Saturday, June 9, 2012

When one has tasted watermelon, she knows what the angels eat (or drink)



Mark Twain said it best, but I wonder if he ever tasted the watermelons ripened under the Egyptian sun and fed from the waters of the Nile? 

My two friend Chris and Elke were visiting me in Cairo last week. I was really pleased to have them here, and I joined them on a day of sightseeing during which we visited the Citadel, the Khan el Khalili (a huge marketplace in the city), as well as Ibn Touloun Mosque. As we were driving between sights, I kept seeing carts of large, ripe watermelons everywhere I looked. Many of them had one or two prominently on display, sliced in half lengthwise so we could take a voyeuristic peek at its ruby red center with rows of black flecks sprinkled throughout.

I thought back to the lonely watermelon sitting in my fridge, longing to be cut into large juicy slices for munching and slurping on a hot, dusty day here in the desert. Our brain waves must have been overlapping, as Elke then mentioned how she was just thinking we needed to crack open that watermelon when we got home.

And that's exactly what we did. But three people hardly made a dent in that globe of juicy delight, which lasted through a post-sightseeing snack and an evening rooftop barbecue. I still had a few slices languishing in the fridge when I spied a recipe for a Watermelon-Lavender Martini in Self Magazine's June issue and knew that it was a match made in heaven. I think the angels were singing...

Watermelon-Lavender Martini

Makes 4 martinis, or two large ones if you're a lush
Modified from a Self Magazine recipe

8 packets Truvia sweetener (approx. 30 grams or 1 oz. if using the spoonable kind)
1/2 cup water
4 cups cubed watermelon, seeds removed
4 oz. vodka or gin (use a vodka distilled from potatoes if you're concerned about grain-distilled alcohols; substitute with soda water or citrus-flavored sparklingwater for a mocktail)
Ice cubes
4 sprigs lavender or 4 small pansies (optional)

Directions:

In a small saucepan, bring the sweetener, lavender buds and water to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the sweetener dissolves, about 1 minute.

Cool the infused syrup to room temperature, then strain it and discard the lavender buds.

In a blender, process the watermelon until smooth. Strain the juice into a large pitcher and then discard the pulp, or reserve it for popsicles or flavored ice cubes.

Add the infused lavender syrup and alcohol to the juice. Stir.

Put some ice cubes into a cocktail shaker, then pour 1/4 of the mixture in. Shake vigorously and then strain into a chilled martini glass. I chilled my glass by pouring some crushed ice into it and allowing it to sit for a few minutes. If you don't have a cocktail shaker, you can just add ice to the pitcher and stir. Serve within a few minutes though or you'll have a very watered-down cocktail.

Garnish with lavender sprigs or pansies if you got 'em. Savor the juicy watermelon goodness.

Repeat until the mixture's gone, or reserve the mixture in the fridge for a day or two until you're ready to drink it. Maybe your friends will be lucky and you'll share with them.


Note: I would consider this a rare splurge as watermelon contains a lot of sugar, about 10g per cup. Limit yourself to one martini if you're concerned about your sugar intake from fruit. You should also drink this with a protein-based meal to prevent your blood sugar levels from spiking.

What about the health benefits of watermelon? It contains large amounts of lycopene which is known for its antioxidant and cancer-preventing properties, as well as vitamins C & A. 


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