Baking watermelon
A while back I saw an article/recipe for baking watermelon -- the watermelon was cut into fillets and baked for a couple hours (IIRC). This was supposed to totally change the texture and give it an interesting and new taste/texture.
I cannot find the recipe now, and cannot find any other recipe similar to it.
This is not a recipe request, but rather a question about the technique: how would one go about baking watermelon (what temp/how long?) and what is the result? In what kinds of dishes would one use baked watermelon? Savory? Sweet?
(Note: I know this question is worded poorly and is slightly ambiguous. any help in rewording and working into a good SE question would be welcome!)
Best Answer
Here are a few references for cooked watermelon:
- (My blog) Herbivoracious, has a recent post showing how to sear and compress watermelon.
- Ideas In Food has a watermelon that is grilled, then cooked sous vide, and then scored and sauteed to resemble a duck breast.
- Modernist Cuisine has a recipe for watermelon bulgogi that involves a long dehydration
All of these methods produce quite a change in texture from raw watermelon.
Pictures about "Baking watermelon"
What does cooked watermelon taste like?
Cooking watermelon transforms its distinct granular texture into a slightly chewier texture, almost like raw tuna. The taste becomes less sweet and more savory/smokey!Can you grill watermelon in the oven?
Peel the watermelon & place them onto a lined baking tray. Sprinkle over the salt and then get the melons into the oven set at 200 degrees C for 90-120 minutes. Turn the melon over 2-3 times during cooking.What can I do with lots of watermelon?
Read on and discover the many ways you can make the most out of your watermelon and use up every drop:How do you roast watermelon rinds?
In a large bowl stir together watermelon rind, olive oil, Kosher salt and black pepper until rind is coated. Spread rind in a single layer onto baking sheet. Place in oven and roast 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes until rind is bite tender (not mushy), and browning.Roasted Watermelon
More answers regarding baking watermelon
Answer 2
I actually finally found the original source that I read oh-so-long ago. It was an article on Boston.com in which they featured a recipe from the chef at 51 Lincoln. The recipe can be found here, and while I can't seem to find the full article (it's behind a paywall now), it's discussed in a blog post here.
In short, you put the watermelon slices in a roasting pan, cover them in cream sherry and butter, cover with parchment paper and aluminum foil, and bake at 350 for 2 and a half hours.
The blog post mentions that the chef serves it with a "confit of tomatoes, eggplant chicharrones, and French feta", and that they typically sell out of the appetizer.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Rachel Claire, Rachel Claire, Ron Lach, furkanfdemir