Watermelon sugar 🍉
By Lindsay Christians, Cap Times food and culture editor
The fruits of summer are fleeting. Every shopper in the produce section of Woodman’s East on the fourth of July had a watermelon in their cart — I paid six American dollars for the smallest one they had. Once I got home, I whacked it open, pureed a cup, strained it smooth and set to making cocktails with Patrick. Of three variations, we settled on this recipe:
Watermelon “margarita” (serves 1)
- 2 ounces fresh watermelon juice
- 1 1/2 ounces tequila blanco (such as Espolòn)
- 1 ounce fresh lime juice
- 1/2 ounce mint simple syrup[1]
- Mint sprig, for garnish
- Salt/ ZĂłcalo rim (optional)
Shake watermelon juice, tequila, lime and simple syrup with ice in a shaker. Strain into a salt-rimmed rocks glass filled with ice and garnish with a mint sprig.
Now that we’re liquored up, happy July! Bumper boxes of veggies from our CSA farm have me on a rustic galette kick, starting with a turnip/beet galette with goat cheese and fresh mint. Susie Middleton wrote a foolproof recipe for tart dough that makes enough for two, so last night I freestyled with roasted carrots, caramelized onions, pesto, mozzarella and feta.
If the AC is on anyway, why not bake? I made dark chocolate sesame scones from “By Heart” while caramelizing scallion sauce, a savory condiment destined for noodles and grilled steak. Cherries are an insane $1.49/pound (!) at the store right now; I see clafoutis in my future…