This summer has been marked by an unusual, excessive, and relentless heat, at least as far as southern Italy is concerned! Enjoying something fresh without overdoing the calories is essential! And then, what’s better than a nice watermelon gel? In Catania, the quintessential gel is almond-based, but among the variations, this is surely the most refreshing and genuine! It is a light dessert by the spoon, with delicious chocolate chips simulating the seeds of this thirst-quenching fruit. Very popular especially in Palermo, being the traditional sweet of the feast of Santa Rosalia, the city’s patron saint, it is also present in other parts of Sicily. Of course, with its endless variations both in preparation and in the dialectal ways of calling it. The most known is gelo di muluna or mellone, the dialectal term indicating watermelon. Simple to prepare, it is a perfect dessert even for those gluten intolerant, as it is made with only cornstarch. Two simple tips for the success of the dessert! First, the choice of watermelon should be red and juicy, so that, depending on the sweetness level, you can almost reduce the sugar doses. The other is the waiting time after preparation, which should be at least three hours in the fridge before unmolding it, otherwise it will affect the final result. Now prepare it and enjoy it!
If fresh and refreshing summer desserts are your passion, I invite you to check out these ideas below:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Rest time: 3 Hours
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 12
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer
Ingredients for a 9-inch mold:
⚠ THIS RECIPE CONTAINS ONE OR MORE AFFILIATE LINKS. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; purchasing them through my blog helps support me and my work, while it won’t cost you anything extra!
- 4 1/4 cups watermelon juice (extracted from about 7.7 lbs of watermelon)
- 3/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (amounts can increase up to 3/4 cup depending on the fruit's sweetness)
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup chocolate flakes
- 1/4 cup pistachio flour
- A few Bronte DOP pistachios
Tools
- 1 Knife
- 1 Juicer
- 1 Strainer
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Bundt pan
- 1 Plastic wrap
Preparation
Cut the watermelon into pieces and place them in a blender* or juicer to extract one liter (4 1/4 cups) of juice. Filter the juice obtained with a strainer to remove the seeds and impurities.
Transfer the juice little by little into a saucepan, mixing it with the sifted cornstarch.
Once all the starch is well dissolved, add the sugar to the mixture and put the pot on the stove over high heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon as you would for a cream.
Bring to a boil, then continue stirring, lowering the heat to the minimum for about 5 minutes or until the gel has thickened and acquired a more intense color.
After this time, remove the gel from the heat and pour in the chocolate chips. Stir evenly and pour it into your bundt pan or distribute into popsicle molds if you want to make individual servings.
Let the gel cool at room temperature, then place it in the refrigerator for the necessary time to achieve the consistency of a pudding, which will take at least 3 hours, but ideally overnight. After this time, unmold it onto a serving plate.
Garnish the surface with pistachio flour as if it were powdered sugar, chocolate flakes, and whole pistachios.
And voilà… the watermelon gel with chocolate chips is ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appétit from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉Watermelon gel can be stored in the fridge well covered with plastic wrap in contact for a maximum of 1-2 days. I do not recommend freezing it to avoid altering its consistency.
Tips, Notes, Variations, and Suggestions
🟣* If you do not have a juicer, no worries! First, carefully deseed the watermelon and not vice versa as described in the recipe, ensuring there are no seeds. Only then can you extract the watermelon juice! All you need is a mixer or blender: blend it and pass the obtained fruit puree through a strainer to extract only the juice.
