Melon, Cured Ham & Feta Skewers

📝 Ingredients

• 1 very ripe Charentais melon (about 1 kg)
• 8 thin slices of cured ham (15 g each)
• 100 g feta
• 16 fresh mint leaves
• ½ lemon
• 1 tsp olive oil
• Black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Melon baller
• Paring knife
• Chopping board
• 16 wooden cocktail sticks
• Colander
• Serving platter

📖 Steps

1. Cut the melon in half and scoop out the seeds and fibres with a spoon. Using a melon baller (or a teaspoon), scoop balls from the flesh, pressing the baller in well before twisting it: you need 32, two per skewer.
2. Leave the balls to drain for 5 min in a sieve set over a bowl, so they don't make the other ingredients soggy. Keep the melon trimmings in the fridge for a smoothie or fruit salad.
3. Drain the feta, pat dry with kitchen paper and cut into 16 even cubes of about 1.5 cm. Handle it gently as it crumbles easily: a very sharp knife run under cold water helps make clean cuts.
4. Cut each slice of cured ham in half lengthways, then fold each strip like an accordion to form a little ruffled ribbon (a chiffonade), prettier and easier to skewer than a flat slice.
5. Assemble the skewers on 16 sticks: a melon ball, a mint leaf, a ham ribbon, a feta cube, then a second melon ball. Pierce each piece right through the centre so it holds without spinning.
6. Arrange the skewers on a serving platter. Mix the zest and juice of the half lemon with the olive oil, drizzle lightly over the skewers, then add a grind of pepper. Don't add salt: the ham and feta are already salty.
7. Serve straight away, well chilled, or keep in the fridge under cling film for 1 hour at most: any longer and the melon releases its juice and the mint blackens at the edges.