Marvelous Melons

Ingredients:

1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup water
juice of one lime
juice of one lemon
1 pinch ground ginger
2 cantaloupe melons, balled
2 cups honeydew melon, balled
1 cup strawberries, halved
1 nectarine, thinly sliced
1 cup grapes
4 sprigs fresh mint

Preparation:

In a small saucepan, heat sugar and water to a boil. Simmer until slightly thickened, like syrup. Stir in lime juice, lemon juice and ginger. Allow to cool.

Cut cantaloupe in half (not through the end with a stem.) Cut off a thin slice from the base of each of the four halves so that the melons will sit upright like a bowl when filled. Scoop out flesh with a melon baller or spoon. Lightly toss all fruit with the syrup and fill each melon "bowl" with the mixture. Garnish with mint sprigs.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 lb. fresh lump crabmeat, picked over to remove any cartilage
1-3/4 cups cantaloupe balls
2 cups watermelon balls
1 cup seeded and diced (1/4-inch) plum tomatoes
1-1/2 tsp. finely minced fresh ginger
3 Tbs. fresh orange juice
1 Tbs. vinegar
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 /4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. finely grated orange zest
2 Tbs. chopped fresh basil leaves
2 heads red radicchio lettuce, leaves rinsed and patted dry

Preparation:

Place the crabmeat, cantaloupe, watermelon, tomatoes and ginger in a large bowl. Gently toss together with a rubber spatula. Set aside.

Combine the orange juice, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Continue whisking until the mixture has thickened slightly. Stir in the orange zest. Shortly before serving, toss the dressing and the basil with the crabmeat mixture. Serve on a decorative platter surrounded by radicchio leaves.

Yield: 6 servings

This dish is ideal for summer lunches when melons are at their peak of ripeness. Not only is it an appetite stimulator, but it is also a radiant color complement to any outdoor buffet. Blueberries or fresh figs add an extra special touch.

Suggested accompanying wines: slightly sweet Gewurztraminer or Johannesburg Riesling

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. chopped shallots
1/3 cup raspberry vinegar
2 tsp. honey butter, to taste
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup fresh or frozen raspberries, pureed and strained
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 medium red onions, thinly sliced
8 cups watermelon, cut into one-inch cubes (use both red and yellow watermelon, if available)
2 bunches watercress, stems removed
garnish with julienned mint leaves

Preparation:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the shallots, vinegar, honey butter, olive oil and raspberry puree. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Separate the onions into rings. Pour the vinaigrette over the onions, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. To serve, arrange a bed of watercress on each chilled plate.

This salsa is great as a side salad or as a complement to grilled foods.

Ingredients:

2 cups watermelon, seeded and diced
2 Tbs. red onion, diced
1 cup of jicama, diced
1 tsp. chopped cilantro
1 tsp. chopped parsley
juice of 1 lime
pinch of salt and sugar

Preparation:

Combine ingredients in a bowl and mix. Taste to determine further seasoning needs. The salsa will last three to four days in the refrigerator.

Fruit Salads

TIPical Mary Ellen host Mary Ellen Pinkham offers tips for making delicious fruit salads.

• Use halved and hollowed-out melons or oranges as a cup to fill with fruit salad. Watermelons work well as a serving dish for a large amount of fruit salad.

• Combine the watermelon with melon-balled flesh from cantaloupe and honeydew melons. Add strawberries, grapes, oranges, pineapples and other fruits.

• Keep fruit from turning brown while preparing a fruit salad by squeezing lemon juice in a bowl of cool water before adding fruit.

• Never hull strawberries until they have been washed, or they will absorb too much water and become mushy.

• Put oranges in a 250-degree oven for 10 minutes before peeling to remove the white fibers from the fruit.

• If a pineapple isn't quite ripe but is needed for a fruit salad, remove the top and the skin, slice and place in a pot. Cover with water and add sugar to taste. Boil a few minutes, cool and refrigerate. The pineapple will now taste fresh and crunchy.

• Toss the fruit with a mixture of 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup fresh lime juice, 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice and two teaspoons grated lime peel. Let chill for 30 minutes, then transfer to the watermelon basket and serve.

• For another variation on the fruit salad, layer fruit in a gelatin mold one layer at a time. Swirl in some liquid gelatin and let set. Repeat until the mold is full.

• Another unique fruit salad is a yogurt and spiced-grape salad. Mix together
  1/4 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt, 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom. Add one cup each seedless green grapes and seedless red grapes. Chill and serve.

• Arrange a fruit pyramid on a cake stand for an hors d'oeuvre platter at a party. For the center of the pyramid, cut the flesh off of a large pineapple so that only the core remains. Attach to the middle of the cake stand and arrange whole and cut fruit around it, forming a pyramid.

• Serve fruit salad as a light and refreshing desert after a heavy meal. Serve the fruit salad with a small scoop of sorbet. Garnish with a mint sprig.