Melon Starter

[Im a BusyBee]

I am cooking for friends tomorrow night and wanted to do a melon starter, i dont have one of those things that make melon balls so how shall i serve and present it? any ideas will be good. thank you.

[joannie10]

just thin slices laid out in a fan I would think. are you doing with parma ham - or perhaps a little raspberry sauce or something? just a suggestion

[Im a BusyBee]

i have no idea what im doing!! i asked what starter they would like and the answer was melon, although i would prefer other things im happy to do it but because i wouldnt choose it i have no idea what to do with it! im sure i could serve it with parma ham. thanks for that

[BigMac]

Small, Ogen melons are often served soaked in port. Halve a melon, scoop out the pips and pour in half a glass (say 100ml) of port and leave to soak in. Can do the day before and leave in the fridge overnight. Half a melon per person.

Honeydew melons (this is very tacky and 1970s) cut into slices (halve lengthwise then cut lengthwise again - 2-4 pieces, depending on the size); slice an orange; open a jar of Maraschino cherries; fold over the orange slice, putting a cocktail stick through the peel/pith side and top off with a cherry; insert into melon slice. Ships with sails!!

Buy three differnt types of melon. Halve, remove the pips/pith and cut out the flesh into cubes. Mix together in a large bowl and add, say, a glass of Cointreau or Kirsch. Allow to marinate overnight and serve in bowls with some creme fraiche.

Carpaccio of melon with parma ham and figs: take any melon, halve lengthwise and remove the skin; then slice thinly (see-through if possible). Interleave parma ham and melon slices on a plate and serve with a fig (halved) or some fig jam.

But - enjoy whatever you do. If you have melon left, dice it and use as the base for a fruit salad served with high-quality vanilla ice-cream.

[BBWCHATT]

http://www.astray.com/recipes/?search=melon

How about melon kebabs - alternating between the different melons - the colors would be beautiful. Strawberries would be nice too.

[Im a BusyBee]

thanks for all your help. I used parma ham and figs - was much enjoyed! i am making fresh fruit salad this weekend bigmac, i shall post another question regarding the liquid to use for it and also how to stop fruit browning - perhaps you could possibly help me with that?