Watermelon Bowl with 12 Fruits

2 min read

Inspired by the offertory gifts of melons, mangoes, and apples at the Pentecost Sunday Mass in Changsha’s Roman Catholic Church on June 12, 2011, this celebratory salad contains 9 more fruits, for a grand total of no less than 12. Each fruit represents, in my mind, the 12 fruits of the Holy Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, forbearance, gentleness, faith, modesty, selfcontrol, and purity—which I witnessed everywhere I went in China. Feel free to use whatever fresh fruits are in season for the filling—but in keeping with the ―spirit‖ of the salad, try to use 12!

MAKES 12 SERVINGS

2 cups water

1 cup rock sugar (yellow or clear) or 3⁄4 cup granulated sugar

1⁄4 cup mango juice, fresh or canned, or apple juice

1 large oblong-shaped seedless watermelon (8 to 10 pounds)

1 cup cubed or balled cantaloupe

1 cup cubed or balled honeydew melon

1 cup mandarin orange segments (from about 2 oranges)

1 cup cubed pineapple

1 cup cubed mango

1 cup cubed papaya

1 cup cubed dragon fruit

1 cup fresh or canned peeled seedless litchi or longan halves

1 banana, peeled and thinly sliced

1 kiwifruit, peeled, quartered, and thinly sliced

1 apple, cored and chopped

In a medium saucepan, bring the water, rock sugar, and mango juice to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil gently until reduced to about 11⁄2 cups, 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. With a large, sharp knife, remove the top 1⁄4 section of the watermelon. With a melon baller, scoop flesh from inside of watermelon, leaving about 1⁄2 inch of flesh inside the shell of the watermelon. Place 1 cup of the watermelon flesh in a large bowl and add the 11 other fruits. Reserve the remaining watermelon flesh for another use (if necessary, add more to fill up watermelon ―bowl‖). Add the cooled sugar syrup to the 12 fruits, tossing gently yet thoroughly to combine. Transfer to the prepared watermelon shell. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate a minimum of 1 hour, or overnight, and serve chilled.

{PER SERVING} Calories 130 • Protein 1g • Total Fat 1g • Sat Fat 0g • Cholesterol 0mg • Carbohydrate 33g • Dietary Fiber 2g • Sodium 5mg