Melon Salad with Lemon Verbena Blackberry Sauce & Pistachios

Ingredients

• 1 cup blackberries 
• 2 tablespoon granulated sugar 
• 6  lemon verbena leaves 
• 1 tablespoon juice of lemon fresh
• 3.3 lb galia melon 
• 0.3 cup pistachios unsalted shelled toasted roughly chopped

Equipment

• bowl
• sauce pan
• sieve
• blender
• melon baller

Directions

1. Set ¼ cup of the blackberries aside as garnish.
2. Add the rest to a blender with the sugar and lemon juice. Process until smooth. Adjust the consistency slightly with water if necessary. Press the pulp through a fine meshed strainer into a small saucepan. Discard solids. Again adjust consistency if necessary.
3. Add the lemon verbena to the blackberry sauce, and gently heat without boiling about 4 minutes.
4. Let the sauce cool completely, then remove the lemon verbena leaves. Divide the sauce between 4 serving bowls.Halve the melon crosswise and remove seeds. Scoop the flesh using a melon baller into uniform balls. Arrange the melon on top of the sauce in each bowl, top with reserved blackberries and pistachios.