Frost melon (watermelon) Quick and easy recipe

The Frost Melone (watermelon) is a typical Sicilian fresh spoon dessert; generally it is prepared in mid-August and in Palermo also for the feast of Santa Rosalia (4 September). The "frost" indicates the consistency similar to gelatin obtained by extracting the juice of the watermelon with the addition of corn starch and a short cooking of 7-8 minutes. The basic recipe of "frost of mellone" (in Palermo dialect) involves the use of 3 ingredients: watermelon, corn starch and sugar, some also add spices much loved in Sicily such as cinnamon and jasmine essence, I prefer the basic recipe with the addition of chocolate chips reminiscent of watermelon seeds and pistachio grains reminiscent of the outside of watermelon. Try it it's yummy!

Ingredients for 3-4 people

• 500 gr of juicewatermelon (about half a small watermelon)
  
• 40 gr of corn starch (maizena-frumina)
  
• 40 grams of sugar
  
• 2 tablespoons of chopped pistachios (unsalted)
  
• 2 tablespoons of drops of dark chocolate

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How to make melon frost (watermelon)

Cut the melon into small pieces, put them in a colander and mash them with a spoon, or in the blender (blend them just, not too much otherwise they will also chop the seeds making the juice too dark), you can also use the vegetable mill.

filter the juice obtained also with a narrow mesh strainer.

put the cornstarch in a pot after sifting it,

add the watermelon juice a little at a time, stirring quickly with a whisk to prevent lumps from forming. Pour all the juice and finally add the sugar; put the pot on medium-low heat and stirring often bring to a boil; from when it reaches the boil, count 3 minutes (for this quantity of product, if you double the dose, count 5 minutes) in which you will constantly stir the mixture with a wooden spoon. It will be ready when it has a nice bright red color and the consistency will be similar to bechamel. Immediately pour the ice into a container and let it cool to room temperature, stirring with a spoon every now and then to prevent the film from forming on the surface.

When it has cooled completely, add the chocolate chips, turn and place in the bowls, leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving. Attention: despite the name it must not be frozen, so it does not go to the freezer. The term "frost" stands for "jelly".

And here is yours Frost Melone (in Sicilian mellone). Sprinkle the surface with chopped pistachios and serve in round bowls that resemble the shape of watermelon. Enjoy your meal!

WINE PAIRING: Nobody

In this blog, for wine pairings, I have consulted the site most often: www.bodegasdevino.org