' CUCUMBER and MELON TERRINE .'

Terrine of Cucumber, Watermelon & Honeydew with Horseradish , Persian cucumber , Melon balls , Lime slice , Water hyssop , creme fraiche , fennel fronds , wild rocket flowers ,  lime vinaigrette & cypress black salt. 

                      This is another classic pairing, the summer fruits of cucumber and melons, this little dish served ultra cold makes a perfect refreshing appetiser. This dish gets the gastric going and the saliva flowing with hints of zesty flavours from the lime vinaigrette, the salty sweet taste of the different melons and the little bite from the radish, rounded off well with the delicate flavours of fennel fronds and water hyssop herb. Melons are in full season at the moment as are cucumbers and I wanted to incorporate the two in a dish that was light, colourful and refreshing. The herbs come from the garden but the rest of the ingredients come from the Italian grocery store I frequent in the inner suburbs.
                     I started preparing this dish the night before beginning with the terrine, which consisted of first chopping, deseeding and pureeing separately in a blender cucumber, honeydew and watermelon. Placing each puree into a separate bowl, they were seasoned with salt and pepper and measured out before being separately simmered in a small saucepan with 1% agar agar, whisking to dissolve the agar. Each was removed and layering one at a time beginning with the cucumber I poured the mix into a greased plastic mould. Placing the mould in the fridge between layers to set them faster I then followed with the watermelon and in order honeydew, watermelon and cucumber last. The whole terrine was then placed in the fridge over night to fully set before being turned out and sliced the next day. To make the cucumber spirals I simply sliced a thin strip of cucumber using a peeler, trimmed the ends and rolled it up tight before pushing from the bottom using the back of a spoon to unravel the roll into a spiral, filling the bottom with a dab of creme fraiche to hold it together and dressed with vinaigrette. I cut the melons simply using a melon baller and these to were dressed with vinaigrette and finished with a sprinkle of black cypress salt. To prepare the the horseradish I just peeled them before thinly slicing and dressing them in the vinaigrette and sprinkled black salt for contrast. The vinaigrette was a simply blend of lime juice with extra virgin olive oil. The additions to the plate also were creme fraiche, fennel fronds, a lime slice, fresh water hyssop and tiny little yellow edible wild rocket flowers.