Watermelon is the essence of summer. Bright, juicy, sweet and cooling - it is the whole enchilada. The quickest way to eat it would be to slice it into giant wedges and go to town on the red flesh as juice streams down your elbows. But we are humans and we love to evolve. It is our thing. A watermelon eaten as just a watermelon is not going to cut it forever. So we invent chocolate dipped melon popsicles and watermelon cakes and watermelon salad bowls and jellies and juices. Inspired by the brilliant combination of feta and melon in a salad, I invented this fun recipe for watermelon grilled cheese pizza wedges a few years ago and it has become a summer favourite in our home. It is the quickest, most delicious snack you can put together in a matter of minutes when you are hopping in and out of the pool on a hot day.
This recipe is basically a play on flavours. I wanted something salty and savoury to balance the sweetness of watermelon. So I went with a smokey sharp cheddar cheese. This brand is my favourite, I could eat chunks of it all day long. The pan toasted nuts, the fresh thyme and hint of pepper all add to the party that makes the watermelon truly shine. If you have a kitchen blowtorch, I suggest using that to melt and grill the cheese. If not, placing the wedges under a hot grill for a few minutes until the cheese melts is a good idea too, although this tends to warm the watermelon a bit. The blowtorch method keeps the watermelon cool, crisp and crunchy with the oozy cheese on top. Heaven!
Make it and share your creation with me on Instagram #cookrepublic. This is one pretty party pleaser!
Recipe
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Ingredients
- 12 watermelon wedges, approximately 1/2 inch thick
- fresh smoked cheddar cheese shavings
- fresh thyme leaves and sprigs
- ½ cup pistachio
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Toast pistachios in a frying pan over low-medium heat for a few minutes. Remove from heat and crush in a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
- Place watermelon wedges on a baking sheet. Top each wedge with cheese shavings and thyme leaves. Place under a hot grill for about 5-8 minutes until cheese melts and starts to turn golden. Alternatively, toast cheese with a kitchen blowtorch.
- Sprinkle the nut crumble over the watermelon triangles. Season with salt and pepper. Serve on a cheese board with sprigs of thyme.
Notes
omg this is so cute and clever
xx
kali
http://www.lovelaughexplore.com
I’ve never seen a recipe mix ingrediens like this!
This sounds like a great combination, I love adding watermelon to things and it goes so well with cheese in salads that I'll have to try this x
Looks nice. Pity I'm surrounded by snow and sleet at the moment. I'll just have to save this recipy for better times!
This sounds so good. Never would have thought this works, but I´ll try it when watermelon season is back.
Holy Moly. Delicious
This is so daring and beautiful. Almost like putting cheddar cheese on apple pie. Inconceivable! And yet, it makes so much sense. I want to try. But in like 6 months. It's winter here!