Galia Melon, Minneolas, and Gravensteins.

Spring is also here in Tampa, but for us, it doesn't mean the hope of warm days, it means enjoying the last of the cool weather.  Even though the high temperature today was 85 degrees, this evening is still beautiful.  With the promise of the coming heat, I've been feeling that I want to eat something refreshing.  At the same time, my sweet tooth is acting up, so I need something rich as well.

Galia Melon, Fresh Pineapple, and a Minneola Tangelo.

On today's trip to the grocery store, I bought a Galia melon and a bag of minneolas.  Galia melons look like a cantaloupe on the outside but are more like a honeydew melon on the inside.  The taste is mild and similar to both, but at the same time, it's slightly different.  Minneolas are a type of tangelo, created by crossing a grapefruit with a tangerine.  They have a nice but mild tangerine flavour.




Another very exciting find for me at the store is unsweetened applesauce made from Gravenstein apples.  Gravensteins are my absolute favourite apple, in fact, I've planned trips to Nova Scotia based on when they can be picked.




But I digress.  Back to the task at hand.  What can I make that is both refreshing and rich?

 

Here at home, I have a pineapple that is perfectly ripe.  It's at that stage where it is sweet and has no sharp bite to it.  I could tell how good it was going to taste by how yellow it looked from the outside.

Some kind of fruit salad is the obvious choice, but what will make it special?  Maybe a little bit of cream cheese?




Ross's Spring Fruit Salad
Fruit base:
1 Minneola Tangelo or Other Similar Citrus1 cup Galia Melon
1 cup Fresh Pineapple
3/4 cup Unsweetened Applesauce

Topping:
2 tbsp Cream Cheese
3/4 cup Unsweetened Applesauce
Citrus Zest for garnish

• Zest the minneola, saving it for later, then peel.  Pull apart fruit into sections, then slice each section into 3 pieces.
• Cut up the Galia melon into similar sized pieces.  I used about a quarter of the melon (minus the seeds and the skin).  A melon baller would come in very handy for this.  Next time I will be using one!
• Cut the pineapple into pieces similar in size to the melon and minneola.
• Combine all three in a bowl, add the applesauce and mix together.
• In a small bowl, heat the cream cheese in the microwave for 10 seconds -- just enough to soften it a little.
• Using a spoon or a whisk, stir the softened cream cheese until it is smooth and easier to handle.
• Add about 1 tbsp of the applesauce to the cream cheese and stir/whisk until smooth.
• Keep adding the applesauce by spoonful and whisking until the entire 3/4 cup is used.
• Pour the cream cheese mixture over the fruit mixture, then sprinkle the minneola zest on top.