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GRILLED WATERMELON SALAD 

Excerpt from The Ucross Cookbook: Cooking for Artists on a Wyoming Ranch, by Cindy Brooks with Cree LeFavour

This unusual salad flummoxes Ucross artists. “Is it tuna?” more than one artist has asked me as they bit into the tender watermelon. Grilled, the texture of the melon does transform into something that, if not quite sashimi-like, is unlike any watermelon I’ve tasted. Combined with the spicy bite of the watercress and the tangy goat cheese, it’s a summer staple for Ucross artists. I guess unusual dishes like this are part of what residents mean when they call the food at Ucross “inventive.”

TIP: Look for heavier melons with a “field spot”—that’s the flat, lightly discolored spot on one side of the globe that marks the spot where the melon rested in the field. Melons without a field spot were likely picked long before they began to ripen.
​
  • 1 small seedless watermelon, peeled and sliced 1 inch thick
  • ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for brushing the melon
  • Kosher salt
  • Black pepper
  • ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
  • 6 Campari, 2 large heirloom, or 1½ pints cherry tomatoes, cut in half or into wedges depending on their size
  • ½ cup lightly packed torn fresh basil leaves
  • 3 tablespoons raspberry vinegar (or substitute sherry vinegar)
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 4 cups lightly packed watercress, heavy stems trimmed
  • ½ cup goat cheese, crumbled

Preheat your grill to its highest setting or build a fire to cook over white-hot coals.Brush the watermelon with olive oil and sprinkle on both sides with salt and black pepper. Place the slices on the hot grill for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until striped by sear marks on both sides.

Place the grilled watermelon in a colander to cool and drain before cutting the slices into 1-inch squares. Return the diced melon to the colander and set it over a mixing bowl. Refrigerate the melon for 30 minutes or until it’s thoroughly chilled.

In a large salad bowl, toss together the onion, tomatoes, basil, raspberry vinegar, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, a pinch of salt, and fresh black pepper. Set the mixture aside at room temperature to macerate for 20 minutes or so.

To finish the salad, gently press the watermelon, without crushing it, to remove any excess juice before tossing it into the dressed tomato-herb mixture. Add the watercress and goat cheese, gently tossing one last time before serving.
Picture


​Did you enjoy this recipe?

Find more delicious dishes, along with artist essays, photographs of our Wyoming ranch, and stories from Chef Cindy Brooks, in The Ucross Cookbook, available for online purchase and at select bookstores, galleries, and boutiques. Proceeds directly benefit our nonprofit.

Buy The Ucross Cookbook!

UCROSS FOUNDATION          

30 Big Red Lane

Clearmont, WY 82835

307.737.2291       

info@ucross.org

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Ucross Foundation acknowledges with respect that it is situated on the aboriginal land of several Indigenous communities, including the Cheyenne, Crow, and Lakota nations. Indigenous people continue to live in this area and practice their teachings and lifeways. Today, this region remains an important place for many Indigenous peoples. As a Wyoming institution, we recognize and respect this historical context and are working to build reciprocal relationships with the Native nations on whose lands we are situated. In partial fulfillment of that commitment, Ucross established Fellowships for Native American Visual Artists in 2017 and Native American Writers in 2020.
Photo credits: Board and staff photos courtesy of William Coupon; additional website images courtesy of Martirene Alcantara, Trine Bumiller, Jennifer Garza-Cuen, Bill Megalos, and Neerja Kothari: video on homepage courtesy of Bill Megalos.
  • ABOUT
    • Ucross Story
    • Founder
    • Board
    • National Advisory Council
    • Staff
    • Opportunities
  • ARTISTS
    • Residency Program
    • Selected Honors & Notable Alumni
    • Native American Fellowships
    • Native American Art Curatorial Convening
    • Partnerships
    • Facilities >
      • KOCUR
      • ROCK STUDIOS
      • SCHOOL HOUSE & DEPOT
      • JESSE'S ONE AND TWO
      • BIG RED & DANCE STUDIO
    • Alumni
  • LAND
    • LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
    • Ranch History
    • Ecology
    • Birds
  • VISIT
    • Ucross Art Gallery
    • Chapel
    • Park >
      • DONORS
    • Raymond Plank Center
    • Ranch Directions
  • CONNECT
    • STAY CONNECTED
    • Alumni News >
      • ALUMNI NOTES
    • Special Events >
      • UCROSS AWARDS
    • Press Room
  • SUPPORT
    • Ways To Give
    • 40th Anniversary Campaign
    • VOLUNTEER
    • Cookbook
    • Individual Giving
    • Institutional Giving & Named Residencies
    • Legacy Giving
  • APPLY
  • DONATE