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Quick & EasyBy Beverly Barbour
Simple to flashy ways with melonsNothing can be better than fresh, juicy melons with a bit of lime or lemon juice or a sprinkling of salt. Except, maybe, something designed to make a good thing even better with fabulous melons as an ingredient. Here are a few treatments that you may not have tried. Watermelon Pudding This is a variation of a Sicilian dessert which is steeped with jasmine flowers. Here anise seeds are substituted but the traditional garnishes are suggested: chocolate shavings, pistachio nuts and whipped cream. No pistachio nuts? Sliced almonds will do nicely and when toasted they are even better. Makes 6 servings. 6 cups coarsely chopped and seeded watermelon meat (no rinds)
Puree watermelon in a blender or food processor until smooth, and then pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan, pressing on the pulp and discarding any remaining solids. Ladle about 1/4 cup watermelon juice into a small bowl and whisk in cornstarch until smooth. Bring remaining watermelon juice to a boil with 1/2 cup sugar and anise seeds, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Stir cornstarch mixture again, then whisk into boiling juice. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 3 minutes. Whisk in lemon juice. Pour pudding through cleaned sieve into a bowl, and then transfer to a serving dish or 6 dessert bowls or wine glasses. Chill, uncovered, until cold about 30 minutes. Cover loosely and chill until set, at least 3 hours. Just before serving, beat cream with remaining 1 teaspoon sugar in another bowl with an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Top pudding with whipped cream. Candied Lemon Sauce For Melon Perfect sauce to serve over wedges or balls of melon such as green honeydew. Makes 2/3 cup. 2 medium lemons, ends trimmed
Slice lemons thin and put in a frying pan with orange peel, sugar, 1/2 cup orange juice and 1/4 cup water. Boil, uncovered, on high heat until liquid is almost gone, about 8 minutes; shake pan occasionally and watch closely to avoid scorching. Add remaining juice and liqueur or flavoring; bring to a rolling boil. Use this warm or cool. If made ahead, cover and chill up to 1 week. Watermelon Salsa If you don't wish to invest in a whole melon, purchase a container of cut-up watermelon; then cut the chunks into smaller pieces. The liquid from this salsa is tasty but depending upon how you are using it, you may want to use a slotted spoon to drain away some of the liquid. Served over a bed of rice the juice would be welcome. Great served with chicken or pork. Makes about 2 cups (4 servings). 2 cups diced seeded watermelon
Combine ingredients, cover and chill. Melon Boats with Ginger Yogurt Dressing Low-fat yogurt can be substituted without a problem and while fresh ginger is best, about 1/4 teaspoon dried ginger can be used in a pinch (a pinch in a pinch). For maximum flavor have the melons at room temperature. Makes 4 servings. 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
Mix together the yogurt, mint, honey and ginger. Fold in the grapes. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. When ready to serve, halve and seed the melons. If you are having a party it is fun to make saw-tooth cuts when you are cutting the melons in half. Another way to serve melon is by holding it on its side and cutting the melon into rings. However you chose to operate on the melon be sure to remove the seeds and stringy material inside the cavity. A few sprigs of mint are a nice touch when you serve the dish. Flowers on the side are a pretty touch, best if they are edible. Iced Melon Soup with Champagne or Sparkling Fruit Juice This is fun to make for a bridal shower. If you don't wish to use a sparkling wine, there are wonderful sparkling fruit juices on the market, but I wouldn't choose apple for this recipe. However, you could try any of the carbonated lemon/lime drinks. Makes 6 servings. 7 1/2 cups coarsely chopped fresh cantaloupe or honeydew melon
Puree the melon and ginger in a food mill, blender or food processor, in batches. If you use a processor, force the puree through a strainer set inside a large bowl, pressing the solids with a wooden spoon. Stir in the lemon juice. Cover tightly and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours. Chill serving bowls. Just before serving, stir the sparkling beverage of your choice into the melon puree. Then stir in one tablespoon of the sugar, taste, and add just enough additional sugar to emphasize the melon's flavor without making the soup overly sweet. Ladle into chilled bowls and garnish with mint sprigs or flowers. There seem to be millions of varieties of melons out there today. Lucky us!
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