Melon salad with honey and ginger

Last days of summer. I can even feel the autumn breath and this feeling inspires me. I love autumn - no more crazy hot days, plenty of fruits and veges, my figs in the garden are almost ready and sky at night is full of stars ...
Melons are in season now too. I'm not a big fan of ginger and I don't like honey at all, but in this salad they make quite a beautiful composition. Recipe adapted from Gourmet traveller magazine.

Ingredients

(Serves 6)
175 gm (½ cup)  honey
2 tbsp finely chopped glacé ginger
1 vanilla bean, split
500 gm watermelon
500 gm  rockmelon
500 gm  honeydew melon
To serve: vanilla ice-cream

1. Combine honey, ginger and vanilla bean and ½ cup water in a small saucepan and simmer over low heat for 8 minutes or until reduced by half. Cool to room temperature.
2. Peel melons and remove seeds, then cut into 3cm cubes. Combine melon and syrup and stand for 30 minutes to marinate. Serve melon salad with scoops of vanilla ice-cream.

Grilled halloumi and watermelon salad

Halloumi cheese is from the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. It is unique salty hard cheese made of goat and sheep's milk that comes to life when grilled or pan fried. Teamed with watermelon, it is a sweet-salty treat that works as an appetizer, side dish or light and beautiful summer salad.

Ingredients:
1/2 large seedless watermelon
handful of fresh mint
handful of salad mix (optional)
250 gr. halloumi cheese, sliced into 1/2 inch tall strips
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat a non-stick grill pan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Pat Halloumi slices with paper towels to dry them, and brush each slice lightly with olive oil on one side.

Place cheese in grill pan, oil-side down, and heat for 1-2 minutes or until golden. Brush top side with oil, flip, and cook 1-2 minutes more.

Dice the watermelon into one-inch cubes or make a cute balls using a melon-baller. Toss cheese with watermelon, salad mix and mint. Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Double melon mousse cakes

Beautiful refreshing dessert with a delicate taste and melon aroma. 

For 4-5 desserts depending on the diameter of the mold rings.

For the bases:
120 gr. Anzac biscuits (any oatmeal cookies)
30 gr. butter
1 tablespoon milk

For the mousse:
70 g Water-melon pulp
70 gr. melon pulp (I used rock melon)
6 gr. gelatin
150 gr. cream cheese at room temperature
100 ml. double cream
4 tbsp sugar
2 egg whites

Additional:
12-15 watermelon and melon balls and mint for decoration

1. Put biscuits in a plastic bag and crush with rolling pin (or in a blender). Melt the butter with a spoon of milk and mix with cookie crumbs to obtain a homogeneous mass. Put the mold rings on parchment paper. Divide the mixture evenly among the prepared rings and pat with the back of a spoon. Refrigerate until needed.

2. Soak gelatin in cold water. Put the melon pulp and 1 Tbsp of sugar in a blender and grind well. Repeat with the watermelon pulp. Heat each part of the pulp in the microwave or on the stove almost to a boil. Divide gelatin on two parts and mix one part with  the watermelon mixture and other part with the melon mixture.  Stir well until completely dissolved.

3. Beat the cream cheese lightly, divide into the 2 parts and add to each of the masses. Beat egg whites with 1 tablespoon of sugar to soft peaks. Set aside. Then whip the cream with the remaining spoonful of sugar. Carefully, but quickly mix 1 part of whipped egg whites with Water-melon mass, repeat with the melon mass. Then mix 1 part of whipped cream with Water-melon mass, repeat with the melon mass.

4. Fill the mold rings with melon mouse. Carefully put the watermelon mousse on top of the melon mousse. Put them in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

5. Serve with melon balls and mint leaves.

Enjoy!

Sandwich with Barbecued Lamb, Watermelon and Tzatziki

After yesterday’s barbecue, we still had most of a barbecued leg of lamb left over. And I decided to slice it up and put it into white bun with some salad, cucumber and watermelon and toped the filling with some tzatziki. And it was a very good decision. I think you can use any lamb - grilled, fried or baked.

For 1 sandwich:
50 g. Lamb (grilled, barbecued, baked)
1 white bun or 2 slices of sandwiches bread,
few arugula or spinach leaves,
about 30 gr. of watermelon pulp,
couple rings of red onion,
4 cm piece of cucumber,
2 tbsp Tzatziki (or you can mix 2 tbsp natural yogurt with 1 small garlic clove)

Put the arugula leaves, sliced lamb, cucumber, onion and watermelon on the half of the bun and top with Tzatziki. Cover with bun top and serve immediately.



Enjoy!