Melon season is upon us, and at grocery stores and farm stands around the state, these prized varieties of Colorado produce are delighting folks at picnics and patio dinners.
While slicing up melons and eating them straight — no chaser — is a pleasure in its own right, there are all manner of recipes featuring creative uses for watermelons, honeydews, cantaloupes, crenshaws and other types of the big, heavy fruit.
For Tim Kuklinski, chef de cuisine at in Larimer Square, melons are something of a time tunnel to his childhood.
“I’m a big fan of them,” he said on a recent morning as his crew prepped for the lunch service. “I grew up in Nebraska, where my mom had a really large garden. She grew more melons than we knew what to do with.
“I just love them. They remind me of being out by the pool.”
Rioja’s current menu features a salad composed of watermelon, heirloom tomatoes and feta cheese, a combination that might sound counterintuitive, but works beautifully with its combination of sweet, salty and acidic flavors.
“This is actually the recipe’s second run on the menu,” Kuklinski said. “It was one of those dishes that’s so delicious it stuck in our collective minds, so we brought it back.”
The fruit pops up on menus around Denver. At in the Lowry neighborhood, a watermelon salad with creamy burrata atop arugula is featured.
This was a tough spring in Rocky Ford, the southeastern Colorado community famed for its melons, particularly cantaloupes.
“Our picking season is about 10 days late this year,” said Michael Hirakata of , who expects to start harvesting this week. “We lost about 30 percent of our crop to hail in the spring, and then heavy rains delayed our replanting.”
But Hirakata, a fourth-generation farmer, likes what he’s seeing in his fields. (His processing plant serves about 120 acres, including his own and those of farmers who bring their crops to him for packing and shipping.)
“The amount of fruit on the vine looks good, and the size and consistency looks great. I think this is going to be a sweet crop.
“The anticipation is killing us,” he said with a laugh.
Picking out a proper melon is a bit of an art, one involving several senses: eyesight, hearing, smell and touch. (The sense of taste doesn’t come into play until after the melon has been cut into, an option that grocers generally frown on pre-purchase.)
Five tips for choosing a good melon
Look for defects. Are there any cracks, bruising, moldy patches or soft spots? The melon should first pass this eyeball test.
Check the skin color. When purchasing honeydews or watermelons, go with a dull-looking skin. Shininess is a tip-off to an underripe melon. Honeydews should be a pale lemon color, not too green. Muskmelons and cantaloupes should have a golden or orange color underneath the overlying “net” covering them. Skip melons with an underlying white or green color.
Size counts. Melons should be heavy for their size.
The tap test. Tap the melon with the palm of your hand. It should make a hollow sound.
Does it pass the sniff test? With honeydews and cantaloupes, push your fingers on the round section where the vine was attached. There should be some give and it should have a fresh, fragrant aroma.
One more thing: Always thoroughly wash a melon before cutting into it. Otherwise, the knife can push surface pathogens on the rind into the edible flesh. That was the case in the 2013 listeria outbreak that killed 33 people and sickened dozens of others.
William Porter: 303-954-1877, wporter@denverpost.com or twitter.com/williamporterdp
Smoky Melon Salsa
This recipe is a twist on traditional salsa, and pairs well with fish and poultry. It comes from “The Summer Table,” a cookbook by Lisa Lemke (Sterling Epicure) that was published in March. Serves 4.
Ingredients
1 pound seedless watermelon, rind removed
1 small red onion
¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
½ teaspoon smoky hot sauce, such as Chipotle Tabasco
1 tablespoon canola oil
¾ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
Flaked sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper
Directions
Cut the watermelon into cubes and place them in a bowl. Thinly slice the onion and add it along with the liquid smoke, hot sauce, canola oil and cilantro.
Mix everything and season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate the salsa for 20 minutes before serving.
Watermelon and Baby Heirloom Tomato Salad
This recipe was adapted from one created by Tim Kuklinski, chef de cuisine at Rioja restaurant in Larimer Square and is on the current menu. It’s a multi-process dish, but the results are worth it. Serves 6.
