Watermelon Goes Bananas!
Click here for our web extra from the
National Watermelon Promotion Board
Click here for our web extra from the
North Carolina Watermelon Association
By Debra Simon
Nothing says summer in the Triangle like a wedge of watermelon. Local varieties are in the limelight at farmers' markets and grocery stores through the end of the month.
To say something really special, why not sweeten the deal?
From sassy drinks to dump-the-diet desserts, here's a crop of refreshing recipes that extends the idea of what you can do with the big, red fruit.
Watermelon Cherry Mojito
3 fresh mint sprigs, chopped
1/4 cup watermelon puree
1 teaspoon cherry syrup
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 ounces light rum
Chilled sparkling water
1 sugar cane stirrer
1 lime wedge
Using a fork, press the mint with the back of a fork to coat the inside of the glass and leave it in the glass. Add the watermelon pureé, cherry syrup, lime juice and rum. Stir well. Top with ice. Top-off the glass with sparkling water or club soda. Add the sugar cane stirrer and lime wedge to the glass and serve.
Serves 1
Watermelon Glazed Mini Barbecued Meatballs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
24-36 frozen prepared mini meatballs
1 cup prepared barbecue sauce
1 cup watermelon pureé
Heat the oil in a large, heavy sauté pan over medium high heat or electric skillet set on 325 degrees. Sauté the mini meatballs until browned and hot. Reduce heat to low. Mix together the barbecue sauce and watermelon pureé. Pour over the meatballs and simmer for a few minutes. Serve hot.
Serves 6 to 8.
Watermelon Taboule Stacks With Grilled Chicken
Eight 3- by 5-inch thin slices of seedless watermelon
14 ounces prepared taboule
3 or 4 grilled skinless chicken breasts, chilled and sliced
Minced fresh chives and parsley for garnish
Place a watermelon slice on each of 4 plates. Spoon half of the taboule over the 4 watermelon slices in as even a layer as possible. Place another slice of watermelon over the taboule. Spoon the remaining taboule over the top slices of watermelon. Arrange the chicken slices over the taboule. Dust the chicken slices with chives and parsley. Serve immediately.
Serves 4.
Grilled Scallops and Watermelon Kebabs
12 sea scallops
4 cups boiling vegetable or chicken broth
Twenty-four 1" x 1" watermelon cubes
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
Cut the scallops into halves across the diameter to create half-moon shapes. Place them in a heat-proof casserole dish in a single layer. Pour the boiling, clear broth over the scallops and let them poach for 5 minutes. Drain and cool the scallops. On each skewer, alternate 1 half-moon scallop, then 2 watermelon cubes, then another half-moon scallop. Mix together the soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger, and brush the kebabs as they are grilled over a medium-hot grill for about 90 seconds per side (turning once). Serve warm.
Serves 12 as an appetizer.
Kung Pao Watermelon Shrimp
2 tablespoons peanut oil
6 garlic cloves, sliced
2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and cleaned
1 cup dry roasted and salted peanuts
1 cup prepared Kung Pao sauce
2 cups chopped watermelon
Heat the oil in a large, heavy sauté pan or wok over high heat . Sauté the garlic for 30 seconds and then add the shrimp. Stir-fry until the shrimp begin to cook and plump up. Add the peanuts and sauté another 30 seconds. Reduce heat to low and add the sauce. Simmer just until shrimp are cooked. Remove from heat. Stir in watermelon and serve immediately.
Serves 6.
Watermelon Almond Tart
1 cup sliced almonds
One 3- to 5-inch thick slice seedless watermelon, rind removed
1 cup low- or no-fat natural vanilla flavored yogurt
1 cup blueberries
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
In a non-stick sauté pan over medium heat, toast the almonds while constantly stirring to prevent burning. When they are golden, remove them to a heat-proof tray or foil to cool. Cut the watermelon slice into 6 to 8 pie-shaped wedges. Dip the back (curved) side of each slice in the yogurt and then the almonds, re-assembling the pieces on a serving platter as you complete each piece. When finished, it will look like a pie crust of almonds around the watermelon slices. Frost the top of the reassembled watermelon with the remaining yogurt and decorate the top with the berries. Drizzle the chocolate syrup over the top. Serve cold.
Serves 6 to 8.
Watermelon Petit Fours
Twelve 3-inch cubes of seedless watermelon
1 cup pineapple cream cheese frosting
12 candied almonds
Sugar in the Raw for sprinkling
Arrange the watermelon cubes on a serving platter. Place the frosting in a Ziploc bag and trim off a bit of one bottom corner. Decoratively pipe the frosting onto each watermelon cube. Place an almond at the top of the frosting on each petit four. Sprinkle with raw sugar and serve immediately.
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