Watermelon is another one of those foods I have to have in the summer. Unfortunately I usually see them at the highway-robbery flat-price of $3.99 and up for a melon smaller than a soccer ball. So I was thrilled to find a normal-sized fruit—round, not oblong—not too big, not too small—for the bargain price of 19 cents a pound. "Score!" I thought as I happily searched for the darkest-green variety with a large yellow spot (which means it actually ripened on the vine, on the ground instead of in storage) that sounded full-bodied but hollow when I thumped it. I didn't realize until the clerk checked me out that my little "baby" was 20 pounds of fleshy, watermelon goodness—quite a feat for two people to polish off when they're leaving for vacation in a week!
But we will do it. Eating it by the slice and chunk, plain and on top of cottage cheese. And when I started slicing heirloom tomatoes and pairing it with fresh mozzarella rounds, I thought, "Why not watermelon, too?"
So here's a fresh take on Caprese salad that's as beautiful as it is delicious, though if your watermelon isn't tasty, sweet, and succulent to begin with, this isn't going to help much. More on that in a later post.
Watermelon Caprese Salad
© 2009 Mallory McCreary/SnobbyAvocado.com
2 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced
1 round slice of watermelon, approximately 1/2-inch thick and 7- to 10-inches in diameter
Fresh mozzarella, sliced
Fresh basil leaves
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Choose a biscuit cutter (or empty metal can) that is roughly the same diameter as your tomato slices. Cut out watermelon circles. If they are too thick, slice depth in half with a knife.
Place a round watermelon slice, tomato slice, mozzarella slice, and a basil leaf on the edge of a round plate so that their edges overlap each other. Repeat with remaining slices in the same order: watermelon, tomato, mozzarella, basil, until plate is full. Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle a few torn basil leaves across the plate.
Serves 2 to 4 as a first course. Need more? Add more slices!
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