©iStockphoto.com/Denise Kappa
If you want to make this basket to use as a fruit bowl, or even to serve the Watermelon Gazpacho, here’s how to do it. To get enough watermelon flesh for this month’s recipe, watermelon gazpacho, you’ll need the larger oblong variety. The cute, round, seedless mini melons won’t provide enough flesh. Besides, I don’t think the seedless varieties taste as good as the traditional ones, and I’ve never had one that was completely free of seeds anyway.
Place the watermelon on a clean kitchen towel. If you want, draw a line around the center lengthwise as a guide. Using a utility knife (with a blade at least 6 inches long and 1 to 2 inches wide), and starting in the center of the watermelon, push the knife in at least 3 inches deep at an angle to the line you’ve draw. Remove the knife and place the tip of the knife at the bottom of the first cut, with the blade facing away from you, like you are cutting the right side of a “V”.
Continue cutting “V”‘s all around the center of the watermelon until the entire line around the length of the watermelon is covered in “V”‘s. You should now be able to pry apart the 2 halves. You may have to use your knife to wedge it open, but you should be able to pull it apart with just a little elbow grease. Cut out chunks of the watermelon and as you get near the rind, you can use a spoon or a melon baller to scrape out the remaining flesh.
If the watermelon bowl is wobbly, slice off a piece on the bottom, so that it sits upright without moving.
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