Ever since I got my hands on this awesome melon baller from Crisp Cooking (thanks guys) I’ve been getting creative with fruit. I’ve been making fresh melon balls with watermelons, honeydew and cantaloupe. Recently we’ve had lovely weather here in the UK so I’ve particularly enjoyed making frozen melon balls. They go well with desserts and make excellent ice cubes for water, smoothies and even cocktails (gin infused melon balls are the best).
Today I want to tell you about my favourite watermelon smoothie.
I’m a huge watermelon fan, my whole family is. I think it’s a Persian thing. So, as much as I enjoy huge chunks of watermelon for breakfast it’s still fun to mix things up a bit. I’ve been making a lot of watermelon and basil smoothies over the last few weeks and as you guessed, they’re filled with frozen melon balls.
How to make melon balls
To use the scoop just press it into your melon of choice and then twist and scoop a ball out. You have to practice a little so don’t expect to get perfect balls of melon first time ’round. Once you’ve got the hang of it there’s no going back.
1 – Pick the best size scoop for your melon and scoop out 10/15 balls depending on the size of your glass. I like to use a few types of melon so that there’s a little colour variety in my glass, but you can stick with your favourite melon.
2 – Neatly place the balls on a freezer proof tray or inside a tupperware box lined with parchment paper. Make sure you leave space between each ball to ensure they don’t stick together. Leave them in the freezer ’til they’re fully frozen. I tend to make mine the evening before I need them but they should only take a couple of hours to freeze.
3 – When you’re ready to make your smoothie take your melon balls out of the freezer and pile them into your glass. Make sure you’ve made enough to go all the way to the top.
How to make a watermelon and basil smoothie (enough for 3 large glasses)
1 – Take a quarter of a large watermelon, slice it up and add it into your blender (you may need more or less depending on the melon size)
2 – Drop 4 basil leaves into the blender
3 – Add a big squish of half a lime into the blender
4 – Whizzz! Blend everything together
5 – Pour over the melon balls in your glass
6 – Add more melon balls to decorate
PGT Tip – Try adding a handful of strawberries to give the smoothie a sweeter flavour.
This watermelon and basil smoothie is delightfully refreshing for these warm summer mornings we’ve been having. I like to sit outside with mine and soak up the sunshine while reading a magazine. Ideally I’d like to take my laptop outside and work but it’s just not possible because of the screen glare. I don’t know how everyone else does it. Maybe they’re not really doing any work at all. If you know how I can work outside with my laptop minus the screen glare then please let me know.
Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Twitter if you make a watermelon and basil smoothie.