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Sunday, September 19, 2010

Two Melon Mousse

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I had lukewarm feelings towards this dessert when I first thought of it. I wanted a perfect, light dessert to welcome Spring to Sydney. The flowers are blooming and my hayfever is starting to kick in so Spring has definitely sprung. So the idea of a melon-filled dessert with it's brightly coloured layers sounded very appealing. But it wasn't until I made this that I really fell in love with it. I think one of the main reasons is that I've always had a thing for melon balls. There's something so wonderfully retro about it. I always wanted my Mum to make melon balls but she never did because she must have considered it a totally impractical way to serve melon which creates a lot of wasted leftover melon flesh (she was totally right by the way, but I still love them).
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I have to tell you, this is the fastest dessert I've ever seen A eat. As soon as he tasted the mousse that we were sharing he turned to me and said, "Go get your own glass so I can have this one to myself." This increased my love for the dessert by about a thousand percent, since these days it's nearly impossible to get A to taste test my desserts, let alone eat a whole serve.
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The mousse is airy and a great light way to finish off a heavy meal. I would definitely recommend piling lots of fresh melon over the top as it's lovely to get the crunch of fresh melon with mouthfuls of fluffy mousse. I was originally going to include a rockmelon flavoured layer but decided against it, but there's nothing stopping you from adding another layer, or changing the fruit puree in each of the layers to whatever fruit you like. It's so easy and delicious, I've already promised A I will make it again soon.
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Honeydew & Watermelon Mousse
(adapted from this recipe, serves 4-6 people)
For the watermelon mousse:
1 cup (250ml) watermelon puree (I used approx 1/8 of a watermelon, rind removed, chopped and pulsed in food processor until smooth)
1 1/2 tsp powdered gelatine
1/8 cup cold water
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup cold pouring cream

For the honeydew mousse:
1 cup (250ml) honeydew puree (I used approx 1/4 of a ripe honeydew, rind removed, chopped and pulsed in food processor until smooth)
1 1/2 tsp powdered gelatine
1/8 cup cold water
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup cold pouring cream
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Prepare the watermelon mousse first; place gelatine and cold water in a small bowl to allow the gelatine to soften. Place watermelon puree in a medium saucepan with sugar and lemon juice and heat on low until the sugar dissolves completely. Add softened gelatine to the mixture, heat and stir until the gelatine dissolves completely. Remove from the heat and chill mixture in fridge until it reaches around room temperature and is starting to thicken. Whip cream in a large mixing bowl to soft peaks. Add vanilla to watermelon mixture and then fold whipped cream until all the lumps are removed. Pour into 4-6 individual serving glasses and chill in the fridge until set, at least 45 mins.

Prepare the honeydew mousse; repeat same steps for watermelon mousse but with honeydew puree. Pour over the top of set watermelon mousse and chill until set or overnight. To serve, top with fresh watermelon and honeydew pieces.
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34 comments:

  1. love the pastel colours of the mousse with the brightness of the fresh melon! sounds like a really lovely dessert for spring!

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  2. The colours are so enticing! I love the cups too... and the spoons!!!

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  3. So pretty! And yes, I love melon balls too but end up eating all the leftover bits too. And hmmm maybe this is one step toward converting A into a sweet tooth? lol

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  4. Haha melon balls do have a retro feel, but they are so perfect and pretty, especially with the layers- love the colours!

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  5. That's really pretty! And I love honeydew desserts, I can just imagine how delicious this would be.

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  6. Melon balls FTW! I use to love eating watermelon halves with a spoon but it did leave so much wastage so I felt bad LOL. That dessert just screams spring! <3!

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  7. teehee that is like the cutest wedge of watermelon i have ever seen!

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  8. the dreaded hayfever has got to you too!!! oo this mousse looks absolutely beautiful!!

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  9. Fabulous! I love it! And as always your photos are just stunning

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  10. Your melon mousse is so pretty. Love the colour contrast. I am feeling spring and summer is just around the corner.

