7 Refreshing Things You Can Make with Melon
Watermelon, honeydew and cantaloupe star in these spectacular (and easy!) recipes for appetizers, side dishes, soups and more.
By Lynn Andriani
A Reinvention of Cold Pizza
If you've ever looked at a wedge of watermelon and thought it looked like a pizza slice, chef Julie Morris is right there with you. In her new book,
Superfood Snacks, she turns inch-thick rounds of the melon into pies, and decorates them with toppings such as chopped macadamia nuts, halved blueberries, thin slices of kiwi and minced mint leaves (though you can use anything from shaved fennel to black pepper and sea salt). She cuts the "pizza" into wedges and serves it chilled for one of the most fun (and healthy) twists on the beloved favorite that we've ever seen.
Get the recipe: Watermelon Pizza
The Salty-Sweet Salad
The classic pairing of melon and prosciutto anchors this salad, which also includes crisp, peppery watercress and curls of Parmesan. With all of the robust flavors, you don't need a complicated dressing; this one just combines olive oil and lemon juice with a touch of ground fennel, which accentuates the salad's sweet and salty combo.
Get the recipe: Watermelon and Watercress Salad
The "Who Knew?" Way to Eat Watermelon
Baked apples and roasted apricots are familiar cooked fruits—but grilled melon is one we hadn't tried until now. Dusted with sugar, watermelon wedges acquire a caramelized crust on the grill but stay cool and juicy inside. They're the perfect counterpoint to hot-and-spicy grilled shrimp.
Get the recipe: Spicy Skewered Shrimp with Grilled Watermelon
A Frozen Treat with a Big Nostalgia Factor
You've never had Creamsicle pops like these. In addition to orange juice and cream, these include an entire pureed cantaloupe. The fruit has a mildly sweet taste, so rather than turning the pops into sugar bombs, the cantaloupe actually lends more of an earthy, gentle fruitiness.
Get the recipe: Cantaloupe and Citrus Pops
The Pasta-Like Way to Make a Seasonal Fruit Salad
Here's a low-maintenance way to get in on the
Spiralizer trend: Using a vegetable peeler, you peel the flesh of a cantaloupe and that of a honeydew into strips, so you end up with paper-thin, pappardelle-like ribbons. Dress them with a combination of honey, lemon juice and mint, and enjoy with brunch, or with grilled meat or fish for lunch or dinner.
Get the recipe: Mixed-Melon Pappardelle with Mint
The Ice-Cube Replacements
This refreshing drink consists of a mixture of watermelon juice and vodka, which is tasty enough on its own. But what makes it really special is the garnish: three or four balls of cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon that you've soaked in vodka. Prepare them at least two hours ahead of serving, so the liquor amply seeps in to the fruit.
Get the recipe: Melon High-Baller
The Summer Soup That's Not Gazpacho
It doesn't get much simpler (or more seasonal) than this four-ingredient chilled bowl. All it takes are chunks of honeydew and cucumber (which are distantly related, from a botany perspective) pureed with coconut milk in a blender; refrigerate the blend until it's cold and top with toasted, shaved coconut for an easy, mellow starter to any meal.
Get the recipe: Chilled Melon, Cucumber and Coconut Milk Soup
From the
July 2007 issue of
O, The Oprah Magazine
