Watermelon Vinaigrette
From
Michele Jordan, "This dressing illustrates perfectly my approach to
both flavors and textures. I prefer pure, pristine flavors and lean,
bright textures that allow such flavors to sparkle on the palate. Most
often, I select a single major ingredient and add other ingredients to
support it, not eclipse it. Watermelon vinaigrette has become quite
popular in the past decade or so; there are even commercial versions.
Yet I've never had one that actually tasted like watermelon. boldly
flavored ingredients like red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar or hone
eclipse the delicate taste of watermelon, as do such additions of cream,
sour cream and créme fraîche. And when it comes to technique, I never,
ever put watermelon in a blender or food processor, as it becomes
foamy, a quality I find unpleasant and imossible to correct. If you
love good watermelon in season-for me, that means late summer and
fall-you should love this vinaigrette."
And love it we did!
Makes about 1 1/4 cups
1 cup fresh watermelon juice (see note)
1 Tbs minced red onion
1 tsp minced and seeded serrano or jalapeño chile
1 Tbs freshly squeezed lime juice or best-quality white wine vinegar
2 tsp simple syrup
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbs fruity olive oil
1 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
Black pepper in a mill
Put
the juice in a small bowl or jar, add the onion, chile, lime juice,
simple syrup and salt and stir. Taste, and correct for salt and acid.
Stir in the olive oil, add the cilantro, and season with several turns
of black pepper. Chill for 30 minutes before serving. This vinaigrette
is best the day it is made.
Notes:
For 1 cup watermelon juice, you'll need about 2 1/2 cups diced
watermelon. Simply cut open a melon, scoop out the flesh, and cut it
into small dice. Put the diced watermelon into a strainer set over a
deep bowl and stir the watermelon now and again as it drains, 20 to 30
minutes. Occasionally crush the watermelon gently with the side of as
spoon, but do not press it through the strainer. Strain the juice
before using.
Simple syrup, sold in many stores as bar syrup, is easy to prepare at home.
to
make it, combine equal quantities of granulated sugar and water in a
saucepan set over high heat. Do not stir. Simmer until the sugar is
dissolved and the liquid is entirely clear, not cloudy, 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove from the heat, let cool, pour into a bottle or jar, and
refrigerate. Stored properly, simply syrup keeps almost indefinitely.
Best
Uses for Watermelon Vinaigrette: Beet carpaccio; halibut carpaccio
with microgreens; halibut gravlax, arugula and feta salad, salad of
julienned jicama, carrots, and radishes, salad of fried haloumi cheese
with arugula and toasted pine nuts; fruit salad with whipped ricotta.
Liv Life Note: Our salad consisted of baby arugula, red onion, watermelon pieces and crumbled feta topped with Michele's Watermelon Vinaigrette. I topped mine with additional black pepper.
