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On a recent foray through the Ueno Marui depachika — one of the sprawling food halls located in Tokyo’s department-store basements — a fancy, chimerical tart caught my eye: It was topped with Arus muskmelon from Kumamoto, a first sign of the best of summer fruit.
The individual-size tart had a sablé crust, mousse filling, piped whipped cream and chunks of juicy, glowingly pale-green Arus melon, rind and all. It’s one of the prized fruits of Japan, along with the Crown and Yubari King varieties, from Shizuoka and Hokkaido respectively. Melons are a cultural symbol, and a pair of Yukari Kings once famously sold for $45,000 at auction.
Fortunately I don’t need to pay thousands (or even hundreds) of dollars for a melon to tap into the thrill of peak fruit eating. (The small tart, which cost 4,149 yen, or about $29, was delicious though.) Last week in L.A., I bought a Weiser Family Farms Brilliant melon ($4 to $5 a pound) at DTLA Cheese Superette, so ripe it was like custard, which I ate with a spoon.
Melon season in California brings a full spectrum of honeydews and cantaloupes and watermelons: Piel de Sapo, Bonny, Galia and Ogen are among the many grown across the state.
This weekend I fully anticipate cutting into at least a few melons, which are more versatile than you might expect. Serve them with slices of prosciutto or speck, sure. But also turn them into smoothies or granita; make a watermelon curry or gazpacho.
Former L.A. Times cooking columnist Ben Mims slices watermelon and figs and arranges them over ricotta on toast. And his watermelon salad with tahini, chiles and pistachios is spicy, fruity, juicy, crunchy and refreshing all at once.
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Mixed Melon Granita with Rosewater and Pistachios
Use cantaloupe, honeydew or Charentais melons for this simple granita, which requires no cooking. There’s just freezing time to achieve the right icy consistency. Rosewater — or orange blossom water — complements the melon, and the granita is served over chunks of fresh melon on a platter. Spoon the melon and icy dessert into glasses or bowls.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 30 minutes (plus 4 hours freezing time). Serves 8.
(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
Mayfield’s Best-Summer-Melon with Speck
Mayfield chef Jon Sarmenta makes this version of melon and speck his own by roasting spice nuts for garnish and making a melon vinaigrette to drizzle all over the dish. It’s important to buy really great melons and cured speck. “We slice the speck in-house so it is really soft and fresh,” says Sarmenta, “but if I was making it at home, I’d just go to a great Italian deli or butchery and ask them to slice it for me.”
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 20 minutes (plus overnight resting for the dressing). Serves 4.
Fig and Watermelon Toast with Ricotta, Sesame and Lime
Alternating slices of crisp watermelon and lush figs are a fun pairing with fresh ricotta. This crunchy-creamy toast is seasoned with salt, pepper, tahini, lime zest and sesame seeds. Ripe cantaloupe or other musk melon can stand in for the watermelon, but will be slightly more sweet. For serving this as a canapé for a party, cut each toast in half, thirds or quarters.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 10 minutes. Serves 2 to 4.
(Silvia Razgova / For The Times)
Spicy Watermelon and Tahini Salad with Pistachios
This vibrant summer salad is at once opulent and refreshing: Crunch, juicy watermelon meets a creamy, spicy dressing. One key here is to macerate the watermelon with salt and sugar for 20 minutes, which draws out excess liquid, concentrates the melon’s flavor and allows the seasoning to penetrate the fruit.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 30 minutes. Serves 6 to 8.
(Silvia Razgova / For The Times)
Watermelon Salad with Feta, Mint and Cumin-Lime Dressing
Watermelon is a big flavor, so it stands up to other big flavors, whether salty, spicy or rich. Here it’s feta, toasted cumin, fresh mint, lime and jalapeños. When choosing your watermelon, notes former L.A. Times Food editor Russ Parsons, look for a vivid green color and check the couche, the pale spot where it rested on the ground: It should be pronounced and golden. And go ahead and give a watermelon a thump. It should sound like a hollow-core door.
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Cook time: 20 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.
Watermelon Curry
Try a savory-spicy-fruity melon curry. This recipe from chef-owner Geeta Bansal of Irvine’s Clay Oven restaurant enhances the summer fruit with turmeric, serrano chile and cumin for a flavorful take that can be served with basmati rice, quinoa or couscous.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 1 hour. Serves 4.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
Melon and Tomato Gazpacho
This melon-tomato gazpacho was made for entertaining, served in small glasses chilled in the fridge. Depending on the varieties of your tomatoes and melons, you can make a red, orange or green gazpacho. Try ripe green tomatoes, such as Green Zebra, with sweet green melons, such as Ogen, Galia or honeydew. Or use ripe red, yellow or orange tomatoes with orange-fleshed melons.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 30 minutes. Serves 8.
