We bought a melon, and then a melon baller. And were asked to make an amuse bouche – a little starter for a garden party next door.
So the melon was balled, dipped in home-made tajin and … then what?
The melon: a very juicy, orange honeydew varietal that is sweet but less distinct in taste than most melons. The tajin is dried New Mexico red chili powder, salt and slightly dried newly zested lime rind.
Sweet, hot, sour and salty – what is still needed? Crunch and cool. Something green and dry — to help amuse without being messy eaten with just a toothpick.
Do we rolled the whole ball in the tajin mixture? No, that was too much. But we had made plenty of tajin: chili powder, lime zest dehydrated for a short time and salt. Okay to have some to save. We dipped just the bottom of the ball in the red mixture and speared a fresh spearmint leaf through the ball …
To nothing.
Set on a slice of cucumber – it was perfect.
