A Salad of Lettuces, Fennel, Radish with a Watermelon Juice Vinaigrette

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Who knew I’d be testing a watermelon recipe in May!  I’m attending a writer’s retreat this weekend, http://www.eatwriteretreat.com, and was placed into a group of 4 women bloggers for a cooking competition.  Our task was to come up with recipes using sponsor ingredients; one of which is watermelon.  OMG! Watermelon in May you ask?  Well, we all went back and forth on the best way to utilize the watermelon especially since it is out-of-season. 
After some brainstorming, vigorous debate and the fact that I was the only one who could purchase watermelon at the market (living in Texas) I assumed the task of coming up with a recipe.  It’s a 3-stepper:  making watermelon juice,  a vinaigrette out of it & bringing the lettuces and vegetables together.  Here’s to a fabulous collaboration, winning the competition and having a super delicious summer salad to share in May.  Rockin’ it with watermelon!

Salad Ingredients

6C of baby lettuces 
2C of fresh fennel, shaved (whole bulb with fronds)
1C of fresh radishes, shaved
1C of fresh watermelon, minced-1/8"to 1/4” pieces
1/4 to 1/2C of Watermelon Vinaigrette
1/2C Insalate ricotta (optional)
1/4C of basil, julienne 
Fennel Flowers or yellow edible organic flowers

Process

Place lettuces in a medium size mixing bowl. Drizzle ¼ of the watermelon vinaigrette over lettuces and gently toss so that vinaigrette surrounds the leaves.  Place sliced fennel & radishes in a small bowl.  Drizzle 1/8C of the watermelon vinaigrette over the vegetables.  Toss lightly so that all the vegetables are covered with vinaigrette.  Add a drizzle more if necessary.  Place dressed lettuce leaves onto a serving platter.  Gently place dressed fennel/radishes on top of the lettuces.  Fluff so that the fennel/radish mixture does not press down on the lettuces too much.  Sprinkle insalate ricotta & basil across the top of salad.  Garnish with fennel flowers or organic flowers.  Serve immediately.

Watermelon Juice & Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette 

1/4C watermelon juice
1tsp honey balsamic
1/2C mild extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of Salt & fresh ground Pepper
Place all ingredients into a 1-2C size container with lid.  Cap tightly and shake vigorously until liquids are incorporated.  Serve with lettuces of your choice.

For Watermelon Juice

Place watermelon in a blender. Puree watermelon until liquid. Pour watermelon juice through a medium sieve.  Pour first run sieved watermelon juice through a smaller sieve.  Skim foam off top of watermelon juice. Chill.  Juice can be kept for up to 3 days refrigerated or 1 month frozen.

Tips
*slice fennel & radish with a mandoline so that they are translucent
*place sliced fennel & radish in an ice bath to keep color, freshness & crisp
*using a seedless watermelon is always easier
* the smaller “personal” watermelons you can purchase in the stores now are a perfect size for this recipe (you’ll have only “some” left-over)

Trending Pickles: Watermelon Rinds

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Please don’t say it!  Ok, I will…I’m trending now.  I am cringing as I say it but there it is.  And here is the one of the new trending foods: pickles.  A few years back a dear friend gave me her mother’s watermelon rind pickles as a housewarming gift.  Honestly, I thought it a little weird-watermelon rinds-pickled?  I have since been educated to the Southern history of the rind and thought I’d just try it out myself.  On my quest for the most fabulous pickled watermelon rind I took a look of several recipes.  There was much said about how to process the rind and other stuff.  Then I found a House & Garden recipe from 1962.  I stopped right there.  So giving credit where credit is due, of course, I did modify the recipe to meet the weight of the rind once cut.  Also, I added some extra spices to liven it up; and didn’t follow the traditional hot-bath jar process. Yes, it is a bit unconventional but yields a delicious “trendy” result – if I do say so myself.

