Here's a different and delicious way to use some of the sweetest bounty summer has to offer. Cantaloupe! A delicious quick bread to add to your rotation.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
Puree enough cantaloupe in blender to make 2 cups puree
In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla and cantaloupe puree. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger. Stir flour mixture into cantaloupe mixture; stir to combine. Do not overwork the batter, stir just until no traces of flour remain. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake in preheated oven for 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a loaf comes out clean.
While the bread is baking, make the glaze. Add the vanilla to the sifted powdered sugar. Stir in milk, one tablespoon at a time, until a thick glaze is reached. When you lift the whisk, it should fall in an even stream and form a ribbon before disappearing.
Remove bread loaves from the oven and place on cooling racks. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Place wax paper under cooling rack to catch the drips. Pour the glaze over both warm loaves, covering the tops of both. The glaze will drip down the sides and drip onto the wax paper. Let cool at least one hour before serving.
Notes
To bring out even more sweetness of the cantaloupe, cut it into pieces, place the pieces on a wax paper lined baking sheet or plate, and place in the freezer. Run the frozen cantaloupe through a blender and continue with the recipe.
As with all quick breads and muffins, be careful not to over-mix the batter. This can make the finished bread tough.