Cantaloupe Pie with Ginger Snap Crust

Last week a friend came to visit. While sitting around talking about our favorite childhood foods, he mentioned cantaloupe pie. I had to admit that I had never heard of cantaloupe pie. Surely he was kidding. But I was curious, and wouldn't you know I had an overripe cantaloupe in the fridge that was destined for the trash. My friends Mothers version of cantaloupe pie was made with a graham cracker crust. Here I used ginger snaps. Okay, that was what I had on hand.
Thank you Captain Sam for sharing this warm memory with me!

Cantaloupe Pie

Ingredients:
1 medium cantaloupe (the riper the better)
½ cup sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter
¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1-¼ cup crushed ginger snap cookies
½ stick butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
Whipped cream (optional)

Preparation:
Combine crushed cookies, butter and sugar. Press into a 9-inch pie plate, covering bottom and sides. Set aside.
Cut the cantaloupe in half, peel and remove seeds. Cut into small pieces and put into a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it comes to a gentle boil. Put into a blender and puree. Return to pan.
Combine sugar, flour and salt and add to the cantaloupe mixture. Stir until thick.
In another bowl beat egg yolks. Add a little of the hot cantaloupe mixture to the egg yolks in order to heat yolks. Stir the yolks into the cantaloupe mixture. Continue to cook and stir the cantaloupe mixture until it is thick and creamy. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla paste. Pour into the pie shell.
Cool completely. Serve with whipped cream.