Fruitful creations to beat the heat
Print Edition
Watermelon
The easiest way to enjoy a watermelon is simply to cut it in half and eat with a spoon. But if you are serving the fruit to friends, you may want to be more artistic.
Method 1
Pull-apart watermelon cubes
Rinse the watermelon with water, then dry with paper towel.
With a large, sharp knife, cut the watermelon in half.
Place half of the watermelon with the flesh side down on a chopping board, then cut it into checkerboard pieces.
It’s ready to serve Ñ the perfect finger food without too much juice escaping everywhere.
Method 2
Christmas tree watermelon slices
Clean the watermelon with water, then take a knife and cut it in half.
Take half of the watermelon and cut it into four slices.
Take one slice, slice it to even pieces.
Take one small piece and remove a third of the rind on both left and right sides.
Then serve on plates, it’s especially fun for kids, who can pick up the pieces by the small rind left in the middle.
Kiwi
Kiwi, a super food that packs a lot of essential vitamins and, at the same time, is very delicious. The New Zealanders claim it as their own, but the fruit originally came from China, where it was known as Chinese gooseberry. There’s only the furry skin to contend with before eating.
Cut off the top and bottom of the kiwi.
Take a spoon, carefully insert it between the skin and flesh, and then rotate until the skin is off.
Enjoy the kiwi whole or cut it in slices to garnish desserts.
Peach
Peaches are probably best if you wash them well and eat them skin and all. But if you prefer to peel off the skin of a ripe peach, that can be tricky. Here’s one method to try.
Wash the peach to remove all the fuzz on the skin.
Bring a pot of water to boil, with a bowl of cold water filled with ice cubes to the side.
Turn the heat off and plunge the peaches in the boiling water for about 40 seconds.
Immediately remove the peaches to the ice water and let sit a minute or two.
The skin should be easy to peel off. It not, repeat the process.
Orange
The traditional way to prepare an orange is to cut it in slices, but then you run the risk of losing some of juice. If you want to enjoy a whole, here’s an easy method.
Place the orange on a cutting board, carefully cut off the side with the stem, and be cautious not to cut too deeply into the flesh.
Take a spoon with thin edges, insert into the orange underneath the skin, and rotate to separate the pulp from the skin.
Tangerines work similarly well with this technique.
Mango
Mango is a juicy tropical fruit that is sweet, soft and fiber-rich. Different varieties of the fruit may be yellow, orange, red or green. The aroma is always distinctive no matter what the color.
Eating a ripe mango can be very messy. The skin is firmly attached to the pulp and there’s that nettlesome pit to deal with. It always seems glued to the flesh. Peeling a mango, as you might an orange, unleashes a torrent of juices dripping everywhere and also results in the loss of some of the flesh in the process.
Method 1
Cutting mangos in cubes
Hold the mango with one hand, stand it on one side, and with a sharp knife in the other hand, cut from the top down one side of the pit.
Then repeat with the other side, which will give you three pieces eventually: two halves and a middle section containing the pit.
Take one half and make parallel slices using a small knife. Be careful not to cut through the skin. Then turn the piece 90 degrees to the left or right and repeat the procedure. You will end up with a checkerboard pattern.
Take the half mango cheek and push the skin from underneath, making the squares “pop up” so that you can easily scrape them off.
You can also cut the flesh off from the middle part containing the pit. The small chunks you end up with are perfect for using in a mango yoghurt or sprinkling on salads.
Tip: When cutting a whole mango in thirds, the knife has to be sharp and you must be careful not to cut your fingers.
Method 2
Peeling a mango with a glass
Cut the mango in three pieces as in the first method. Rinse a drinking glass with a thin rim.
Take one mango cheek in your palm, hold the glass in the other and slide the mango on the rim along the skin.
Push it through carefully to remove as much mango pulp as possible.
The mango flesh should fall into the glass, wasting little juice. You can then cut the mango in thin slices or eat whole.
Tip: This is an effortless way to peel a mango. The trick is to select mangos that are not overly ripe and have strong skins.
Mango banana roll with yogurt
Ingredients:
Two pieces of Thai rice paper
Half a mango
One banana
Unflavored yogurt
Steps:
First, soak the Thai rice paper in hot water until it softens, then remove it and set on a clean surface.
Cut the mango in thin slices using the previously mentioned method 2 above. Cut the banana into slices.
Stack the mango and banana slices on the rice paper.
Gently roll the rice paper, stopping half way to fold the sides in. Then roll to the end and use a little water to seal the roll.
Serve with yogurt or perhaps some ice cream on the side.
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