This recipe was born out of leftovers—a half cantaloupe, a handful of strawberries, some grapes—not enough in themselves to feed a family, but combine them and you have a great dessert. Feel free to substitute with your favorite fruit or whatever you happen to have as leftovers. The sweetened wine and the fresh mint meld the fruit flavors together into a wonderfully refreshing, quick, and easy recipe. Perfect for summertime.

　　

Ingredients

4 servings

　　1 1/4 cups dry white wine

　　1/3 cup sugar

　　1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

　　1/2 ripe cantaloupe, halved, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 3 cups)

　　1 (8-ounce) basket of fresh strawberries, quartered

　　1 cup seedless green grapes, halved lengthwise

　　

Step 1

In a small saucepan, bring the wine and sugar to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the mint.

　　

Step 2

In a large bowl, combine the cantaloupe, strawberries, and grapes. Pour the warm wine mixture over and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until cold, stirring occasionally, at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.

　　

Step 3

Transfer the fruit mixture to serving bowls and serve chilled.

　　Reprinted with permission from Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes by Martha Stewart Living Magazine. Copyright © 2005 by Giada De Laurentiis. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Behind the Bash. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then worked in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, before starting her own catering and private-chef company, GDL Foods. The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada was born in Rome and grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives.