Grilled Melon With Ice Plant Leaves and Pink Grapefruit

By corlear

Ingredients

• For the mint water:
• 4 oz fresh mint
• 1/2 cup water
• For the mint gelatin:
• 1/2 cup mint water (see previous step)
• 1 sheet gelatin (previously rehydrated in cold water)
• For the pink grapefruit reduction:
• 1/2 cup pink grapefruit juice
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tbsp glucose
• For the mint and ice plant leaf salad:
• 1/4 bunch mint
• 20 oz ice plant leaves
• 1 pink grapefruit (approx. 5 1/4 oz)
• For the melon rectangles:
• 8 3/4 oz melon
• To finish:
• Virgin olive oil
• Maldon salt

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

For the mint water:
1. Pull the mint leaves off the stalk.
2. Blanch the mint leaves. Fresh in iced water and then drain.
3. Blend with the water in a food processor. Sieve.

For the mint gelatin:
1. Heat ¼ of the mint water and dissolve the gelatin in it.
2. Remove from the heat and mix with the rest of the water.
3. Pour in a plastic dish that is at least ½" deep and leave to set in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

For the pink grapefruit reduction:
1. Reduce the grapefruit juice with the sugar and glucose.
2. Reduce the mixture over a gentle heat until you have a thick sauce with the consistency of liquid caramel. Strain and put in a baster.

For the mint and ice plant leaf salad:
1. Break off the smallest sprigs from the mint and ice plant.
2. Cut off the upper and lower ends of the grapefruit until you reach the segments.
3. Peel the fruit so that you reach the flesh and there is no trace of the skin or pith, without altering the initial shape of the fruit.
4. Use a really sharp knife to separate the segments from their membranes.
5. Cut the segments into pieces of approx ½".
6. Remove all the pitch from the skin and then cut the latter into thin, long strips.

For the melon rectangles:
1. Cut the ends off the melon and peel it.
2. Cut the melon down the middle and remove the seeds.
3. Cut ¾" wide slices and remove the pointed ends to made 4" long rectangles.

Final Steps & Preparation:
1. Seal the melon on two sides on the grill. The texture of the inside of the melon should barely change. Remove it from the grill and leave it to rest on a rack to allow the excess liquid to drain off.
2. Use the grapefruit reduction to draw three circles that are larger than the base of the melon on the bottom of a dish.
3. Heat the melon in the salamandra and drizzle the grapefruit reduction over the top.
4. Pile the salad on top of the melon, mixing the products along the length of the melon. Each salad should consist of: 3 pieces of grapefruit, 5 sprigs of ice plant, 4 mint leaves and 6 strips of grapefruit peel.
5. Arrange 3 cubes of mint gelatin around the melon.
6. Dress the salad with Maldon salt and virgin olive oil.