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.

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!