Gelo di Melone, Sicilian Watermelon Pudding (VIDEO)
Gelo di Melone (or Gelo di Mellone), is a traditional Sicilian watermelon pudding that is easy to make, very fresh, and really delicious, with which you can enjoy all the flavor of summer!
What is Gelo di Melone Dessert
Watermelon Pudding is a typical dessert of Sicilian cuisine based on watermelon. In Sicily, it is also called “Gelo di Melone”, as watermelon is also called “melone”, and is prepared with only 3 ingredients: watermelon, sugar, and corn starch.
Gelo di Melone Ingredients
The main ingredients of this recipe are as follows:
- Very ripe watermelon – You need to get 1 liter of watermelon juice, which could correspond to around 2-3 kg of watermelon, but it all depends on the type of watermelon.
- Cornstarch
- Granulated sugar – The amount of sugar needed depends a lot on the sweetness of the watermelon. If we use a ripe and seasonal watermelon it will already be very sugary, and therefore it will be enough to add only 80 g of sugar, but you can also increase it a little, if necessary.
- Dark chocolate chips – The chocolate chips are used to create the “seed” effect of the watermelon. They are not mandatory. You can add them to the pudding or use them only for the final decoration. In the first case, I suggest you use very dark chocolate, so it will not melt when you add it to the still-hot watermelon cream.
- Chopped unsalted pistachio nuts – To use for garnish.
- Jasmine Flavored Water – Jasmine water is an ingredient in the authentic Gelo di Melone recipe, but since it’s hard to find, you can omit it and your watermelon pudding will still be delicious.
However, there are many variations to this recipe based on the area of origin. For example, some people add cinnamon or orange flower water.
Tools You Will Need To Make The Sicilian Watermelon Pudding
- Immersion Hand Blender
- Mixing Bowl
- Nut Milk Bag With Stand
- Kitchen Scale
- Individual Pudding Molds, I love these Molds
Sicilian Watermelon Pudding Video Recipe
How to Make Gelo di Melone at Home
The watermelon recipe is simple but requires a little preliminary work because we need to get the filtered juice from the watermelon. All the rest is super fast and simple.
Get Watermelon Juice. The first thing to do is cut the watermelon in half. Extract the pulp with a knife or spoon, and blend it with an immersion blender. Don’t worry about removing the seeds, because you will have to filter everything with a fine mesh strainer, and then they will be eliminated. Weigh the juice obtained up to about 1 kg.
Mix the ingredients. Add the cornstarch and sugar in a saucepan and then add the watermelon juice a little at a time, stirring constantly to avoid lumps forming. At this stage you can also add a few drops of Jasmine Flavored Water if you wish, and best of all… if you can find it!
Thicken. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until it begins to thicken. Continue until boiling and then boil for about 1 minute, then remove from heat. Let it cool for 10 minutes then add, if you wish, a few tablespoons of chocolate and mix quickly. I recommend not mixing too much and also the mixture must not be too hot, otherwise the chocolate chips will melt, mixing the chocolate flavor with the watermelon one.
Let it cool down. Pour the cream into the single-portion molds and allow it to cool first at room temperature and then in the fridge for at least 6 hours.
How to Serve Gelo di Melone
Unmold the watermelon pudding onto serving plates and serve by decorating it with chocolate chips or chopped pistachios, or both. In all cases, it will be delicious and very nice to see! You can also serve this fantastic watermelon dessert in glasses, but it’s definitely nicer to turn it out onto a serving plate.
NOTE – Another awesome way to serve this delicious watermelon pudding is to pour the watermelon cream into a single cake mold, allow it to cool, unmold it, and then cut it into slices.
Sicilian Watermelon Pudding Storage Instructions
Store your Gelo di Melone dessert in the fridge for two or three days, covering the surface with plastic wrap.
Gelo di Melone, Sicilian Watermelon Pudding (VIDEO)
Ingredients
- 1 Very ripe watermelon
- 90 g Cornstarch
- 90 g Granulated sugar
- Jasmine water (optional)
- Dark Chocolate chips to taste
- Chopped unsalted pistachio nuts to taste
Instructions
- Cut the watermelon in half, extract the pulp with a knife or spoon, and blend it with an immersion blender. Don't worry about removing the seeds because you will have to filter everything with a fine mesh strainer, and then they will be eliminated. Weigh the juice obtained until you have about 1 kg.
- Add the cornstarch and sugar in a saucepan and then add the watermelon juice a little at a time, stirring constantly to avoid lumps forming. Add some drops of jasmine water, if you like it.
- Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until you see it begin to thicken. Continue until boiling and then boil for about 1 minute, then remove from heat.
- Let it cool down, then add, if you wish, a few tablespoons of chocolate and mix quickly. I recommend not mixing too much and also the mixture must not be too hot, otherwise the chocolate chips will melt, mixing the chocolate flavor with the watermelon one.
- Pour the cream into the single-portion molds and let it cool first at room temperature and then in the fridge for at least 6 hours. You can also serve this fantastic watermelon dessert in glasses, but it is certainly more effective to turn it out onto a serving plate.
- Serve the watermelon pudding or Gelo di Melone by decorating it with chocolate chips or chopped pistachios, or both. In all cases, it will be delicious and very nice to see!
