Friday, July 23, 2010

SUMMER PLEASURES:WATERMELON

Nothing is as delicious and refreshing on a hot summer day than a thick slice of juicy watermelon. This super fruit with its gorgeous lime green rind and sweet pink center is always on our table in the summer.  A slice for breakfast, lunch or just to snack, our family goes through an embarrassingly large number of watermelons!  I usually head to my local farmer's market which carries small seedless watermelons the size of cantelopes. They are easier to cut and work with than the giant melons and a half a melon makes the perfect summer snack.

Looking for new ways to serve up this summer fruit?  Here are my favorites-

Grilled Watermelon Salad  

Left on the grill for a minute, the watermelon slightly caramelizes adding depth and texture to the fruit. A bed of peppery arugula and tangy goat cheese round out this delicious summer salad.(see recipe below)

I bring out the juicer and serve watermelon juice straight up or with a little vodka-so refreshing!
 My favorite Greek restaurant serves bite size pieces of watermelon topped with salty feta cheese, mint and a drizzle of honey-the perfect summer canape!

With an ice cream maker its a snap to make watermelon sorbet, a low calorie, yummy dessert!

Grilled Watermelon Salad with Arugula and Goat Cheese
  • 1/2 (5-pound) seedless watermelon
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt (specialty salt is great here, if on hand)
  • 2 cups fresh baby arugula, washed and dried
  • 1 cup goat cheese, crumbled, preferably a French Chevre
  • Fresh finely cracked black pepper

Directions

Stand the watermelon half cut side down on a cutting board and slice away the rind, leaving a solid block of melon. Turn the block on its side and cut it into 8 squares, roughly 3 by 3 inches and 1-inch thick.
Pour the vinegar into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook until reduced to a thick syrup consistency. Set aside.

Heat a nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle just enough olive oil over watermelon slices to thinly coat and place on hot grill pan. Grill each side about 2 minutes until grill marks appear; transfer to a plate and season with salt.
To assemble the salads, put about 1/4 cup of baby arugula on a serving plate, followed by a grilled slice of watermelon in the center, and top with a tablespoon of crumbled cheese and another 1/4 cup arugula. Add another watermelon slice and another tablespoon of cheese. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Finish each salad with a very light drizzle of olive oil and balsamic syrup. Dust with black pepper and serve immediately.
recipe from Clair Robinson

13 comments:

annechovie said...

I have a special fondness for watermelon in the Summer - very refreshing!

The Buzz Blog said...

How yummy and refreshing! We've gone through an inordinate amount of this juicy, cool fruit this summer with all the heat we've been having. Great images!

Suburban Princess said...

It all looks so yummy!!!
I wish I wasn't allergic to melon :O(

Kimmy said...

Thank God, new recipes for watermelon! I am already in awe of the Watermelon Salad.
I cannot wait to try this on my siblings at our next gathering.
Have a lovely weekend, cheers!

Unknown said...

Am I the only one who didn't know you could grill watermelon? How cool! Thanks for the idea. Have a lovely weekend!

iheartart said...

Oh I can't wait for summer again (very cold here at the moment) & I think the first thing I will do will be to have one of those watermelon cocktails!

Katie

Stephanie @ La Dolce Vita said...

They all look delicious! Nothing says summer like watermelon! Yum! I will definitely be trying some of these ideas.

Nesty Girl said...

These all look wonderful! I may have to pick up a watermelon when I go shopping next week. I'm visiting from FNF, have a wonderful weekend!

Coryanne Ettiene | Kitchen Living with Coryanne said...

I tried a few of these on Saturday as we had way too much mellon in the fridge, I just adored them....we don't have a juicer so I had to skip that one. Thanks for the inspiration. I usually just eat mine cold with loads of fresh life juice.....

Sherrie said...

I love watermelon. That salad sounds divine.

red ticking said...

yummie... will catch up with you... coming soon!
found a spot to stay... xx

Stephanie said...

Watermelon is my favorite summer fruit! I'll have to try some of these recipes. Glad to be a follower now!

Charlotta Ward said...

Yes it's brilliant for Summer - especially for the beach!
Love cutting them up into chunky cubes and leave them in a bowl on the table when friends come over. Decorated with fresh lemon balm leaves sprinkled on top.
And of course, there is the all time classic.. Vodka infused watermelon.. Always a hit, though not around kids.. :)

Thanks for becoming a follower of my art blog. I hope you will pop in to see me at my design blog too.
x Charlotta