Sorbet à la Sicilienne

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5-inch (13 cm) utility knife or small chef's knife
• •Long-handled stainless-steel tablespoon
• •Small bowl to steady the melon
• •Shallow rimmed platter at least 12 inches (30 cm) wide
• •4 sherbet glasses or coupes

Instructions

1. 1

   Chill the melon through

   Wash and dry the whole watermelon, then refrigerate it for three full hours. Keep it on a low, cold shelf rather than in the freezer; the flesh must become thoroughly cold without freezing, which would make it watery once cut. During the final hour, place four sherbet glasses or coupes in the refrigerator.

2. 2

   Cut the top cleanly

   One hour before serving, steady the cold melon on a folded towel and cut a neat cap, about 4 inches (10 cm) across, from the top. Angle the knife slightly inward so the cap cannot fall through the opening, then reserve it. Set the melon upright in a snug bowl while you work; a rolling watermelon and a sharp knife have no business negotiating with one another.

3. 3

   Seed and loosen pulp

   Use a long-handled stainless-steel spoon to remove every visible seed. Slide the spoon between the ruby flesh and the pale inner rind, detaching the pulp all around without lifting it from the fruit, then divide it inside the shell into generous, irregular spoonfuls. Work gently and never scrape through the rind. If you puncture it, ça se rattrape: leave the melon in its snug bowl, collect any escaped juice, and divide that juice among the glasses when you serve.

   The original silver spoon was a nonreactive, elegant service tool. Modern stainless steel does the same work cleanly; a melon baller removes the flesh, which is precisely what this method forbids.
4. 4

   Add the maraschino

   Sprinkle the maraschino evenly over the loosened pulp, letting it run between the pieces without stirring them to a mash. Replace the cap and return the whole fruit to the refrigerator for exactly one hour. If the melon releases plenty of juice, keep it. That cold, maraschino-scented liquor belongs in the glasses with the fruit.

5. 5

   Build the ice bed

   Just before serving, mound the crushed ice in a shallow rimmed platter and press a hollow into its center. Nest the capped watermelon upright in the ice, using a small bowl or support ring beneath it if necessary. Crushed ice is the honest home equivalent of the original fractured or carved block: it holds the melon securely and preserves the deep chill without turning service into sculpture.

6. 6

   Spoon it at table

   Carry the melon to the table on its ice bed, lift off the cap, and spoon the pulp before the diners into the chilled sherbet glasses. Give each serving generous pieces of watermelon and some of the clear pink juice gathered at the bottom of the shell. Serve immediately, while fruit, glass, and spoon are all properly cold. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a ripe watermelon with a dark green rind, firm skin, and plenty of weight for its size. Green describes the outside, not under-ripeness; maraschino can perfume good fruit, but it cannot supply the sweetness an immature melon lacks.
• •Use clear maraschino liqueur distilled from cherries, not the red syrup from a jar of cocktail cherries. The liqueur is dry, fragrant, and faintly almond-scented, while the syrup would turn the melon sticky and overwhelm its freshness.
• •A small melon is essential to the home scaling. It chills more evenly in the prescribed three hours, fits an ordinary refrigerator, and gives four proper dessert portions without leaving a hollowed fruit to languish overnight.
• •Serve soon after the final one-hour rest. A longer maceration softens the pulp and draws out too much water; this dish wants cold, distinct spoonfuls rather than a bowl of fruit soup.
• •The maraschino remains uncooked, so the finished dessert contains alcohol. Serve it only to guests for whom that is suitable.

Advance Preparation

• •Begin at least 4 hours 20 minutes before dessert: chill the whole melon for three hours, allow about 20 minutes to open and prepare it, then give the maraschino-scented pulp its final one-hour rest.
• •The glasses may be chilled and the ice crushed during the final hour. Keep the ice frozen until the platter is ready so it remains dry and structural rather than melting around the fruit.
• •Once the melon has been opened and perfumed, serve it after the prescribed hour rather than holding it through the day. Refrigerate any remaining fruit promptly and eat it within 24 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 330g)