Top Sirlion and Hot Melon Salad...
When I watched Alton Brown’s Good Eats episode on melon, I was in awe. Finally, I’ve learned how to pick a good musk melon! And while his recipe for watermelon sorbet looks mighty tasty, I dared to try the hot melon salad.
Heat brings out the sweetness in just about anything, so I’ve often sauteed fruits (pineapple, apple, grapes, and more). I’d never thought of heating melon, and boy was I missing out (and so are you). Following suit of most good recipes, this one calls for kosher salt and pepper, and you’d be amazed how the spice and sweet blend so well together.
The STEAK: I used top sirlion (I would have preferred filet mignon, but there were no good cuts today) and simply used kosher salt and pepper on both sides. I cooked these over open flame, and just before hitting medium-rare, topped them with fresh mozzarell, then removed from the grill.
The SALAD: You’ll find Alton’s recipe for Hot Melon Salad at FoodNetwork.com. I did improvise a few things. First, I failed to realize that I had white wine vinegar instead of red. I’ve often substituted these, depending on the other ingredients. Also, the local markets were out of pine nuts this week, so I substituted sesame seeds and toasted them with a bit of olive oil.
The results, even with substitutions, were fantastic. Our dinner guest asked for seconds.
I would recommend you NOT substitute the red onion or feta cheese from Alton’s recipe. These both offer such distinct flavors and changing them would definitely alter the entire chemistry of the dish. If you do not have fresh Basil (though most grocery stores now sell it in small bags), dried would add some, yet a different style of flavor.
Oh, yeah, you only need to sautee the onion till it’s softened, though a very slight golden brown probably wouldn’t do too much damage. Enjoy!
Posted
Wednesday, January 10th, 2007 at 8:59 pm EST
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