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  11. Mu husband told me he hates desserts...cry..this looks lovely

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  12. Don't know if you ever watched the anime Yakitate Japan but there was one episode which involved the gratuitous use of melons and I thought of it while reading this post especially since your enthusiasm and love of baking resembles that of the main character (as well as a desire to make others smile with food) but there's actually little similarity between that anime and your little miracle except that they both contain melons and are cool and result in a happy ninja

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  13. you always have the most interesting ideas for dessert.

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  14. I love the two colors layered look with 4 balls on top for garnish! What a healthy and yummy way to eat fruits for dessert.

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  15. You always make pretty desserts, but these are gorgeous. And the flavour of the melons would be so refreshing. So nice for Spring :)

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  16. The layers look so pretty! Not to mention refreshing and delicious.

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  17. OH, that's just the prettiest thing ever.

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  18. We had a small melon-baller at home when I was a kid and I used to have so much fun with it - I wanted to ball everything!

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  19. I've never thought of making melon into a mousse! I LOVE IT! I think it would make a great palate cleanser as well - like a pre-dessert... don't you think? Wait till some restaurant reads this and picks up the idea! :)

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  20. Hee hee love the cute little watermelon slices! This would definitely welcome the spring in perfectly!

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  21. I really want to love this. It looks so nice and light and pretty and springish. Sadly, my dislike of honeydew overrides the prettiness. Damn honeydew :( Although, if I squint and pretend the honeydew is rockmelon, I can totally LOVE this :D

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  22. So cute this dessert...love the two colors, so refreshing :-)

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  23. Gorgeous mousse - nice balls ;) and cute little tiny piece of melon in there. Spring already, wow. We're in the middle of rain/hurricane season and the melons are fresh and lovey here right now. :)

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  24. These are so pretty! I wish spring would hurry up in Melbourne. I miss cool icey treats like this.

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  25. Looking good! Love the layers of colour.

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  26. Lora - Thanks so much!

    Lisa - The colours did turn out pretty didn't they? Thanks!

    Laura - Thanks?

    Trisha - Haha I'm obsessed with the spoons! I use them for everything

    Helen (Grab Your Fork) - Oh yes, you can't waste the leftover bits! I had random melon guts in a big container for the rest of the weekend :) Haha I wouldn't go that far!

    Chocolate Shavings - Aw thank you! :)

    Honey @ honeyandsoy - Thanks so much! Gotta love the melon balls :)

    leaf @ theindolentcook - Thanks!! Honeydew is so great in desserts!

    Karen @ Citrus and Candy - Haha yeah you can't waste the extra bits! :) Yay for Spring!

    Asha @ FSK - Thanks so much!

    chocolatesuze - ROFL it's so widdle!

    thang @ noodlies - Thanks!

    the dainty baker - YES! How much does hayfever suck :( Thank you dear :)

    Brenda - :D Thank you so much!

    Ellie (Almost Bourdain) - I thought the colours would contrast well :) Hurray for warmer days

    Jennifurla - Ohh no! I feel your pain :(

    the ninja - LOL I haven't watched it...do I want to know what they did with the melons? but yay for a happy ninja :D

    sugarpuffi - Thank you! I like to have fun with it :)

    Pam @ Cooking world - Haha I'm not so sure it's healthy with all the cream, but it's light and refreshing :)

    OohLookBel - Aww thank you!! Melons do add a lovely flavour to the mousse

    Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets - Thank you!

    Serene - Aww shucks :) *blush*

    mademoiselle délicieuse - Aww I want a melon baller to ball things! I had to use my measuring spoon for this haha

    Trissa - Ooh yes it would be a great palate cleanser! Especially if it was with rockmelon :)

    FFichiban - :D I couldn't resist! Thanks!

    Conor @ Hold the Beef - Aww sad! But I understand, I am not the biggest fan of it either. Yes, pretend it is rockmelon, I very nearly used rockmelon!

    Juliana - Thanks so much!

    Patty - Hahaha gotta love some balls :D

    Emma @CakeMistress - Haha yeah you guys got it a little later than us. Can't wait for icy treats in summer!

    Marisa - Thank you! <3

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  27. haha, great idea! :D and our mothers would love eachother :P

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  28. Hi! What is pouring cream exactly?

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