Here's a terrific dessert for your end-of-summer dinner party. Watermelon (Sandía) and Mexican lime are a natural in Mexican agua fresca, of course, but the addition of Italian Campari may give you pause. Fear not. It harmonizes beautifully. The right proportions and blending make this a truly complex bitter-tart-sweet, grown-up dessert. Glazed Spearmint adds contrast both in texture and color. Italy's Campari was already connected to Mexico because until 2006 its color used to come from the crushed Cochineal beetle that lives in the nopal, cactus of Mexico and Latin America.
I first saw the Watermelon-Campari combination in an egg-based savory sorbet featured in the new book, "Cocina de Autor,"
by Ecuadorian Chef Santiago Chamorro. I look forward to seeing him at
the upcoming CIA Latin Flavors, American Kitchens conference and discussing how global our kitchens have become. Recipe: (serves 4)
Ingredients
4 cups watermelon cubes
2 1/2 Tbspn Mexican lime juice
1 1/2 fl oz simple syrup (make simple syrup by combining equal parts sugar and water and heating until fully dissolved)
3 oz Campari
12 Spearmint leaves
For mint glaze:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp corn syrup
The method is really very simple. It's actually the ratio/proportion and balance of the ingredients that is critical. So, just blend all the first four ingredients until totally smooth and freeze, stirring occasionally, until the sorbet freezes completely. Scoop into sorbet dishes and garnish with the glazed Spearmint. I love this dessert.
To glaze the Spearmint leaves, heat the three ingredients in a small pan. Using a candy thermometer, heat gradually to the soft ball stage, 235º F, and remove from heat. When it cools down, dip the mint leaves, shake off excess and place them on a platter until you are ready to garnish. These add a wonderful finishing taste to the sorbet.
