Recipe: Chilled Fruit Salad with Watermelon Syrup

Serves 8

Watermelon syrup:

- ¼ cup water

- 1/3 cup sugar

- 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh mint

- 1 ½-pound piece of seedless watermelon (weighed with rind on), seeds removed

- 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Salad:

- 1 ½ pound piece of seedless watermelon, cubed

- 1 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced

- 3 nectarines, pitted and sliced

- 6 apricots, pitted and sliced

- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1. To prepare watermelon syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar and mint. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Let steep 30 minutes.

2. Cut the watermelon from the rind in chunks. Puree in a food processor. Strain the sugar syrup into the puree and mix, adding the lemon juice.

3. To prepare the salad: Combine the cubed watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, nectarines and apricots with the watermelon syrup. Refrigerate 1 hour. Stir in the mint before serving.

From "Summer Fruit: A Country Garden Cookbook" by Edon Waycott