Watermelon Boat Recipes

WATERMELON BOAT

Steps:

• Combine lemon juice, sugar and flour in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Stir 1/4 cup into eggs; return all to pan. Cook and stir for 15 minutes or until mixture coasts a spoon (do not boil). Cool. Fold in whipped cream; cover and chill until serving. , For watermelon boat, cut a thin slice from bottom of melon with a sharp knife to allow it to sit flat (see diagram at right). Mark a horizontal cutting line 2 in. above center of melon. With a long sharp knife, cut into melon along cutting line, making sure to cut all the way through. Gently pull off top section of rind. , Remove fruit from both sections and cut into cubes or balls; set aside. To cut decorative edge, place melon on its side. Position a 2-1/2-in. star cookie cutter against inside edge of melon, allowing only half of star to cut through rind (see diagram below). Use a mallet if necessary to help push cookie cutter through melon. , Insert a toothpick into flat edge of removed piece. Attach piece onto melon edge where last cut ends. Repeat cutting and attaching pieces until entire melon edge is completed. , In a large bowl, combine honeydew, cantaloupe, strawberries, grapes and watermelon; spoon into boat. Serve with dressing.

BOOZY WATERMELON PIRATE SHIP

Steps:

• Set the watermelon on its side (stem ends facing left and right) and cut off a small flat piece of rind so the watermelon is stable.
• Use the screw top of the rum bottle to trace a circle on the top of the watermelon. Cut out the circle to make a hole exposing the flesh. Tilt the watermelon on its side and press the bottle into the watermelon all the way up to the neck. Turn the watermelon back so the bottle is facing downward. Put the watermelon on a tray and refrigerate until all the rum soaks in, 12 to 24 hours depending on the density of the watermelon.
• To make the ship: Cut off the top half of the watermelon in one piece lengthwise, just above the stem. Use a melon baller to scoop out as many balls as possible from the top and bottom halves of the melon and put them in a large bowl. Scrape the top and bottom halves down to the rind with a spoon. The bottom half of the melon will be your ship.
• Use a paring knife to cut a notch about 1 inch deep and 3 inches wide on each side of the ship. Mark 4 evenly spaced portholes under each notch using an apple corer (don't press all the way through). Use a paring knife to cut out the marked circles.
• Toss the chunks of mango, pineapple and papaya (reserving the slices) with the watermelon balls in the large bowl and fill the boat. (If there is a little fruit salad leftover, use it to refill the boat as your guests eat.)
• To make the sails: Cut the top half of the watermelon in half lengthwise and use the pieces to make sails. From the center most curved sections of the rinds cut out two 3-inch square sails. Cut two 2-inch sails and one 1 1/2-inch sail from the remaining rind pieces. Trim the backs of the sail to make them neat, but leave them thick.
• Thread 3 of the sails onto a 12-inch wood skewer in this order: a 3-inch sail on the bottom, 2-inch sail in the middle and 1 1/2-inch sail on the top. Thread the remaining 2 sails on an 8-inch wood skewer with the largest sail on the bottom. Stick the skewers with the sails into the fruit, putting the 3-sail mast in the back.
• Use a paring knife to cut 4 small flags from the papaya slices. Stick a flag on the top of each skewer mast. Stick 2 toothpicks in the back of the boat and add a flag to each.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.

WATERMELON FRUIT BOWL

Steps:

• With a large, sharp knife, remove the top 1/4 section of the watermelon. With a melon baller, scoop flesh from inside of watermelon, removing as many seeds as possible. Leave 1/2 inch of flesh inside the shell of the watermelon. Scoop cantaloupe and honeydew in the same manner, removing as much flesh as possible, and discarding the rinds. Refrigerate fruits separately until ready to assemble.
• In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring water and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat, and continue stirring until sugar has completely dissolved. Add lemon zest, and set aside to cool.
• To serve, place watermelon balls, cantaloupe, honeydew, oranges, pineapple, strawberries, and grapes, in a large mixing bowl. Pour syrup over, and toss thoroughly. Transfer mixture to watermelon bowl, and serve. Set aside any fruit mixture that will not fit. There will be enough fruit to refill the bowl.

CARVED WATERMELON BOWL

Steps:

• To carve melon bowl, cut off top 1/4 of melon. Being careful not to cut through to melon, cut thin slice from bottom of melon so it will sit flat. Scoop out watermelon, leaving 1/2- to 1-inch-thick shell.
• Carve watermelon as shown in steps on right. Wrap melon bowl in plastic wrap to keep moist; refrigerate until ready to fill. At serving time, fill with cut-up fruit.

WATERMELON PIñA COLADA COCKTAILS

Steps:

• Cut the watermelon in half straight down the middle, and scoop out the flesh from both halves. Trim the base a little (be careful not to cut a hole in the bottom) so they sit upright.
• Put half the flesh in a small blender (saving the rest to eat, or for a second batch of punch) with all the other ingredients. When blended, pour the cocktail back into the watermelon halves, and add four straws. Pass them around.