Watermelon mould
Serve with pear puree for a little added sweetness, or serve with a dollop of whipped cream. Watermelon mould is a classic dish from Sicily (gelo di melone), where it is particularly popular in Palermo. It is traditionally served sprinkled with little dark chocolate drops, symbolising the watermelon seeds.
Ingredients
- 1 medium sized watermelon, cut in half, flesh scooped out (keep the empty hald shells)
- 100 g caster sugar
- 70 g corn starch
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch of ground clove
- optional: little shot of maraschino (Italian liqueur)
- optional: small dark chocolate drops
Method
- Blend watermelon flesh until almost liquid, pass through a fine-meshed sieve. Use about 1 l of the blended watermelon flesh.
- In a small bowl, whisk corn starch with a few tbsp of watermelon liquid until smooth.
- In a saucepan, bring blended watermelon, sugar, cinnamon and clove to the boil. Add the corn starch mixture and continue boiling the mixture for a couple more minutes with constant whisking / stirring, until mixture starts thickening. Remove from heat, add liqueur (if using), mix well. Transfer to the two empty half watermelon shells (or any other bowl, or small bowls). Cover with clingfilm, set aside to let cool, then refrigerate for several hours (or overnight), serve chilled.