I have several Southern community cookbooks that have recipes for watermelon barbecue sauce. I love the idea, and I have made every one of those recipes, but the results were never what I had hoped for. No watermelon flavor, or sickly sweet, or just bland. But the idea appeals to me so much that I have continued to tinker with the concept for years, and I finally hit on it. … [Read more...] about Watermelon Barbecue Sauce with Country Ribs
watermelon
Watermelon with Sweet Pesto
Watermelon and mint are a classic summer pairing. I love it in a sorbet or a sweet tea drink. But basil is a great match with melon as well, so I worked up this sweet pesto, with the herby, grassiness of basil and a little undernote of mint. It really is a fresh taste of the summer garden. Serve the watermelon however you like – in thin wedges, big chunks or pretty … [Read more...] about Watermelon with Sweet Pesto
Watermelon, Cucumber and Mint Sorbet
I generally think a cold slice of watermelon is the most refreshing treat on a hot summer’s day. I also cool myself off with a tall glass of water infused with cucumber. Blend these two together, add the summer taste of fresh mint and freeze them and consider yourself refreshed. This is just plain good, but also makes an elegant simple dessert for a dinner party. And you can … [Read more...] about Watermelon, Cucumber and Mint Sorbet
Watermelon Pie
Summer in the South, the heat, the humidity, is best dealt with by a cool slice of fresh watermelon. The thwack of a big knife slicing into the thick rind and the slurp as it cuts through the flesh is up there on the list of summer sounds with crickets humming and the sprinkler whirring. When I think of watermelon, I think of fireflies, because I remember summer evenings … [Read more...] about Watermelon Pie
Simple Watermelon Feta Salad
This is hardly a recipe, more like a set of instructions, but I wanted to share it before this long weekend of picnics and cookouts and gatherings, because it is so good and so simple and so perfect for this last official weekend of summer. I first had this in South Africa several years ago, as part of a big beautiful lunch spread at a safari camp. I was impressed by its … [Read more...] about Simple Watermelon Feta Salad
