Fun and refreshing

Three-melon soup is a summer showstopper

Three-melon soup, a real showstopper, is as much fun to look at as it is refreshing to eat. The key, though, is to start with the ripest and most fragrant fruits available. In the case of cantaloupes and honeydews, the first move is to smell the stem end to make sure it smells strongly of melon. With watermelon, begin by searching for a large yellow spot on the outside — a sign that the melon ripened for a good long time in the sun. (Watermelons don’t rotate as they ripen; the yellow spot marks the part never exposed to the sun. The larger the spot, the longer it ripened.)

Given its natural sweetness, melon cries out for an acidic counterpoint. Citrus is the best choice. Here we use orange, lemon and lime, one for each of the three melons — although lemon or lime will work for the group of them if you’d prefer not to buy all three types. Also, the amount of citrus prescribed is given as a range because an individual melon may need more or less acid depending on its sweetness. Start with the smallest amount, adding more until it’s no longer flat.

This soup’s blazing good looks — a kaleidoscope of red, yellow and green — result from the fact that each of the three purees keeps to itself. And you don’t need to be a professional food stylist to pull off this trick — just spoon the purees into separate parts of the bowl.

I offer this recipe in two versions: plain or fancy. The former is garnished with sour cream or yogurt, strawberries and mint. The latter boasts a savory garnish: salty cheese, tortilla strips and sliced chiles. All of the purees can be prepared several days ahead of time, and you can double or triple the recipe with no problem, which makes it a perfect candidate for a large backyard party.

SARA MOULTON VIA AP Three-melon soup