I learned about this fun way to serve ice cream from the Satellite Sisters podcast. They no longer run weekly shows, but you can listen to their favorite episodes, and on occasion, they will do a new show. When they shared their plans for celebrating the 4th, they discussed a long-time family tradition of filling a watermelon with ice cream. I thought it sounded like a lot of fun!
First, I took a small roundish watermelon, washed the rind, and cut it in half lengthwise, starting at the stem. I scooped out all the watermelon down to the rind and saved it for another day (I love watermelon in the summer!). You won’t need the other half, so save it too, or give it to a neighbor.
We also cut off just a little of the end so the roundness of the watermelon half would make it level. I set the watermelon down in a small dish and froze it for several hours.
I used the flavors of ice cream to represent the colors of the watermelon – pints of mint chocolate chip, vanilla, and strawberry. All Bluebell ice cream, of course. Three pints easily filled the watermelon. It reminded me of Neopolitan ice cream. Mother served it all the time, and I remember what a treat it was to have her slice it right from the carton and put it on a dessert plate after dinner. It was so pretty!
I forgot to take a photo of spooning the ice cream into the hollowed-out watermelon, but basically, I treated it like I was icing a cake. Using an offset spatula (or the back of a large tablespoon), spread the first layer of mint chocolate chip ice cream evenly over the bottom of the watermelon. Spread up the sides to the top and try to make it evenly spread around the entire inside base of the watermelon. Put the watermelon back into the freezer and let it freeze for several hours. Repeat with the vanilla, then freeze the mixture until it is firm. Lastly, before adding the strawberry ice cream, I sprinkled in a few chocolate chips to resemble watermelon seeds, scooped in the strawberry ice cream, added a few more chips, and then evenly spread the ice cream all over the top to the edges of the watermelon rind. I took a few more chocolate chips and placed them upside down in the ice cream. We let it freeze for another few hours, then we had the finished product!
I used my collection of vintage blue hobnail glassware to serve the ice cream. You don’t always have to use bowls to serve ice cream – use your pretty glassware.
We tried to slice pieces of the watermelon and serve them, but the rinds were frozen solid, so we decided to scoop out the frozen dessert instead. You could add hot fudge sauce, whipped cream, and a cherry on top. But we made do with a sprig of peppermint from the garden.
We enjoyed sitting by the pool, with our feet in the water, enjoying our new ice cream treat. Happy summer, y’all!
Hospitality is in my DNA. I founded Home with a Twist, a daughter’s twist on her mother’s traditions, in memory of my mother to celebrate her life and the gifts she shared with me. Mother loved to celebrate life’s occasions – big and small.
