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A while back I saw an article/recipe for baking watermelon -- the watermelon was cut into fillets and baked for a couple hours (IIRC). This was supposed to totally change the texture and give it an interesting and new taste/texture.

I cannot find the recipe now, and cannot find any other recipe similar to it.

This is not a recipe request, but rather a question about the technique: how would one go about baking watermelon (what temp/how long?) and what is the result? In what kinds of dishes would one use baked watermelon? Savory? Sweet?

(Note: I know this question is worded poorly and is slightly ambiguous. any help in rewording and working into a good SE question would be welcome!)

Aaronut
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TJ Ellis
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2 Answers2

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Here are a few references for cooked watermelon:

  1. (My blog) Herbivoracious, has a recent post showing how to sear and compress watermelon.
  2. Ideas In Food has a watermelon that is grilled, then cooked sous vide, and then scored and sauteed to resemble a duck breast.
  3. Modernist Cuisine has a recipe for watermelon bulgogi that involves a long dehydration

All of these methods produce quite a change in texture from raw watermelon.

Michael Natkin
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  • #2 and #3 were the first two references of which I thought, too; perhaps I should also start reading #1! – ESultanik Jun 14 '11 at 19:55
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I actually finally found the original source that I read oh-so-long ago. It was an article on Boston.com in which they featured a recipe from the chef at 51 Lincoln. The recipe can be found here, and while I can't seem to find the full article (it's behind a paywall now), it's discussed in a blog post here.

In short, you put the watermelon slices in a roasting pan, cover them in cream sherry and butter, cover with parchment paper and aluminum foil, and bake at 350 for 2 and a half hours.

The blog post mentions that the chef serves it with a "confit of tomatoes, eggplant chicharrones, and French feta", and that they typically sell out of the appetizer.

TJ Ellis
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  • Very interesting! Not sure I would head towards sherry as a flavoring here, but to each their own. Love the idea of eggplant chicharrones though. – Michael Natkin Jun 14 '11 at 23:10
  • @Michael yeah, I feel similarly; I remember when I read it that I was intrigued by the technique, but wanted to try something different with it; just thought I'd post it now that I've found it. – TJ Ellis Jun 15 '11 at 00:26