Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Rosewater Melon Balls

How easy and pretty is this? That's a rhetorical question, by the way.
If you need an answer, then it's 'Very. And very'.

I was inspired by a suitably glamorous picture in the December issue of Gourmet Traveller that showed a perfectly hollowed-out watermelon with perfectly spherical balls of watermelon, rockmelon and honeydew. And a perfectly-placed sprig of greenery on top, just so.

Well, I thought, two can play at that game, but one of them isn't me.  I mean, I try really hard and all, but I'm quite timid when it comes to hacking into a large, hefty fruit with a sharp knife.  So my watermelon is a bit lopsided (let's just say it's charmingly asymmertical).  The melon balls, though, are so adorably, mouthwateringly, refreshingly CUTE!

Melon Balls with Rosewater Syrup
serves 6

Ingredients
1/2 medium watermelon
1/2 rockmelon
2 nectarines

Rosewater syrup
1 cup water
1 cup white caster sugar
1 tblsp rosewater (or more to taste)

Method
1.  To make the rosewater syrup: place the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat and stir to dissolve the sugar.  Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the rosewater and taste and add more rosewater if desired.  Set the syrup aside to cool.
2.  Remove the seeds from the rockmelon, then use a melon baller to carve balls from the watermelon and rockmelon and place into a large bowl.  Smooth out the insides of the watermelon with a spoon.
3.  Cut the nectarines into thin slices and add to the bowl.  Chill the fruit in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
4.  Pour the cooled rosewater syrup over the fruit and mix together gently.  Transfer the fruit to the hollowed watermelon to serve.
Ingredients, including lopsided watermelon, rockmelon and nectarines. You could also use honeydew melon.
I love 'my' melon baller (appropriated from my mother when she wasn't looking).


Also added some pomegranate seeds for crunch


And some colourful mint leaves


This dessert really is sweet and pretty. And don't forget, easy!

15 comments:

  1. A perfect dish for the summer that has turned up very briefly in Sydney at last!

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  2. Very nice! I particularly like the addition of the pomegranate seeds. I can see me bringing this one out a few times this summer (maybe not in the watermelon rind though - I think I'd end up with something far more lopsided than yours).

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  3. So pretty! I love the idea of a fruit salad that's more interesting and has some added flavors. Rosewater sounds like a fantastic addition...yum! :)

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  4. Aww your watermelon is cute! Rustic. (As they sometimes say) I love how dressed up these melon balls are!

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  5. oh yum refreshing & light....would be lovely between courses on christmas day!!!

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  6. Don't they look fantastically summery! I love melon ballers. So simple, but so adorable.

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  7. I liked that you reused the watermelon as a bowl.

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  8. I normally go at melons with those big Chinese choppers - and it's honestly pretty dangerous...
    A pretty and healthy dessert!

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  9. So easy but really pretty. I would not have thought of adding rose water but now that you mention it - brilliant!

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  10. It does look oh so uber pretty!!! loving the summer feel too!!

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  11. You know that's so simple but oh so delicious, it doesn't need anything but a sprig of mint-and me! :P Oh I could gobble this up right now :D

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  12. This is pretty, Bel! And I love the idea of rosewater over fresh fruit. I always make a syrupy concoction of dried fruits with orange blossom water and such. I will try this too once melons are abundant here again. Nice;)!

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  13. The watermelon ball, that's what I used to do when I was a kid and I use the watermelon shell as the bowl too!

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