Recipes

Breathe me in, breathe me out. I don't know if I could ever go without… We're talking watermelon…for summer. Here, two refreshing new takes on the fruit—one cocktail, one side dish—from How Sweet Eats' Jessica Merchant that's perfect for your next summer party.

P.S. Give her a follow for more great recipes!

Directions

1. Cut the watermelon into wedges and place it on two baking sheets in a single layer.
2. Place the water, sugar, lime juice, rum, mint and the zest of 1 lime in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, whisking so the sugar dissolves. Cook until just simmering then remove it from the heat and let it cool to room temperature. Pour the mixture evenly over the watermelon in the baking sheet. Move the watermelon wedges around so they are submerged in the syrup, then flip them.
4. Refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. I like to flip the watermelon once while it’s in the fridge.
5. Remove the watermelon from the syrup and place it on a platter. Sprinkle on the remaining lime zest.
6. Sprinkle on a bit of flaked salt and serve!

Note: You can do this on an as-needed basis. Just use a few slices of watermelon and pour some of the syrup over top, storing the rest in the fridge until ready to use.

Directions

1. If you’re chopping everything yourself, be sure to chop the cubes roughly the same size. If you’re buying something pre-chopped, use that as the guide to size and chop everything else to size. Use the most of what you love! For instance, I like to use watermelon and cantaloupe the most, then cucumber, then fill in with avocado and tomato.
2. As a note, you can also crumble the feta or do smaller cubes. You can also leave the cherry tomatoes whole and not slice them.
3. Assemble the cantaloupe, watermelon, cucumber and feta cubes on a dish. Make the dressing as directed. Chop the tomatoes and the avocado, stick them in between a few of the cubes. There is no right way to do this! You can throw everything in a bowl, spread it out on a plate or layer it. Whatever you’d like.
4. Sprinkle everything with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the dressing and cover with the fresh herbs. Serve!

For the hot honey vinaigrette

1. Whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, hot honey, garlic, salt and pepper until combined. Stream in the olive oil while whisking the entire time. This dressing stays great in the fridge for up to a week.