I take absolutely no credit for these recipes. The Watermelon Salad and Watermelon Mojito recipes are from Food Network and Martha Stewart respectively. This is about the recipes and what I learned.
A couple of weeks ago my neighbor invited us to her End-of-the-Summer BBQ party. I planned on bringing cupcakes because she and I had a conversation about them last year. When I asked her if I should bring a dessert and she said "No, there are too many desserts already." Dang! Dessert is easy peasy. But when it comes to bringing a dish to a party I have to put a lot of thought into it. I was also unsure if we would be outside or indoors. After pouring through several magazines I came across the Watermelon Salad in the Food Network July/August issue. It looked bright and fresh. And nothing goes better with BBQ than watermelon. A few days later the host asked if someone could bring a fruit so it was a perfect choice. BTW I found out my neighbor is a great cook. She had the a lot of food and she made it all. I thought the pork & shrimp spring rolls she served were from a restaurant. I took one home and pulled it apart to examine the ingredients so I could try to make it myself.
Yield: Makes 1
Ingredients
These two recipes go hand in hand. They both require watermelon and mint. It also helps use all the mint if you had to buy a pack at the grocery store. I did not have any fresh mint on hand as I posted earlier that our drought conditions killed everything. Note: I used 2 seedless watermelons for these recipes.
A couple of weeks ago my neighbor invited us to her End-of-the-Summer BBQ party. I planned on bringing cupcakes because she and I had a conversation about them last year. When I asked her if I should bring a dessert and she said "No, there are too many desserts already." Dang! Dessert is easy peasy. But when it comes to bringing a dish to a party I have to put a lot of thought into it. I was also unsure if we would be outside or indoors. After pouring through several magazines I came across the Watermelon Salad in the Food Network July/August issue. It looked bright and fresh. And nothing goes better with BBQ than watermelon. A few days later the host asked if someone could bring a fruit so it was a perfect choice. BTW I found out my neighbor is a great cook. She had the a lot of food and she made it all. I thought the pork & shrimp spring rolls she served were from a restaurant. I took one home and pulled it apart to examine the ingredients so I could try to make it myself.
Watermelon Salad
Photograph by Antonis Achilleos
Directions
Bring 1/4 cup each sugar and water to a simmer in a saucepan. Remove from the heat, add 3 mint sprigs and steep 10 minutes. Discard the mint; add the zest and juice of 1 lemon and a pinch of salt. Toss with 2 cups blueberries and 3 cups cubed watermelon. Let stand 15 minutes. Top with chopped mint.
My Suggestions: This is an easy recipe. However, I advise against tossing the blueberries and watermelon together. Some of the blueberries got crushed in the process. Toss each fruit with the simple syrup in separate bowls. I am also the type of person who tries to use the least amount of dishes as possible so I tossed the fruit in the glass serving dish. It made the sides of the bowl grainy and messy from the watermelon. I ended up having to use another bowl and washing another dish. So do not toss in the serving dish. The picture is also misleading. If you toss the fruit together the blueberries end up at the bottom of the bowl. Instead place the watermelon in the dish first and then put the blueberries on top. Gently shake the bowl to get the blueberries to fall between the watermelon. If you want your salad to look like their picture save some of the lemon zest to sprinkle on top as well.
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| This is my salad. Lighting makes a huge difference between my photo and the one above. The batteries in my camera died so I had to post this pic even though it's not very good. It really did look better, I promise. |
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Watermelon Mojito
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| Watermelon Mojito is a perfect cocktail for the summertime. |
Ingredients
- 4 large mint leaves
- 1/2 lime
- 1 tablespoon superfine sugar
- 4 ounces seedless watermelon, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3/4 cup), plus a small wedge for garnish
- 2 ounces white rum
- 1/2 cup ice cubes
- Directions
- In a heavy large glass, combine mint, lime, and sugar. Using a muddler, mash together mint and lime until sugar is dissolved. Add watermelon, and muddle until broken down. Stir in rum and ice cubes. Pour into an 8-ounce serving glass and garnish with a watermelon wedge. Serve immediately.
My Suggestions: This recipe is easy too, but a blender makes it easier. I didn't have superfine sugar or rum on hand. But I did have Amaretto DiSaronno and simple syrup. (The simple syrup is 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup organic sugar.) Simply substitute the Amaretto for the rum and the simple syrup for the superfine sugar. Assess how many drinks you want to make and adjust the ingredients accordingly. Blend all the ingredients in a blender and pour. Don't waste your time muddling. Spend your time drinking.
These two recipes go hand in hand. They both require watermelon and mint. It also helps use all the mint if you had to buy a pack at the grocery store. I did not have any fresh mint on hand as I posted earlier that our drought conditions killed everything. Note: I used 2 seedless watermelons for these recipes.
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