With summer heat in full swing and watermelons at the market I thought I'd update a reader favorite summer appetizer recipe. No cooking involved! Watermelon is the essential summer refresher and here it teams up with creamy goat cheese and crisp cucumber. It’s perfect for any summer gathering and an unexpectedly delicious combination. Try this cool, refreshing watermelon goat cheese appetizer.
Choosing Watermelons
When choosing watermelons, I choose the small Dulcinea mini watermelons. They are always sweet and seedless with gorgeous ruby flesh and a thin rind. I bought another mini type and was disappointed in the flavor, plus it had a very thick rind and not as much usable flesh inside. Get the best you can find.
Tips and Tools
First, cut 1″-1 ½" thick slices of watermelon. Then using a 1 ¼″-1 ½″ round cookie cutter ( about 1 ¼″ high), cut circles out of the melon, or cut squares. Make the pieces big enough so you can hollow a bit out to pipe (or spoon) in the cheese.
With a melon baller tool, hollow out a little half round to pipe in the goat cheese. With a piping bag or plastic zip bag and a star tip, you can make them look fancy. To make the goat cheese more pipe-able, I whisked it in a small bowl with a little milk to make it creamy. If you don’t have the tools, not to worry. They will still taste good.
What this is really about is combining these great flavors. You can spoon a little of the goat cheese into or onto the watermelon. Garnish with cucumber. A squeeze of lime over the top finished things off.
What To Do With Leftover Watermelon: Make Juice!
With any leftover watermelon, make watermelon juice. Puree your scraps in a blender to liquefy, then pour through a fine strainer. You’ll be left with refreshing watermelon juice, which we enjoyed all weekend after shooting this post. Adding fresh lime juice tastes great too. To lighten it up, combine with sparkling water. For another watermelon juice recipe read this.
And here's another terrific summer recipe using watermelon, my minty melon kabobs.
Where This Idea Came From
We were in Austin, Texas, for a food blogging conference. During a session break the hotel served this easy little appetizer. I’d never thought of pairing goat cheese with watermelon and it was a fantastic combination. The hotel served them in a square shape. If you have a small square cookie cutter, that would work. If you don’t have cookie cutters, just cut neat squares as best as you can. I decided to go round with my version of the recipe.
Watermelon and Goat Cheese Appetizer
Equipment
- Round or square cookie cutter 1 ¼" - 1 ½"
- melon baller tool
- Piping bag and star tip (optional) or use a small spoon
Ingredients
- 1 mini seedless watermelon Dulcinea preferably
- 6-8 ounces goat cheese
- 2 tablespoons milk or more to make creamy
- 1 Persian cucumber
- 2-3 limes
Instructions
- Wash watermelons well. Cut a thin slice off one side to give you a flat surface. Roll melon to flat side (which provides stability for cutting the melon) and cut 1″ wide pieces of watermelon. Lay pieces flat and using a 1 ¼″-1 ½″ round or square cookie cutter, cut pieces of melon.
- With the small end of a melon baller tool, cut little half rounds out of the center of the piece. Whip goat cheese and milk together until creamy. The amount you use will depend on your goat cheese. Place the cheese into a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe into the indentations. Garnish with a little slice of cucumber. Place on a flat plate, squeeze lime juice over the top and serve.
Jude says
How many of these does the recipe yield?
Sally Cameron says
Hi Jude. It will depend on what size you cut your watermelon bites and how much cheese you pipe in. About 12-16. Hope that helps.
Cici says
Do you think I could make the cups a day ahead of time or do you think they’d get all mushy?
Sally Cameron says
Hmm, good question Cici. I think you could do it a day ahead, but it might depend on how juicy the melon is. If juicy, place a paper towel under them? Or blot before filling? That might take a bit of experimenting. Just the dryness of the inside of a refrigerator might be enough. Please let me know what you do.
Anurb says
cavoli! è una presentazione stupenda!Complimentissimi!
cecilia w. says
Im kinda stuck on how u cut it, if i can see pix on how its done, it will help. Need ideas taking appitizers to a potluck and it will b outside in the shade for 2 hrs. any suggestion, please
Sally Cameron says
Hi Cecilia. I used a round cutter, like a cookie cutter, 1 1/4″-1 1/2″ in diameter and about 1 1/4″ high. Then I used a small melon baller tool to hollow out the center just a bit to pipe in the goat cheese. Did you see the picture in the post that shows them hollowed out but empty? If you will be outside for 2 hours with food in the summer, it must be on ice. You must keep food very cold to be food safe. Depending on the heat (over 90° F), one hour is safer. If there are bugs around, keep the platter or plate covered as well. You might even keep it inside of a cooler filled with ice, then label the top and tell people to keep the lid closed. Choose things that are no so perishable or hard to transport. Maybe the hummus with veggies, easily transported. Or maybe the chilled gazpacho soup. Keep it ice cold and serve it in shooter glasses. Fun and tasty. Hope that helps!
Jana Kostrzewa says
Thanks so much, Sally! I've heard of Lightroom - I guess it's time I learned more about it. Absolutely *stunning* photos on your website. Simply a joy to behold!
Jana Kostrzewa says
Love your photos, especially the Stubbs BBQ photo and the indoor Austin BlogHer 2015 photo. Question: What camera did you use, and what software/post adjustments? I'm new to photography, and I keep coming back to your posts - yes, for the recipes - but also because your photography is so very beautiful.
Sally Cameron says
Hi Jana. Thanks for the kind words. Glad you are enjoying the photos and the recipes both! Nice to hear. We are all Canon in terms of gear. I shoot with a 6D and Kent uses a 5D Mark 3. We shoot in raw, then process with Lightroom. You can take online classes to learn Lightroom. Be patient with yourself. There is a lot to learn. I am still learning. Kent shot the BlogHer Austin conference photos. I have been doing the food shots since the start of the year (just learning) but prior to that it was all Kent. We shoot tethered to Mac laptops. Hope that helps!
Edie says
Any suggestions if you'd rather not use goat cheese? Not everyone enjoys the flavour or are vegan. What substitute would you recommend?
Sally Cameron says
If you are vegan, you could try silken tofu pureed until the consistency of goat cheese with the flavors you like, then pipe it in. You you enjoy dairy, you might try thinned cream cheese as the substitute. Hope that helps! Let us know if you try either of these and how they work for other readers benefit. A bit of coconut milk or cream (canned, thick) could be good too.
shanthini says
Absolutely love the presentation. Unfortunately we don't get these seedless watermelons in South India.
Sally Cameron says
Can you work around the seeds Shanthini? You still might be able to make it work. Could be good with other melons too.
Sally Cameron says
You might be able to work around the seeds Shanthini, or try another melon.
Frances says
The presentation is mouthwatering and I can't wait to try it! When is next BlogHer meeting? Thanks
Sally says
It will be in 2014 Frances. The food conference is held once a year. I think it's Chicago next. just type BlogHer food conference into your search engine and you should get info. There is the greater BlogHer conference covering everything. Chicago this year. In fact it, it's very soon!
Madonna/aka/Ms. Lemon says
That is just the most gorgeous presentation not to mention a treat to combat this hot weather.