Infused Watermelon & Fresco Cheese Salad
a lovely watermelon salad you should check out
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon sugar or 30 grams yacon sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 small medium heat red chilis finely chopped
- 4 large pieces of watermelon
- ¼ cup uncooked quinoa
- 3 ounces queso fresco or use feta
- basil leaves or watercress leaves
lemon & almond vinaigrette
- 1 lemon zested in large strips
- ½ cup almond toasted and roughly chopped
- 1 ounce olive oil
- drizzle white wine vinegar
- pinch sugar
- pinch salt
Instructions
salad
- Make a simple syrup with the sugar and bring to a boil in a small sauce pan. Simmer stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the diced chilis.
- Place the sliced watermelon in a zip loc bag. Pour the simple syrup and chili into the bag and seal infusing the watermelon. Place in the fridge until ready to assemble.
vinaigrette
- toast the almond and set aside to cool
- cook the quinoa according to the package directions. set aside to cool
- Slice the zest off of the lemon and place the zest in a small sauce pan, cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat, Add a pinch of salt, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain the zest and run under cold water to cool off. Repeat the same process of bringing it to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes. You are removing some of the bitterness by doing this,
- Once the zest is cooled, slice it very finely, more than I did in the picture. Place the zest in a small bowl. Add the olive oil, sugar, vinegar and cooled crushed almonds. along with a pinch of salt
assemble the salad
- place a piece of infused watermelon on a small plate. Sprinkle the watermelon with quinoa and queso. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and top with a few of the basil or watercress leaves. Serve immediately