices as needed so they cover the melon.
Brush the wrapped wedges with the remaining honey and serve warm.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Melon + honeytop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together71 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Melon + prosciuttotop 8% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together16 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Honey + prosciuttotop 18% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together36 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
The Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.