Watermelon Chiffon Pie

To my friends in the United States -- Happy (belated) Independence Day!  To the rest of you -- happy weekend!

I have a cool, refreshing recipe for you.   You MIGHT just have the ingredients on hand already, and if that's so, you can whip this together right now and have it ready to eat by the time your friends arrive for your 4th of July weekend cookout.


 

I'm not sure if it's the sort-of translucent, gentle sweetness of the watermelon, or if it's the creamy lightness of the egg whites and whipped cream folded throughout, or the crumbly-rich buttery graham cracker crust, but overall, this is the sort of pie that, once you've eaten through one slice, it's hard not to eat the rest of the pie straight out of the piepan.

Watermelon Chiffon Pie
Slightly adapted from About.com

Yield: 10 servings

• 2 Tablespoons unflavored gelatin
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 2 cups pureed seedless watermelon (I used my food processor, but you could also use a blender)
• 1/2 cup powdered confectioners' sugar (plus 1/4 cup more if you want this to taste "sweet")
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 egg whites, stiffly-beaten
• 1 cup whipping cream, whipped
• One 10-inch prepared graham cracker crust (or two 8-inch) -- recipe below
• Watermelon balls and sprigs of fresh mint to garnish, if desired

Pour cold water into a large bowl and sprinkle with unflavored gelatin. Let sit for 5 minutes to soften. Stir in boiling water until combined. Add watermelon, confectioners' sugar, and lemon juice, stirring to combine. Let come to room temperature, then refrigerate until the mixture begins to thicken.

Fold stiff egg whites and whipped cream into the thickened watermelon gelatin until combined. Smooth into prepared graham cracker crust and refrigerate pie until firm (at least two hours). Garnish each serving with balls of watermelon and a sprig of mint.

Graham Cracker Crust

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 28 crackers, crushed)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted
1 pinch salt
1 pinch cinnamon

Combine all in a 10-inch pie pan (or two 8-inch pans), using a fork and/or fingers to thoroughly mix until all is moistened.  Press firmly into the bottom of pan(s).  Bake at 350 deg oven for 10 minutes or until lightly golden.  Allow crust to cool completely before pouring watermelon filling into it.


 
I cut into this pie about an hour after refrigerating, and you can see that it's not quite set, but it was still perfect.