Ingredients
1 red watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes, scraps from trimming saved
1 yellow watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes, scraps saved
8 baby heirloom tomatoes, halved1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil1 teaspoon sea salt
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
1 jalapeño chile1 Fresno chile
3 ounces feta cheese
Micro basil, for garnish
Directions
Process the reserved watermelon scraps in a blender until smooth. Pass through a chinois, fine-mesh colander or 2 layers of cheesecloth to strain. Put the strained juice in a pot and reduce on low heat until thick. Allow to cool. In another bowl, toss the tomatoes with the olive oil and salt. Set aside.
Combine the sugar and water in a pot to make a simple syrup. Bring to a boil. Slice the chiles as thinly as possible, then add to the simple syrup and return to a boil, then turn the heat off and allow to steep for 10 -15 minutes. Remove the sweetened chiles; discard the syrup (or save if you wish for other recipes).
Place feta in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl periodically.
To assemble each serving of the salad, spread some of the whipped feta in the bottom of a bowl. Place 7 to 9 watermelon cubes on the feta, mixing the two colors. With a spoon, dot the watermelon reduction on each cube. Arrange the tomatoes around watermelon. Garnish with basil and sweet chiles.
Summer Melon Salad with Basil, Almonds and Goat’s Milk Yogurt
Adapted from “The New Mediterranean Table” by Sameh Wadi. (Page Street Publishing Co.) The goat’s milk yogurt can be bought in specialty grocers and Middle Eastern markets. Serves 8.
Ingredients
2 small summer melons (cantaloupe, honeydew, crenshaw or canary, preferably different colors)
½ small seedless watermelon
2 cups baby arugula
1 medium head frisee, green tips and white bottom parts trimmed
½ cup small basil leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup goat’s milk yogurt
¼ cup goat cheese at room temperature
3 tablespoons Marcona almonds tossed in olive oil, crushed
Directions
Scoop flesh from melons and cut into 1-inch cubes.
Just before serving, combine the arugula, frisee and basil in a medium bowl. Toss together with the lemon juice and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
In a medium bowl, combine yogurt and goat cheese and whisk until there are no lumps. Spoon the yogurt/cheese mixture onto a large serving platter and spread with the back of a spoon.
Mound the arugula salad in the middle and arrange the melons around the salad in an artful way. Top with the crushed almonds, which are available at specialty grocers. Season the melons with salt to taste. Serve immediately.
Chilled Cantaloupe Soup
This soup is a popular starter. Be sure to use a ripe cantaloupe for maximum sweetness and the best texture. Recipe by William Porter. Serves 4.
Ingredients
1 large ripe cantaloupe
3 lemons, juiced
1 cup apple juice
¼ cup cold water (optional)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Basil sprigs (optional)
Directions
Split cantaloupes in half. Scoop out seeds with a spoon and discard. Then spoon out cantaloupe flesh, using a shaving motion. You’ll want 3 packed cups of cantaloupe.
Place cantaloupe in a blender and add the apple and lemon juice. Puree until smooth, then add salt and black pepper to taste. Add the water if the mixture seems too thick.
Pour soup into a bowl and chill in the refrigerator before serving. Garnish each bowl with a basil sprig, if desired.
Watermelon, Feta and Mint Skewers
This recipe is from “The Yellow Table” by Anna Watson Carl. (Sterling Epicure). Be sure to use a firm block of feta so it doesn’t crumble when you skewer it. Serves 4.
Ingredients
8 ounces seedless watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1½ cups)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
8 ounces French or Greek block feta, cut into 1-inch cubes
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Directions
In a medium bowl, gently toss the watermelon with the mint. Thread the feta and watermelon onto toothpicks (put the watermelon on top and the feta on the bottom), then drizzle with olive oil and serve.
This can also be done ahead by cubing the watermelon and feta, then storing separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. An hour or so before serving, toss the watermelon with the mint, assemble the skewers and keep chilled until ready to serve. Drizzle with olive oil just before serving.
Campari-Melon Crush
This refreshing drink is perfect for the summer patio. The recipe comes from “The Summer Table” (Sterling Epicure). Makes 4 drinks.
Ingredients
1½ pounds seedless watermelon, rind removed
¾ cup Campari
¾-1¼ cups blood orange juice
6 cubes ice
Directions
Make sure all ingredients are very cold. Cut melon into large chunks. Mix the melon, Campari, orange juice and ice in a blender. Serve immediately in large glasses.
