Summer Watermelon Recipes
Some of you were wanting watermelon recipes since we got 1 watermelon with every rescue box. Lol, I had three watermelons. We gave one to a lady who was affected by the fire outside of Greer. As for the others, we always eat as much as we can while they are still juicy and fresh. What do you do with them when they are a little mushy, but they haven't spoiled yet? We make Watermelon Sherbet, Watermelon Lemonade, and Watermelon Fruit Leather.
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When my son was little, we had this soccer ball that you filled with ice and salt, and it had a center chamber that could hold ice cream. My son and his friends would kick it all over the place, making their own ice cream. Well, now he is grown, and I can't seem to convince him and his friends to kick it around for ice cream anymore. I have a Breville Ice Cream Maker, and in the summer, I usually make something at least once a week. Last week, it was my Mexican Chocolate Gelato. This week I'm making Watermelon Sherbet.
I am always asked what the difference is between Sherbet and Sorbet. Sherbet is a mix of juice, milk, and sometimes eggs, whereas sorbet is usually just juice. I just love the hint of cream with whatever juice I am using, so I usually make sherbet. First off, blend your mushy watermelon and strain out the pulp.
Put all of your pulp on a small baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper. I have a commercial dehydrator with shelves to add trays. If you have a smaller dehydrator that came with a fruit leather insert, just pour the pureed pulp onto the fruit leather sheet. Dehydrate it at 140 degrees for 4-6 hours. Start checking after four hours to make sure it doesn't dry out too much. I don't add sugar to the pulp. To me, watermelon is extremely sweet on its own. Sweeten with sugar if you like. When it's done, you can cut them into individual servings or leave them whole. Use another piece of parchment paper and roll it up, just like a fruit roll-up. Store in a storage bag until you are ready to eat them.
Part of the juice I make my sherbet with. The rest is reserved for watermelon lemonade. For those who know me, I stress the quality of the ingredients. It really shows in any type of frozen treat. With this recipe, I either use homemade coconut milk (let me know if you would like a recipe) or I buy Danzeisen Dairy's milk from American Arrow Beef Company. My eggs come from my chickens.
Watermelon Sherbet
1 cup milk or half and half(if using coconut milk or milk add 1 tbsp coconut oil)
1/2 cup raw sugar
4 egg yolks
1 1/2 cup watermelon juice
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp agar agar plus 2 tbsp water to dilute it in
pinch of pink salt
2 tbsp Coconut Flakes (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp whipped cream vodka
Yes, for those of you who follow me on Instagram or Facebook, this is the third thing I have used my new-to-me waffle cup maker on. It's only an addiction if you can't stop. I honestly like to try to do multiple things with any machine I buy. Like I make soup or apple sauce in my Miomat milk maker besides milk. I am curious if I could make a bread bowl for soup. I will let you know if that happens.
As for the sherbet. In a large bowl add the watermelon juice, egg yolks, honey, diluted agar agar, and salt. In a saucepan over medium heat, add your milk and sugar. Heat the milk mixture for 10 minutes, make sure it's steaming, not boiling. You want to thicken the milk slightly and make sure the sugar is completely dissolved. I take about 1 cup of the milk mixture and add it to a Pyrex measuring cup. I slowly pour it into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. I usually add a few drops at a time. This is called tempering the eggs, and it keeps them from becoming scrambled eggs. Then use a spatula to scrape the egg mixture back into the saucepan. Cook for 10 minutes. Sadly, unlike ice cream or gelato, this won't coat a spoon to show you that it is done. Don't worry, that is why I added the agar agar. The consistency will be just like any store brand. Add the vanilla and place in an ice cream container. Chill for at least 4 hours. I forget about mine half the time, and it usually goes overnight. Start precooling your ice cream maker. Mine has a bell when it's time to add the sherbet. Add the whipped cream vodka, mix, and pour into the machine. I select the highest Sorbet setting just under the first frozen yogurt setting. At the mix-in stage, add the coconut flakes if you like. When it's done, chill in the freezer for at least two hours before eating.
So, for some, there are some ingredients that look odd. Anyone who had this at my house last year will remember that it was a little icy. My AI and I have made this multiple times until we got the recipe right, adding the coconut oil for a creamier texture when using milk. I used Danzeisan Dairy's 2% milk because it tastes like most dairy's whole milk. I've also tried using homemade coconut milk using unsweetened dried coconut and water. The coconut oil makes up for the missing fat of not using half and half. Same with agar agar, which is a plant gelatin made from seaweed; it also helps give it a smoother texture. The honey and whipped cream vodka keep the sherbet from getting icy. For those of you who don't believe me, honey raises body temperature...just remember it keeps sherbet from getting icy. Last summer, I was already using the vodka. It stopped icing up when I added the honey.
Watermelon Lemonade
1 cup of lemon juice
1 cup raw sugar (kapha 1/2 cup raw honey)
8 cups of cold water
1 cup of watermelon juice
Ice for serving
Fresh mint or basil to garnish
First, make a simple syrup with the sugar and 1 cup of the water. Heat the sugar and water over medium heat until the sugar dissolves completely. Let cool. Roll the lemons or limes on the counter to release the juice. Juice the lemons and strain out the seeds. In a large container, combine the lemon and watermelon juice, simple syrup, or honey, and water together. Let it chill for 2 hours. Serve with ice and either mint or basil to garnish. Another idea is that you can carbonate this in a Sparkle bottle with a Sparkle machine. Currently, I absolutely love this carbonated. If you haven't heard about the Sparkle machine, it doesn't require a CO2 tank like a Soda Stream. Instead, it has a chamber where you add citric acid and baking soda to carbonate whatever you like. There are videos on YouTube that tell you how much of each to add instead of using the prepackaged packages of citric acid and baking soda that the company sells. It's approximately a tbsp of each.
Of course you have to pickle the rind. If you are skeptical, they taste just like sweet cucumber pickles.
You can never be melon-choly in the summertime.
- Unknown
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