Having melon for starter (boring I know!), what can I do with it to jazz it up...

[tassisssss]

...buy still keep it simple and quick to prepare?

Thanks!

Sprinkle with brown sugar and ground ginger. mmmmm

Wrap with Parma ham, yummy.

thats wrong

Was just about to say ginger as well - stem ginger and a bit of the syrup.

Berries are easy if you like that sort of thing; I don't because I think it makes it over sweet.

Melon and feta are good together, maybe with a few basil leaves or olives?

what's wrong Rie?

supposing you did like berries janeite, what exactly would you do with them?

You could blitz them up and make a couli,I believe.But I am no expert cook

Yes - blitz raspberries or others with a bit of icing sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice (or booze) I should think.

Or there's this from Nigel Slater:
Blackberry and melon salad

Save for the odd drop of Marsala, I am not a great one for putting alcohol in my cooking. Here is an exception. The bittersweet Limoncello is positively breathtaking with the ripe orange-fleshed melon and fat, sweet blackberries. I have taken to keeping a bottle of this Italian citrus liqueur in the fridge during the summer, and even having a little tipple after dinner.

serves 6

cantaloupe melon - 2 medium sized and lusciously ripe

blackberries - 350g

Limoncello - about 3 teaspoons

Slice the melons in half and scrape out their seeds over a bowl, catching as much juice as you can. Scoop out chunks of melon flesh with a spoon or cut the melon into chunks with a knife, discarding the peel as you go. Toss the melon with the blackberries, the juice and Limoncello to taste.

I would agree with Parma Ham. Delicious

smoked salmon will be another option, so i feel parma ham is a bit too similar

i want this to be simple and child-friendly (want my dc to enjoy it!)

i think the red fruit coulis thing has potential, otherwise it'll just be melon and orange chopped up in a bowl together!

cointreau, is nice with melon.

another vote for parma ham - can't see how it's similar to smoked salmon at all! Maybe that's just me .

oh yes my friend at uni used to do sorbet thing with melon...it was yum! and v v v childfriendly ("ice cream" and it's not even the pudding yet!!!!!)

thanks all, esp to WW for understanding that the prob with parma ham and smoken salmon is purely that they look similar!

i'm not sure i can do sorbet for starter...

bought extra frozen rasps so may do something with them, who knows...

put a few mixed berries in the middle and then a nice round ball off fruit sorbet on the top.

Ok ok I know this is a zombie thread but what do you think of melon balls with sorbet as xmas dinner starter, yay or nay?

Hello mollymoofer.

Had melon with elderflower sorbet as a starter at a do once and it wad delicious. You could add a splash of sparkling wine too for extra festiveness.

My Dad always used to do me purloin, Parma ham and a spoonful of port in the melon as a starter when we were growing up, I wouldn't eat fish or seafood and they'd be having prawn cocktail. It was 70/80's and is still delicious now.

Stupid Apple autocorrect, purloin = melon??

Hi RojaGato and Pantah630. Thanks for your replies. Elderflower sorbet sounds delicious and lighter than orange or lemon but might be hard to get hold of where I am (no chance of me doing it myself!).

Purloin is certainly an interesting option . Port in the melon...wow...would never have thought of that. Funny how some of the foods we had when little stay with us. Nothing beats a prawn cocktail for me though I hardly ever have it. Saw someone on another thread mention melon with parma ham and manchego cheese drizzled with honey...

Cucumber tomato and feta with melon. Bit of salt and black pepper and balsamic. Yummmm.