Watermelon Tea

Ingredients

• Have the fruit on ice
• Have a sharp knife
• use only white dishes
• use only white dishes and flowers
• procure a very small and symmetrical melon
• tie the end on with broad pink satin ribbon
• Grape juice is a good drink

Method

1. 1

   Chill the watermelon for at least 24 hours before serving.

2. 2

   Cut the melons at the table and use white dishes and flowers.

3. 3

   Guests count the seeds in their pieces, and a prize is given to the one with the most seeds.

4. 4

   Serve grape juice with finely cracked ice.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Breakfasts and teas (1907) by Paul Pierce, page 35. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

Watermelon Tea. Ask a congenial party, being sure that all are fond of watermelon. Have the fruit on ice at least twenty-four hours before serving, and above all things give this af- fair when the temperature is up in the nineties if you 88 Breakfasts and Teas want it fully appreciated. Have a sharp knife and cut the melons at the table (for it is such a decorative fruit), and use only white dishes and flowers. Let each guest count the seeds in the piece or pieces and give a souvenir to the one having the largest number. A pretty prize and appropriate is to procure a very small and symmetrical melon, cut off the end, hollow out and line with oiled paper, fill with bonbons and tie the end on with broad pink satin ribbon. If expense is no object, have a quartet of colored singers with banjos concealed and let them sing good old plantation songs for an hour or two, not forgetting "Den, oh, dat watermelon." Grape juice is a good drink

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.