Photo by Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post
These refreshing bites, drizzled with a lemon-honey dressing, are easy to assemble and can surely be counted as one of summer’s simple pleasures.
Make Ahead: The herbed goat cheese mixture, dressing and watermelon squares may be refrigerated in separate containers a day in advance.
Watermelon With Herbed Goat Cheese Whip
Ingredients
4 ounces soft goat cheese (chevre)
2 tablespoons low-fat milk or whole milk
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint leaves
½ teaspoon finely grated zest and 1½ teaspoons juice (from ½ lemon)
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon honey, or more as needed
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Half a mini/personal-size seedless watermelon
Directions
Whisk or whip together the goat cheese and milk in a medium bowl until the mixture is creamy. Stir in the basil, mint, lemon zest and black pepper; cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Use a fork to whisk the oil, lemon juice, honey and ⅛ teaspoon of the salt in a liquid measuring cup. Taste, and add more honey, as needed.
Cut away the rind from the watermelon, then cut the melon into 1-inch squares about ½ inch thick, until you have 24 squares of melon. (Reserve the rind and any leftover melon for another use.)
Arrange the melon squares on a platter. Dollop about 1 teaspoon of the whipped cheese on top of each piece of melon. Drizzle the dressing on top, and around the platter, then sprinkle with the remaining ⅛ teaspoon of salt, garnish with additional chopped basil and serve right away.
Serving size: 4 pieces
Makes 6 servings
Per serving: Calories 90; Total Fat 6g; (Sat Fat 3g); Protein 4g; Carb 4g; Fiber 0g; Cholesterol 10mg; Sodium 135mg; Total Sugar 3g
