“Ok, we can slice it up!” I said, eyeing the two halves of the watermelon.
“No!” he declared. “I show you!”
As we started the movie, he placed one half of the watermelon on a single plate with a spoon. He held the spoon downward and moved it around in circles ending with scooping motions.
“That is how I eat it.”
For years afterwards, we would cut up the watermelon into two halves. One half would be his. One half would be mine. If we did not finish, we put the halves back into the refrigerator. Then we would eat the watermelon until all that was left was a bowl made out of rind.
(I did learn that there was another method to eat watermelon.)
And so that was the word when I woke up and declared that it was watermelon sorbet to be made! I had read online that alcohol made the sorbet texture less icy. Yet alcohol is typically not in my cupboard—so I snuck some of the Mezcal from my roommate. It was the only alcohol in my kitchen that was clear.
To my surprise although there was so little alcohol, I could taste it with every lick of the sorbet. I don’t like the taste of alcohol so this was my least favorite so far. However, to the 10+ smiling faces I served in the next week, they loved this one the most. Lesson learned: a little alcohol goes a long way.
Watermelon! Mint! Alcohol! They all cried in delight.
Recipe
Adapted from Cookie and Kate.
4 pounds of watermelon, seeded and scooped into big chunks
1 tablespoons sugar
3 limes, juiced
1 tablespoon of tequila
1 cup of packed mint
pinch sea salt
Blend the watermelon chunks, sugar, lime juice, and tequila in a blender. If the watermelon cannot fit at once, blend in parts. Pureé the watermelon until there are no solid chunks left. Add mint to the mixture. Blend until the mint is thoroughly chopped.
Stir in a bowl if not everything can fit into the blender at once. At a pinch of sea salt and mix to combine.
Chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Freeze in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The sorbet will be very soft in the machine so let harden in the freezer for a few hours before serving.
Written in July 2012