Watermelon and Cherry Salad with Fresh Mint Syrup

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 lb Watermelon
• 2 lb Cherries, fresh, pitted
• 1 bunch Fresh mint
• 8 fl oz Water
• 3 oz Granulated Sugar
• Fresh mint sprigs as needed for garnish

Directions:

1) Pick mint leaves and wash them.

2) Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Blanch the mint leaves in water for 20 seconds. Remove the leaves and refresh them in cold water. Reserve blanching water.

3)Add the sugar to the blanching water, bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.

4) Drain the mint leaves. Squeeze all of the water out of them and chop them finely. Add the chopped mint to the sugar syrup. Refrigerate syrup until cold.

5) Dice the watermelon or scoop balls from it with a melon ball cutter. Combine the watermelon with the pitted cherries in a stainless steel bowl. Pour the mint syrup over the fruit and toss gently.

6) Serve garnished with sprigs of fresh mint.

Oh, Santa baby...

Think I have found one of my Christmas presents. Classmate had one of these babies and I fell in love.

http://www.kershawknives.com/

The Shun 8'' Premier chef’s knife features a high-carbon VG-10 steel core clad with 16 layers of Damascus stainless steel.

• All Shun knives are hammered by hand with a technique known as tsuchime to a beautiful finish that reduces drag when cutting, preventing food from sticking to the blade.

The chef knives run between $150-195 depending where you get them.

I prefer the Shun Kaji 7" Hollow-Ground Santoku knives ^^- because they're cooler looking and fit in my teenie hands better.

• Santoku, meaing "three virtues" in Japanese, refer to the santoku knife's ability to slice, dice and mince, all with one knife. The Shun Premier Santoku Knife is the perfect size and shape to do all three equally well. Elegant and beautiful, the Shun Premier line of knives are unlike any knives you've owned.

• Shun Edo’s reputation for superior power and control is reflected in the extraordinary appearance of their cutlery. The VG-10 steel blade’s eye-catching hammered pattern reduces drag and helps food release easily, and the handle’s tear-drop shape and broad bolster facilitate a variety of cutting techniques.

• Wide bolsters and ergonomic grips reduce tension and fatigue while providing added leverage.

• Incredibly dense VG-10 “Super Steel” blade is tempered for exceptional hardness and edge retention.

These are about ~$200.

And just in case anyone is wondering what I will have on my wedding registry (whenever that day finally comes) I believe something of this fashion will be on there...

The Shun Bob Kramer Meiji 7" Santoku. On sale for a mere $394.95 at Williams-Sonoma.

• Legendary Japanese knife maker Shun partnered with master bladesmith Bob Kramer, one of only 103 certified master bladesmiths in the world, and the only bladesmith in the U.S. who specializes in kitchen cutlery, to create a line based on Kramer's hand-forged Meiji knives. A versatile Japanese design, this ultradurable, razor-sharp santoku is ideal for slicing, cutting, chopping and scoring.

• SG-2 steel cutting core clad in 64 alternating layers of nickel and stainless steel for a supersharp, durable blade with a striking Damascus-style waterfall pattern.