Fresh Watermelon Salad with Ginger Mint Simple Syrup
Fresh Watermelon Salad with Ginger Mint Simple Syrup
With hot summer days come the desire for cool refreshing desserts that are light, sweet and utterly delicious. Perfectly sweet watermelon tossed with a mint and ginger simple syrup is one way to take ordinary to extraordinary! Plus, it’s a great impromptu dessert when unexpected guests or sweet-tooth’s come knocking!
Yield: 4 – 6 servings
Oven: N/A
Preparation time: 10 minutes + 20 minutes steeping
Cook Time: 5 minutes
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
1 whole seedless watermelon (approximately 3 1/2 pounds), peeled, cut into 2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint
Method:
1. In a small pot over medium heat, add water, sugar, ginger, and mint. Cook while whisking until sugar has dissolved, approximately 3 – 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow ginger and mint to steep for 20 minutes. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain mixture discarding ginger and mint reserving simple syrup.
2. In a medium size serving bowl, toss watermelon cubes with a portion of the simple syrup. Drizzle the remaining syrup to cover and finish with sliced mint to garnish.
3. Best served either room temperature or cold.
Kitchen Note: If time allows, let the watermelon “marinate” in the simple syrup for a few hours before serving tossing again right before serving.