Summer in the City: Bastille Day and Basil Watermelon

"And babe, don't you know it's a pity the days can't be like the nights in the summer in the city, in the summer in the city..." Lovin Spoonful a la Mark Sebastian

It's hot, stormy and muggy in DC. And while the rain is good for the flora, there are times when the rainy season reminds me of the DC winters--dark, grey, and foreboding. In the Most Powerful City in the World, the fragile egos seem to reach their expansive boundaries and bump into each other, sending needless jolts of electrifying, un-directed frustration and anger into the sweltering air.

A good way to cool it down is a trick we learned from our Grandbob down in Texas: Watermelon soothes a multitude of angst.

When I was young, Grandbob gave us large boat-shaped sections of watermelon (it was Texas, afterall), which we would carve into various shapes as we ate. Sometimes we'd add salt, but it was always the antidote to the Texas heat.

As an adult, I've always enjoyed bringing it to parties. Now I know, many of you probably know the tequila recipe: you cut up your watermelon and add some fresh squeezed lime, hand torn cilantro, a tad of salt and a dash of tequila and soak. More or less tequila based on taste. The reason why this works is because tequila and lime should imitate the nature of the rind on your palate. It adds a little bitterness and punch.

But to me, while that's ok, there is something so much better. And, after testing it on a few parties and friends, I feel confident in saying this may replace your current approach to serving "dressed-up" watermelon:

Cube or ball watermelon in a large bowl. Add the juice and zest of 1-2 limes, depending on watermelon quantity. Add a bit of cayenne pepper, to taste. Why? To me the taste of the cayenne pepper matches the deep red of the watermelon, without altering the watermelon's flavor. Add just a teeny hint of chili powder. Not enough to taste like "chili watermelon" but, as I call it, to "anchor the flavor"--to help your palate feel the flavor and heat you just added with the pepper is familiar and memorable, yet new and interesting. Add a bit of sea salt. Sea salt is generally lighter in taste than regular salt, but regular will do in a pinch. Add a very small amount of honey or agave (if you're trying to cut carbs from...watermelon...which is high carb). You want it to add dimension to the current watermelon sweetness, not for it to taste like honeyed watermelon. Add a chiffonade of basil.

Chiffa-what? I just heard your eyeballs ask me.

Chiffonade. That's fancy. talk (aka French for "made of rags") for the following method: Get a few basil leaves (5-10 to start), roll them lengthwise like a cigar (Side note: I'm not promoting tobacco use or smoking. I'm promoting basil use. Only not smoking. Just eating). With a sharp knife, cut across the rolled basil, creating small, thin ribbons of basil. Do this for as much basil as you want to add to the watermelon. Fluff those mama jama's up and throw them into the watermelon dish. Fold or gently toss the ingredients together so everything's distributed evenly. There should be enough lime to keep the basil fresh for a few hours.

The result is a striking deep red watermelon with ribbons of green basil and flecks of neon green from the lime zest. You'll notice adding the pepper and chili powder that the watermelon seems to naturally grow a deeper red. I'll post pics once I make mine tomorrow am for a work thing.

This can be made a few hours prior to where you're taking it, or right before serving. It takes about 5 minutes to assemble if the watermelon's pre-cut and once you get used to chiffonade knife-work and have your ingredients together. If you want to prep this the night before, put everything together but the basil and the lime zest. Just because once basil is wounded (i.e. cut) it gets dark green and then kinda wilty within a few hours. The lime will help, but still... Lime zest turns bitter over time. You want it to echo the bitterness of the rind, not actually be bitter.

Again, the goal is to bring out some of the rich subtlety of what some people think is the straightforward and simple flavor of watermelon. So when you are adding the other ingredients, remember the goal is to compliment and amplify the fresh, exuberant flavor of watermelon--the sweetness, some of the subtle bitterness and acidity of its rind, its crunchiness, etc. Better to be conservative and add a little more than to have any of the other ingredients overwhelm the watermelon rather than enhance it.

If you want to try it, here's your shopping list: Watermelon, lime, cayenne pepper, chili powder, sea salt, fresh basil, honey.