Melons add a refreshing touch to savory dishes, too
There was a time when I thought about summer’s sweet melons only as something to eat for breakfast, or maybe dessert. Now I’ve gone so far into the savory world with them, I forget about using them any other way.
Living in France helped me see melons not just as slice-and-eat wedges but as the beginnings of many other things. I’ve made gazpachos with them. Played around Asian flavors. Eaten them as part of a salade de chèvre chaud in Paris, a bistro classic made with mounds of fluffy bibb lettuce greens, a simple vinaigrette, and slices of toast with melted rounds of goat cheese. Why not put melon with a salad? Why not include it as part of whatever else you’re already making and what’s in season?
Melons are about as easy as it gets. You just peel, scoop out the seeds, and slice. They’re also one of the most refreshing things to eat when it’s hot and humid, as it has been around North Texas lately. Even though the air conditioning is already blasting, I can’t get my head around eating hot food right now. Melons are one of the most cooling foods I’ve found.
Whether we’re talking about honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelon or some of the others, for me, the same rules apply. Because all melons are mostly water, I look for something fatty to anchor the dish, to give it some weight. In the case of the Honeydew-zucchini salad below, it’s avocado; with the Melon brochettes, mozzarella and thin slices of San Daniele ham; for the Melon tartare, feta and olive oil. I also aim for a contrast of salty to sweet.
The Watermelon-basil slushie, a mashup of limeade and watermelon puree with basil, is an unexpectedly sweet and slightly tart drink that’s great poured into a glass or made into ice pops. If you want to add a splash or two of tequila, I won’t tell. Cheers to getting through another sweltering Texas summer.
Ellise Pierce is the author of “Cowgirl Chef: Texas Cooking With a French Accent” (Running Press). Read her blog (www.cowgirlchef.com), and follow her on Twitter (@cowgirlchef) and Instagram (cowgirlchef).
Honeydew and zucchini salad
Makes 4 servings
My new favorite summer salad, this, too, comes together in the time it takes to chop the melon and vegetables.
1/4 large honeydew melon
1 zucchini
1 Persian cucumber
1 avocado
Sherry vinaigrette (recipe follows)
A few sprigs dill, for serving
1. Slice the rind off of the honeydew melon and chop the flesh into 1/2-inch pieces.
2. With a vegetable peeler, make ribbons out of the zucchini.
3. Chop the Persian cucumber into rounds, then fourths.
4. Put all of this onto a large platter and gently toss. Top with spoonfuls of avocado, Sherry vinaigrette, and sprigs of dill.
Nutritional analysis per serving, without vinaigrette: 140 calories, 8 grams fat, 15 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams protein, no cholesterol, 16 milligrams sodium, 3 grams dietary fiber, 51 percent of calories from fat.
Sherry vinaigrette
Makes about 3/4 cup
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped shallot
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
Put the sherry vinegar, chopped shallot, Dijon mustard, and sea salt and pepper to taste in a jam jar and give it a good shake. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Add the olive oil and shake again. Taste for seasonings.
Cowgirl Tip: Keep what you don’t use in the fridge. This vinaigrette will keep for about a week.
Watermelon-basil slushie
Makes 4 servings
This can be the beginning of a summer’s worth of slushies — swap out other melons and fruits as they move in and out of season.
1/2 small watermelon
1/3 cup maple syrup
A handful basil leaves
Pinch sea salt
1/2 cup lime juice
Lime wedges for serving
1. Remove the rind from the watermelon and chop the flesh into large chunks. Put these in the blender along with the rest of the ingredients and whirr until well blended. Taste for seasonings.
2. Pour into a casserole dish and put in the freezer. Let it rest in the freezer for about 30 minutes, then every 15 minutes or so, scrape back the ice that has formed on the edges with a fork. After 2 hours, it should be slushy rather than firm. Pour into glasses and garnish with lime wedges.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 110 calories, trace fat, 26 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram protein, no cholesterol, 34 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber, 3 percent of calories from fat.
Melon tartare
Sweet cantaloupe pairs nicely with salty, briny capers, Kalamata olives and peppery olive oil for an easy summer appetizer. The key to this dish is all in the chopping. There’s nothing to cook; it’s just assembly.
Makes 4 servings
1 large cantaloupe
A small handful Kalamata olives, chopped
2 ounces feta, crumbled
4 tablespoons capers
High-quality olive oil
1. Peel and remove the seeds from a ripe, firm cantaloupe. Chop it into very small dice, about 1/8 inch. Divide the chopped cantaloupe among 4 small plates and make a small well in the middle of each one.
2. In the well, add chopped Kalamata olives and feta. Scatter the capers all around and drizzle olive oil on top.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 123 calories, 7 grams fat, 12 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams protein, 13 milligrams cholesterol, 285 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber, 51 percent of calories from fat.
Melon brochettes
Makes about 2 dozen
Arrange these in short glasses so they’re easy to pick up and eat, plus they’re more visually interesting that way.
1 cantaloupe 1 honeydew melon 8 ounces small mozzarella balls 24 thin slices of San Daniele ham 24 (4-inch) skewers
Using a melon baller, make as many balls as you can out of the cantaloupe and honeydew melon. Thread them onto the wooden skewers with the mozzarella balls and ham. You can do this any way you like, but I made mine like this: cantaloupe/cheese/honeydew/ham/cheese.
Nutritional analysis per brochette: 58 calories, 2 grams fat, 7 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams protein, 11 milligrams cholesterol, 111 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber, 35 percent of calories from fat.
This story was originally published June 8, 2017 at 12:57 PM with the headline "Melons add a refreshing touch to savory dishes, too."