1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup sugar
a 3-inch strip of orange zest
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves plus rosemary sprigs for
garnish
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
4 cups melon balls cut from a honeydew melon, cantaloupe, Persian
melon, or casaba, chilled

In a small saucepan stir together the water, the wine, the sugar, the zest, the chopped rosemary, and the peppercorns, boil the mixture, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved, and simmer it for 4 minutes. Strain the syrup through a fine sieve set over a bowl, pressing hard on the solids, and chill it, covered, until it is cold. Stir the orange juice into the syrup, in a serving bowl toss the melon balls with the syrup, and garnish the dessert with the rosemary sprigs.

(Gourmet, June 1993)