Sunday, August 1, 2010

Thank You & Watermelon 2 Ways
















Recently, I was surprised to find that myself, along with three fellow bloggers, were mentioned on Bo's wonderful blog, Bo's Bowl.
Bo, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I'm truly grateful.

The experience of blogging has been nothing short of inspiring to me. The kindness and generosity and support I've experienced since being a part of the blogosphere resonate with me in a way no other online social medium has been able to. In an age where things that once held meaning have been relegated to ephemeral, inconsequential, and ultimately, disposable, I find that blogging has been able to transcend the mishegoss and tap into the pulse of others' because to keep people in tune with what you're doing, sharing, writing about, you're only asked to adhere to one rule, do it from the heart. Whether you're observant & witty, bemused & random, open & healing, cooking, eating, photographing, reviewing, traveling, Sunday cat(ting), anecdotal, and on ad infinitum, I appreciate everything you do, because you do it with heart.

Watermelon & Feta Salad

One morning my grandmother comes downstairs and starts "Terri..." (Terri is what she calls me even though she knows I hate, loathe, strongly dislike, would rather be called Terrianne or "T", or given my druthers, Ree, as it goes). So, "Terri," she says, "I was watching 'Chopped' last night (on The Food Network), and one of the contestants made a watermelon salad." She continued. "The judges said it was one of the best things they've ever had."
Although I had heard of watermelon salad before, the concept of combining fruit with something salty/ savory like feta or vinaigrette is faily new to me.
Re: Strawberry & Spinach Salad
I'm all about trying new things, so I began by making a watermelon salad that consisted on red onion, mango, feta, basil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. I'll be honest, I really did not like it. In fact, I only ate the feta and threw the rest away. And I never like to throw food away! Not one to give up easily, I tried the salad again with just watermelon, feta, basil (you could also use mint) and a drizzle of fresh lime juice. Though the flavor was an improvement over my former endeavor, I still did not like and ended up only eating the feta.



















In the end, even though this salad wasn't to my taste, I'm always glad for a new experience.
















The same cannot be said for the watermelon-vodka sorbet, which I adored! As much as I love Alton Brown and his erudite approach to cooking, and how much I learn from that, I found the original call for 1 & 1/4 cups sugar excessive, so I cut it down by more than half. As fruit varies in sweetness, I suggest starting with 1/2 cup sugar and adding more if necessary. But please, whatever you do, make this!

Watermelon-Vodka Sorbet

Recipe courtesy and Adapted from Alton Brown

















2 heaping cups diced watermelon, muskmelon or honeydew

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons vodka

1/2 cup sugar, more to taste if necessary

Directions:

Add melon to bowl of food processor and process until liquefied. To liquefied watermelon, add in freshly squeezed lemon juice, vodka, and sugar, process until completely blended, about 30 seconds. Pour mixture into air-tight container and refrigerate until cold, about an hour. Once the mixture has chilled, pour into ice cream maker and churn or according to machine's directions. Place churned mixture in freezer and allow to freeze at least 4 hours before serving.
















If NOT using an ice cream maker, pour mixture into freezer safe bowl, cover securely and place in freezer. Every hour, remove from freezer and stir to break up ice crystals until mostly frozen. Allow mixture to continue freezing until ready to serve.

18 comments:

  1. This sorbet sounds just amazing, a definite on my list. I also do not think I would like water melon as a salad, does not appeal!

    I also have to agree, blogging has been a wonderful experience and I have made so many new 'friends'. Diane

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  2. Hi Diane, So nice to meet you. The sorbet was divine. I ended up having so much watermelon left-over that I made it twice in two days!

    I'm glad to know I'm not alone. There are a lot of wonderful people out there in the blogosphere.

    I'm looking forward to your blog. I'll be by for a visit very shortly. =)

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  3. You are so welcome...I was glad to mention your blog...I enjoy reading it! I'm glad to see you have had some new visitors too.

    I'm not a fan of watermelon salad either...I prefer my watermelon plain or in sorbet.

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  4. Ree, I am not sure how things happen in Paris as it is the capital and a very large city. It is I think a department of its own which is 75 and so far as I know called the Isle de France. It is also the economical and commercial heart of France, there are many types of industries and services surrounding the capital city.

    France is divided into 22 administrative regions, which are then divided into departments. Each region has its own character, traditions, cuisine and even French dialects.
    Here in the country Charente is the department (16), I guess similar to like you have states. Massignac is a small village in the Charente.

    We live in a hamlet which consists of 12 houses, but we come under a commune, which is a small town or village in which the most important person is the mayor. This covers a number of hamlets. Charente has a large number of communes. My explanation maybe is not very clear but it is hard for me to explain. The mayor here is a VIP in that he has a say in everything that goes on. Any changes in roads, buildings or drains has to be passed by him. He is a good person to keep as a friend!! I hope this helps. Diane

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  5. And I am very grateful he mentioned your Blog, that`s how I got to see and enjoy your great work.
    Another winner ♥

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  6. Hey -- i was in Scottsdale, AZ, a few years ago, and the resort i was staying at served a watermelon, feta, and jalepeno salad. it was great -- sweet, salty, and hot, all at once. I hereby volunteer to eat your food attempts that you want to throw away. Those salads look good to me!!

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  7. eeeeewwwww! ;) LOL!! You knew I'd have to say that, right!? But seriously, I can deal with watermelon when it's mixed with booze...so YUMMMMY!! I'm all up for that sorbet =) (sooo...what about Ree? si or no? prefer T?)

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  8. Too bad that recipe did not work for you, thanks for posting anyways. I love what you wrote about the blog world. I have also enjoyed learning about new people, reading their journaled experiences and the raw honesty that they expose while blogging. Thank you!

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  9. Hi! Can I call you Ree too? I followed the sign from Bo's blog and ended up here:D
    Beautiful blog with lots of photos to drool over! Watermelon is very easy to come by over in this part of the world...I hope to try this sorbet very soon:D cheers!

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  10. I know your blog via Bo's bowl, you have a lovely blog, will follow u.See you soon.

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  11. Um, I think I need to get this watermelon vodka in my life!

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  12. Beautifully written paragraph re: the blogosphere. I have seen that watermelon / feta combo popping up all over the blogosphere lately. You are the first one who didn't rave about it. I still want to try though. The sorbet sounds awesome!

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  13. The watermelon sound refreshing! It must be sweet (melon) and savory (cheese)?

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  14. That sorbet sounds incredible!
    And my apologies if this sounds too 'self promoting' but I make a version of the watermelon-feta salad that everyone loves in my family... here's the recipe if you ever decide to try it again!

    http://everydaychampagne.blogspot.com/2010/05/red-fruit-salad-with-basil-and-feta.html

    p.s. Bo is the reason why I follow your blog now, he was totally right!

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  15. My husband puts salt on his watermelon so the idea of a sweet and salty watermelon salad would appeal to him. I am glad I am following your blog so I know what not to do if I attempt to make a watermelon salad.

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  16. wow!!so refreshing..looks fabulous..

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  17. Ree, this is for sure one of my favourite
    summer salads. And watermelon sorbet is something I haven't tried yet...wish I had reserved some of watermelon I bought last week to try your sorbet recipe.

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  18. Watermelon vodka sorbet? Oh yes. How could that be bad?!? I will continue to feed my frozen treat addiction. ;)

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