While I'm out at Chinchilla enjoying Melonfest where we are slip, slide and spitting watermelon, here are some more practical ways to use this delicious fruit.
Make watermelon scones or muffins, chicken and watermelon linguine and wash them down with watermelon raspberry lemonade or a watermelon smoothie.
Watermelon Scones
Rockmelon, mint and watermelon lemonade scones served with blue berry and melon jam.Two cups of self-raising flour
55 grams of sugar
125 ml thick cream
75 ml lemonade
50 ml watermelon
40ml milk
1 tablespoon chopped mint
Heat oven to 220 degrees, grease tray and place all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Add watermelon lemonade and cream to dry mix and form into dough.
Use a cutter to cut out eight scones and brush with milk and bake until golden brown for ten to fifteen minutes.
Serve with jam or cream.
Chicken and Seedless Watermelon Linguine
Fresh or dried linguine for 4
½ large wedge Seedless Watermelon, cubed
4 chicken breasts or 8 chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat and skin removed
1 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon raw sugar
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
½ cup pure cream
1 cup continental cucumber cubes (cut from outside of cucumber)
½ red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup natural pecan nut pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine Seedless Watermelon cubes, cucumber cubes, finely diced red onion and pecan pieces and set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the breasts or thighs over medium heat until they are cooked through. Slice cooked chicken on an angle into thin pieces and set aside to cool.
In a large pan cook four servings of linguine in plenty of salted boiling water. Once al dente, drain and keep warm.
Combine Dijon mustard, raw sugar, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper in a stainless steel bowl. Place bowl over a pot of boiling water and blend ingredients until the sugar dissolves. Slowly stir in pure cream and warm the contents through.
Combine linguine, chicken and warm cream dressing and mix thoroughly. To serve, spoon chicken linguine mixture onto four large plates and top with Seedless Watermelon pecan mixture. Serve immediately.
Watermelon Muffins
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Makes: 12 standard or 48 mini muffins
1-1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup (about 1/8 medium seedless watermelon) watermelon juice with pulp (see Note)
Red food colouring, optional
3/4 cup miniature chocolate chips or raisins
Confectioners' sugar, optional
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line standard or miniature muffin tins with baking paper cups.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs. Add sour cream and watermelon, beating just until combined. (A few drops of red food colouring may be added to the batter to enhance the colour to simulate watermelon.) Fold in chocolate chips.
Fill muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes for standard muffins or 15 to 18 minutes for mini-muffins. Place muffins on racks to cool.
Just before serving, sift with powdered confectioners' sugar, if you wish.
Note: Cut seedless watermelon into cubes and process in a food processor or heavy-duty blender until thick with small bits of pulp still remaining. You will need 1 cup of processed watermelon.
Coconut Pancakes With Seedless Watermelon
Serves 6½ medium wedge Seedless Watermelon, cubed
25g (1/3 cup) shredded coconut
1 packet of pancake mix
Melted butter
Maple syrup to serve
Greek Natural yoghurt or dollop of cream to serve
Dry fry the coconut in a small non-stick frying pan over low heat for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside for five minutes to cool.
Make up the pancake mix following the packet instructions and add the cooled golden coconut to the mix, just prior to cooking.
Brush a medium shallow non-stick or cast-iron frying pan or crepe pan with melted butter to lightly grease.
Cook the pancakes following the packet instructions, setting each pancake aside to keep warm until all pancakes are cooked.
Divide pancakes among serving plates, top with the Seedless Watermelon cubes and drizzle with the maple syrup. Top with a dollop of the double cream or Greek Natural yoghurt and serve immediately.
Watermelon Raspberry Lemonade
Makes: 4 servings
6 cups watermelon cubes (seeds removed)
¼ cup raspberries
1 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
½ cup lemon juice
Place watermelon, raspberries and water in container of electric blender, cover and blend until smooth. Strain through fine mesh strainer into pitcher. Stir in sugar and lemon juice until sugar dissolves. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
Watermelon Smoothie
Makes 2-3 servings
2 cups seeded watermelon chunks
1 cup cracked ice
½ cup plain yogurt
1-2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon almond extract Combine all ingredients in blender container. Blend until smooth.