Ingredients

4-6 C of pickling salt
6 pounds watermelon rind, with green skin & a little pink flesh
8.5 cups sugar
5 cups white vinegar
5 cups water
3 oranges, sliced very thinly
3 lemons, sliced very thinly
4 whole pieces of star anise

Pickling Spices & Fresh Ginger Root
5 sticks cinnamon
1 tablespoons whole allspice
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon fennel seed
1 tablespoon cardamom seed pods, crushed
1” piece of fresh ginger, julienne

Process

Cut a watermelon as you would usually. Scrape off any pink flesh from rind. Cut rind (both green & white) into ¼ to 3/4” squares. The objective is to get the pieces as close to the same size as possible.  Place cut rind into a deep non-reactive container. Cover with cold water & add the salt (salt to water ration is: 1/4 cup salt to 1 quart water).  Leave the rind in the salt water overnight.  The next day drain the rind & rinse with cool water. Place in a deep, non-reactive stock pot, cover with fresh water and cook 1/2 hour, or until just tender.  At this point the green skin may still be a little tough. That’s ok.  Drain rind again.  In same stock pot, stir together sugar, vinegar, water and fruit. 
Add all pickling spices and ginger root to the sugar mixture.  Begin to stir mixture thoroughly with a wooden spoon.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring semi-consistently until the sugar dissolves. Add watermelon rind and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the rind is translucent and the juices syrupy. Ladle hot mixture into sterilized preserving jars.  Cover each jar and seal.


Sterilizing Jar for Refrigeration

Run jars and tops through the dishwasher at high heat.  Take out of dishwasher with a clean cloth.  
Try not to touch the parts of the jar and tops that will be in direct contact with the pickles.
Pour hot pickles into a jar leaving a 1” gap at the top. Repeat for each jar.
Secure lids on each jar and tighten firmly.
Let cool then place into the refrigerator immediately.
This process is for refrigeration storage only.


Tips & Permissions

1. It is OK to leave a little bit of the pink or yellow flesh on the rind.  In fact, if a little of the pink is left it becomes brighter & adds a little pop of color to the pickles.
2. Rind can be cut any size you want-really.  It is contingent of how much cutting you want to do, how big your jars are & just plain preference.
3. Non-Reactive means using a tool or pan that with not react with acids-no aluminum or uncoated iron.  Can use stainless steel, Pyrex (glass), coated metal.
4. If you do not like pickling spices in your pickles then place all spices in a cheesecloth bag.  Place in stockpot with all other pickling ingredients.
5. Please feel free to experiment with spices and herbs. In this recipe I used fennel seed which is unusual but adds a phenomenal flavor dynamic.  When trying out new spices and herbs always think about what works with the ingredient you are pickling.
6. I’ve always like to make my own spice combos.  That said, I think it’s important to know what a traditional pickling spice packet contains.  This is a general ingredient list for a traditional pickling spice packet: peppercorn, allspice, ginger (pwd), bay leaf, juniper berry, cardamom seed, dill seed, mace, coriander seed, mustard seed, cinnamon stick, cloves

Peach Tart - A Texas Hill Country Summer Dessert Recipe

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Oh the blessing’s of a Texas summer!! Thanks to my fab neighbors & a very wet spring, there were piles upon piles of sweet baby peaches to be had; right here in my hill country hood. These luscious tarts were made for a Chardonnay tasting I catered last week.

The recipe seems lengthy but is really quite simple just a few steps; plus you can buy your tart shells at your local gourmet market. Yip!

For the Peaches

3 medium size peaches, halved/pitted 1tsp white or brown sugar ½ tsp salt 1tsp extra virgin olive oil for the honey cream 2 8-ounces cream cheese, room temperature 6 ounces of golden honey Pinch of salt (optional) 1 package small to medium tart shells (a package of 12 works great for size) ½ jar of peach preserve peach prep.
Place prepped peaches into a medium size bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the peaches and mix so that the oil surrounds the peach halves entirely. Evenly sprinkle salt and sugar over peach halves. Heat a grill pan to high. Place peaches flesh side down, turn heat down to medium and cook until flesh becomes somewhat soft; about 2 minutes. Turn peaches over and cook until just soft. Peaches should be slightly charred and soft to touch but not falling apart. Take off heat and set aside on a sheet pan or tray. Cool completely. Once cool, slice the peach ½’s into ¼’s then 1/8’s then 1/16’s. These slices should be pliable but not falling apart. Set aside.

Honey Cream Prep

Place cream cheese in a mixing bowl and mix on medium with a paddle implement until smooth. Add honey while continuing to mix. Stop mixing and scrape down bowl. Continue to mix until all honey has been poured. Scrape down sides and place in a container that has an airtight seal. Set aside. tart shell prep Unwrap tart shells and line them up. Place up to 2 TBSP of honey cream into each shell. Spread honey cream evenly inside the shell with an offset spatula. putting tart together Place peach slices on top of the cream beginning from the inside outer edge of the tart circle.
Continue this process working from the outer edge in – overlapping the peach slices slightly until you come to the center. Take a small piece of peach or cut a small piece and fill in the center. It will eventually look like a peach rose. Set aside. glaze prep In a non-reactive saucepan, over low-heat, heat peach marmalade until just soft. Take off heat. With a wide brush – pastry brush, dip in marmalade, brush off excess on side of pan and gently brush over the peaches on each tart. Cool completely. Cover tightly and refrigerate tarts until needed. Take out up to an hour before serving and bring to room temperature.

