This is a fun summer salad for a dinner party or potluck, but it’s also great just for a family dinner. Arrange the cubes in a zig-zag, or Rubik’s cube style in lines of one color, or indulge your inner Mondrian and go free-style.
And use your best EVOO – the one you keep for salads, not the one you cook with. I used mint in the salad pictured, but we tried basil ribbons another night and loved it. Oregano or tarragon would be tasty, too. Flake salt is terrific because it melts into the melons and cucumber and complements the sweetness of the fruit.
I cribbed this from a Good Housekeeping magazine I snared somewhere; it called for beefsteak tomatoes in addition to the cherry tomatoes, but I thought one tomato enough and that cantaloupe would add both color and flavor. I was right. :)
It’s best served on a square or rectangular plate or an oval platter, to emphasize the fun. (And yes, toss the leftovers in a bowl to serve up for lunch tomorrow!) It's also best quite cold, so if you take it to a party, slide it into the fridge if people aren't ready to eat just yet.
I’ve left the quantities vague because it’s hard to buy 1 cup of watermelon or 10 cherry tomatoes. Plan on 2 cubes of each ingredient per person.
I cribbed this from a Good Housekeeping magazine I snared somewhere; it called for beefsteak tomatoes in addition to the cherry tomatoes, but I thought one tomato enough and that cantaloupe would add both color and flavor. I was right. :)
It’s best served on a square or rectangular plate or an oval platter, to emphasize the fun. (And yes, toss the leftovers in a bowl to serve up for lunch tomorrow!) It's also best quite cold, so if you take it to a party, slide it into the fridge if people aren't ready to eat just yet.
I’ve left the quantities vague because it’s hard to buy 1 cup of watermelon or 10 cherry tomatoes. Plan on 2 cubes of each ingredient per person.
Mosaic Salad
Seedless watermelonCantaloupe
Feta (in a block, not crumbled)
English cucumber
Cherry tomatoes
extra-virgin olive oil
mint leaves, the smaller the better
flake salt
fresh ground black pepper
Cut the watermelon, cantaloupe, and feta in one inch cubes. Cut the cucumber in one-inch thicknesses, then trim the sides to make a square – or vice versa – and save the sides for your next green salad.
Arrange the melons, cheese, tomatoes and cucumber on your platter. Drizzle with olive oil, and top with the salt and pepper. Dash on a few mint leaves, using any bigger leaves for garnish to dress up the plate.
Plan on 2 cubes of each ingredient per person. Keeps nicely for 2-3 days, though the salt will drain some liquid from the cucumber and watermelon.
"Budewitz's finely drawn characters, sharp ear for dialogue, and well-paced puzzle make Jewel Bay a destination for every cozy fan." --- Kirkus Reviews
From the cover of AS THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE CRUMBLES, Food Lovers' Village Mystery #5 (Midnight Ink, June 2018, available in trade paper, e-book, and audio):
In Jewel Bay---Montana's Christmas Village---all is merry and bright. At Murphy’s Mercantile, AKA the Merc, manager Erin Murphy is ringing in the holiday season with food, drink, and a new friend: Merrily Thornton. A local girl gone wrong, Merrily’s turned her life around. But her parents have publicly shunned her, and they nurse a bitterness that chills Erin.
When Merrily goes missing and her boss discovers he’s been robbed, fingers point to Merrily—until she’s found dead, a string of lights around her neck. The clues and danger snowball from there. Can Erin nab the killer—and keep herself in one piece—in time for a special Christmas Eve?
Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries—and the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction. A past president of Sisters in Crime, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.
Swing by my website and join the mailing list for my seasonal newsletter. And join me on Facebook where I announce lots of giveaways from my cozy writer friends.
Arrange the melons, cheese, tomatoes and cucumber on your platter. Drizzle with olive oil, and top with the salt and pepper. Dash on a few mint leaves, using any bigger leaves for garnish to dress up the plate.
Plan on 2 cubes of each ingredient per person. Keeps nicely for 2-3 days, though the salt will drain some liquid from the cucumber and watermelon.
In Jewel Bay---Montana's Christmas Village---all is merry and bright. At Murphy’s Mercantile, AKA the Merc, manager Erin Murphy is ringing in the holiday season with food, drink, and a new friend: Merrily Thornton. A local girl gone wrong, Merrily’s turned her life around. But her parents have publicly shunned her, and they nurse a bitterness that chills Erin.
When Merrily goes missing and her boss discovers he’s been robbed, fingers point to Merrily—until she’s found dead, a string of lights around her neck. The clues and danger snowball from there. Can Erin nab the killer—and keep herself in one piece—in time for a special Christmas Eve?
Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries—and the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction. A past president of Sisters in Crime, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.
Swing by my website and join the mailing list for my seasonal newsletter. And join me on Facebook where I announce lots of giveaways from my cozy writer friends.
This is a very pretty salad! Thank you for the recipe.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome -- and it's tasty, too!
DeleteI just love this idea. Easy and elegant!
ReplyDeleteIndulge your inner Cubist!
DeleteThis salad is so cool! I can't wait to make it -- thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure!
DeleteSo very clever!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it? And yummy, too!
DeleteSo pretty!
ReplyDeleteEdible art!
Delete