Vanilla-Champagne Soaked Fruit

• 1 (750-milliliter) bottle Champagne or sparkling wine
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split*
• 1 (1-oz.) package fresh mint, chopped
• 1 cantaloupe, halved
• 1 pt. fresh raspberries
• 1 large orange, peeled and sectioned
• 1/2 honeydew melon, peeled and chopped (about 4 cups)
• Garnishes: chopped fresh mint, vanilla bean pod

1. Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in a 3-qt. saucepan over high heat; boil, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved (about 4 to 5 minutes). Reduce heat to medium, and cook 10 minutes or until mixture is reduced by half. Remove from heat, and stir in mint. Let stand 5 minutes.
2. Pour mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a bowl, discarding mint. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into bowl; whisk until blended. Reserve vanilla bean pod for garnish.
3. Cut 1 cantaloupe half into 10 thin wedges. Cut 2 thin wedges from remaining half of cantaloupe; reserve remaining cantaloupe for another use. Place cantaloupe, raspberries, orange sections, and honeydew in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish; pour warm syrup over fruit. Cover and chill 3 to 24 hours. Remove fruit from syrup using a slotted spoon. Arrange on a serving platter. Serve syrup with fruit. Garnish, if desired.
4. *1 Tbsp. vanilla extract may be substituted. Stir in with mint.
5. Note: Be sure to scrub cantaloupe rind with a vegetable brush before cutting into wedges.

sugar, vanilla bean, fresh mint, cantaloupe, fresh raspberries, orange, honeydew melon, fresh mint

Taken from www.myrecipes.com/recipe/vanilla-champagne-soaked-fruit (may not work)