Watermelon with Lime-Mint Syrup

This is an easy way to add a little oomph to watermelon. The lime-mint combination is very fresh. And speaking of fresh, be forewarned, this needs to be served right away. It was so delightful when I first ate it, but then I took some of the leftover to work the next day and it was downright nasty. I think overnight there was a battle between the lime and mint and the mint lost (actually, my taste buds were the real casualties).

WATERMELON WITH LIME-MINT SYRUP

Makes 8 servings

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup hot water

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 1 1/2 limes)

2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest (from 1 1/2 limes)

1 (4-pound) piece watermelon, preferably seedless

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint

________________________________________________________________________

1.      In small bowl, whisk together sugar and hot water until sugar is dissolved. Stir in lime juice and zest. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.  Can be made ahead and chilled, covered, up to 3 days.

2.      Cut the watermelon into wedges or bite-size chunks and refrigerate until chilled.

3.      As close to serving time as possible, stir the chopped mint into the syrup and drizzle over the watermelon. Serve immediately.

adapted from Tracey Seaman

sugar and hot water dissolved

It's brown because I used evaporated cane juice, which is beige.

lime zest

lime zest added

side view

watermelon chunks

fresh mint leaves

lime-mint syrup being poured over the watermelon

.

Watermelon-Raspberry Ice Pops

I should really call this post "ice pop dos and don'ts" because my first attempt was a borderline fiasco (I say borderline because if I don't get burned or cut or drop an entire pan of something on the floor, it isn't a full-blown fiasco). Go ahead and scroll down to the photo captions and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Anyway, technical problems aside, I think these ice pops are a delicious way to use up leftover watermelon (and you know when you buy a whole watermelon, there will be leftover). And if you mess up the first batch like I did, don't despair (just let it melt until it's a little slushy, mix in some rum and call it a daiquiri).

WATERMELON-RASPBERRY ICE POPS

Yield: 2 cups (about 6 to 8 pops)

3 cups seedless watermelon cubes (about ½-inch each)

1 small container fresh raspberries (about 1 1/2 cups)

approx. 1/2 cup sugar or sweetener of choice (add to taste)

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

______________________________________________________________________

1.      Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor; puree until smooth.

2.      Strain puree, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible.

3.      Pour into popsicle molds and insert sticks. Freeze for at least 4 hours (or better yet,
       overnight).

If you don't have popsicle molds, you can just fill some little paper cups, cover tightly with plastic wrap and poke in some popsicle sticks. That's how the cavemen did it.

watermelon slice

chopped watermelon

raspberries

lemon

ready to blend

blended

straining

I filled one all the way and then filled the rest
about 1/3 full, so I could use some leftover plain
lemonade and make stripes.

the white stripes are a layer of lemonade (they're a little
hard to see with the bright light from the freezer)

Here's when I realized I had a problem. I thought
I had plenty of room for the stick while the top watermelon-
raspberry layer was still liquidy, but once the lemonade
layer was frozen solid, I couldn't fit the stick in far enough.

I knew it would be pretty tough to unmold an ice pop with
no stick. But then I learned it's also not a good idea to
unmold one with a stick that hasn't been frozen long enough.

I only had one more with a stick, so this time I waited until
the next morning and with a little warm water, it popped right out.

After my first failed attempt, I tried again. This time my
goal was to successfully put out one batch of unbroken ice pops
(and not to show off with fancy stripes). Mission accomplished
(but for real, not in a George Bush kind of way).

.

Pink Lemonade

Here's a nice cool, fruity drink for the kids to enjoy (while the grown-ups enjoy their even cooler, even fruitier sangria). I made this lemonade pink using watermelon, but my favorite method is a combination of both watermelon and strawberries (I have a friend who is allergic, so I left them out this time around). It was still delicious. Pucker up and try some! Or I guess I should say...try some and pucker up!

PINK LEMONADE

Yield: approx. 10 servings

4 cups simple syrup (2 cups water + 2 cups sugar)

2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice

10-15 cups cold water

3 cups watermelon chunks or quartered strawberries (or combination of both), or to taste

lemon slices for garnish (optional)

1.  To make the simple syrup: Combine water and sugar in a pot and bring to a boil; stir to dissolve the sugar. Cook only until all the sugar is dissolved, then let cool to room temperature. Chill in the refrigerator.

2.  Combine simple syrup, lemon juice and 10 cups water. Stir well and add more water, a little at a time, to taste.

3.  Place a strainer over the lemonade and squeeze the juice from the watermelon (or strawberries) into the lemonade.

4.  Add lemon slices for garnish.

simple syrup

juicing lemons

watermelon (a.k.a. the pink in pink lemonade)

lemon juice in pitcher

simple syrup and water added (a.k.a. lemonade)

Obviously you can stop right here if you want
plain old boring humdrum yellow lemonade.

infusion pitcher

This pitcher is pretty cool...you can add fruit to the center
and let it infuse into your tea, lemonade or water (or vodka).

watermelon cubes in the center

If you let it sit long enough, the watermelon
juice will seep into the lemonade.

If you don't have an infusion pitcher, just squeeze the
watermelon over a strainer into the lemonade.
Actually, I do both (I like my pink lemonade heavy on the pink).

watermelon lemonade (without the infuser)

watermelon lemonade (with the infuser added back)

.