Serve as is or with freshly whipped cream topping…maybe a little fresh mint from the garden. Eat with pleasure. Serves 8-12.

Summer in Austin, TX — Beat the Heat, Baby!

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I have visions of traveling food friends snug and bundled in warm scarves, coats, turtlenecks and wool pants. It snowed in Montreal, remember? This blog entry is dedicated to all my friends and colleagues coming to Austin, TX for the annual conference of the International Association of Culinary Professionals…in June.

You’re coming to Texas! And when I heard we were having our annual IACP conference here in Austin, I gave a little whoop and holler. Then I saw the June date and said aloud, “Wowza! It’s a bonus!”. Not only are we hosting you in our dear city, we’re treating you to the beginning of a grand old Texas summer.

You lucky devils you! Yesterday, May 23, 2011, I got into my car at 6:45pm. It was 104°.

So, from me to you here are 5 things to keep you comfortable, content and full of vigor. All the while, keeping you alert in your seminars and in the mood to celebrate our fabulous city.

Stay hydrated.
Keep the water flowing. Have a bottle with you as you walk about, take a tour and in your seminars. I would highly recommend keeping a few water bottles in your hotel room. Our tap water is just fine but it’s always great to have a cool bottle of water waiting for you. 
Few ideas:

* Fill you ice bucket with ice in the morning while getting ready. Push your water bottle into the ice and leave for the morning or day. It will be wet and the label will surely come off. However, it will be well worth having that cool, crisp and refreshing liquid flowing down your throat.
* Another is to take a wash cloth, roll it up and stick it in the ice along with the water bottle. When you return to your room, gently pull it out of the “ice-water”, wring out, wipe your face and wrap around your neck. It’s going to feel so good!

Dress comfortably with staying cool in mind.
Think fabrics & footwear that breathe like cotton, linen and open toe shoes. Certainly you want to bring a light jacket and/or sweater to have for your seminars (it might just be cool at the convention center). However, if you are touring or walking about town you definitely want to consider lightweight & light colored clothing. I know black is a favored color for travel (it’s mine for sure) , however, with that sweet Texas sun shining down plus added moisture it makes us hotter and sweat more! Who am I kidding; I’ll definitely being wearing something black-sleeveless and swirly preferably.

Eat & drink moderately and with passion.
How dare I presume to tell a food friend how to eat and drink? I know. But I’m going to do it anyway. 
I recommend you eat and drink what you want but do it in moderation. Austin’s heat and humidity creeps up on you. And there is nothing more miserable than eating too much then getting heat punched in the stomach once you step outside or into a vehicle. And let’s not forget waking up in a hot sweat. :->

Don’t forget sunscreen, sunglasses, hats and umbrellas.
Sunscreen-Super important no matter if you are in a car, bus or walking about town. Wear it to protect your skin. The humidity of course will be your friend helping keep your face dewy! That’s exciting, right?
Sunglasses – glare, wrinkles, hangovers (need I say more and did I just say hangover?!?!)
Hats & Umbrellas – I wanted to include this especially for those of you going to the Capitol and are touring. If it’s your first exposure to the sun this season a good wide brim hat or baseball cap will definitely protect top of the head and face. An umbrella will give you greater protection.

Bring a bathing suit.
The Hilton pool is going to start looking pretty good after a day or two. Or any hotel pool where you might be staying. You might even have an Austin food friend with a pool. Don’t be shy. Hitting that cool water (even though it might be kinda warmish now) after a long day of travel, walking, tours, eating, drinking, and talking is going feel really great-no matter the water temperature.

With all this said, we may have rain or it could be overcast. We might still have a Spring-like “cold” front come through which will lower the temperature to the 80’s. Yes, that’s cool in Austin.

So, with cool visions and a few ideas to implement in reality, I personally welcome you with open sunscreen drenched arms, a healthy dewy face and all the warm wishes a native Texan and Austinite can give. Keep cool, learn lots and enjoy yourself!