Trio of Melons with Lemon Curd and Mango Coulis

           Eventually it’s March! And it is the beginning of mango season in India! A week ago I yielded to temptation to buy the first hardly ripe, a bit pale and not so sweet mangoes (which tasted good anyway!) and today I was in gastronomic euphoria when I was enjoying every succulent bite of Alphonso for breakfast!

           Mango… The king of fruits…. There are so many amazing things one can make with it! Sauces, salsas and glazes for the meat, fillings for the crepes, toppings for the cakes, garnishes for mousses and parfait, nothing to say of enjoying this juicy fruit on its own. Blissful delight – we are up for it for the following couple of months!

           Last year one of the most amazing desserts that I’ve managed to make with mango was called “Trio of melons”. The recipe was found in Elle magazine – in one of the last pages which I usually look through first (a weird habit, I know, but I believe I’m not the only one who “reads” women magazines in such a way!). Since I had just got my parisienne scoop (a cute piece of kitchen equipment I was craving for) and was in a mood of making scoops out of everything, the dish was a perfect choice.

           The dessert turned out to be very delicate and light: juicy melon balls, refreshing touch of mint, tangy kick of curd with subtle flavour of vanilla and – the hero of the dish: Alphonso coulis, irresistably delicious and more-ish, that brought all the elements of the dish together and made them transform into a beautiful unforgettable combination. I’m looking forward to making the dessert this year again!

Watermelon, Radish and Rocket Leaves Salad

        Yesterday my mum looked through my last posts in the blog and said: “Wow! That looks so beautiful! But what about the taste?” I was a bit taken aback. Seriously, I don’t think she has any grounds for being skeptical about this issue since I cooked a lot of different things when I stayed at my parents’ place during the vocation and none of them had said a critical word about my food – only the praising ones. Besides, I don’t think it is ethically right to write a post about a dish that turned out to be a failure, even if it looks picture perfect. I guess now you are wondering: “How does it all refer to the watermelon salad?!” Well, this salad was not a failure but, to say true, I didn’t find it to be a “wow-dish” and thus started to consider whether I should put a post about it in the blog. 

            The recipe is by an Indian Chef Floyd Cardoz who won previous year’s Top Chef Masters show. The salad, as he explained, was his take on watermelon chaat. I changed it slightly by omitting that chaat masala that basically gives this continental-looking dish an Indian flavour: for me black pepper and ginger was more than enough for providing the heat. Actually the aroma of coriander and mint and the traditional combination of sweetness coming from the melon, sourness from the lime and saltiness from the capers reminded me more of Thai cuisine. Strange as it may sound, I’m a big fan of Thai cuisine and I absolutely adore watermelon, radish and rocket leaves but for me the whole dish didn’t seem to be balanced and impressive.

            After a thorough consideration of the whole situation I eventually decided to write about this salad. It was not a complete failure after all and the fact that I didn’t like the dish doesn’t mean that there aren’t people who may do. I for one wouldn’t go for it again but – I’m sure – some gourmands will find it quite more-ish and will even appreciate a sprinkle of chaat masala on the top of it!