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Gelo di Mellone

Name: Gelo di Mellone
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 420 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 1000 ml strained watermelon juice; 90 g cornflour; 120 g caster sugar; 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon; 30 g dark chocolate chips; 25 g chopped pistachios; 1 tsp food-grade jasmine infusion optional, already prepared

Watermelon pudding with cinnamon, pistachio and chocolate

Palermo’s chilled watermelon gelo, thickened with starch and finished with cinnamon, dark chocolate and pistachios.

Jump to recipe

Prep20 minsCook10 minsServes8DifficultyEasy

Plus 6 hrs 30 min for cooling and chilling until set; included in the total time below.

Palermo, Sicily

The regional version.

A Palermitan watermelon-and-starch gelo with cinnamon, pistachios and optional food-grade jasmine.

Mellone means watermelon in this Sicilian dessert, not cantaloupe.
Starch sets the juice without gelatine or dairy.
Cinnamon, pistachios and chocolate accompany the chilled pudding.

Technique: watermelon pudding with cinnamon, pistachio and chocolate

Measure juice after straining and dissolve starch while cold to avoid lumps. Jasmine is a traditional aroma, but use only a food-grade product; it is optional here.

The recipe

Gelo di Mellone

20 min prep10 min cook7 hrs total8 portions

Includes 6 hrs 30 min for cooling and chilling until set.

Scale:

Ingredients

Main

1000 ml strained watermelon juice
90 g cornflour
120 g caster sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
30 g dark chocolate chips
25 g chopped pistachios
1 tsp food-grade jasmine infusion, optional, already prepared (optional)

Method

1
Pass seedless watermelon flesh through a food mill or sieve and measure one litre of juice, excluding seeds and pulp.
2
Mix sugar and cornflour in a saucepan. Gradually whisk in cold juice until completely smooth.
3
Add cinnamon and optional prepared food-grade jasmine infusion. Heat gently, whisking the bottom and corners continuously.
4
Bring the thickened mixture to a slow bubble and cook for 1 minute, stirring, then divide between eight dampened moulds.
5
Cool until no longer steaming, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours until set.
6
Unmould or serve in the glasses, adding chocolate and pistachios only after cooling so the chocolate remains distinct.

The version on this page

A Palermitan watermelon-and-starch gelo with cinnamon, pistachios and optional food-grade jasmine.

Mellone means watermelon in this Sicilian dessert, not cantaloupe.
Starch sets the juice without gelatine or dairy.
Cinnamon, pistachios and chocolate accompany the chilled pudding.

Cooking it well

Measure juice after straining and dissolve starch while cold to avoid lumps. Jasmine is a traditional aroma, but use only a food-grade product; it is optional here.

Serving and planning

Serve chilled in small moulds or glasses. Add chocolate at the end to suggest watermelon seeds without melting into the pudding.

Allow 390 additional minutes for cooling and chilling until set. This is included in the total recipe time, alongside active preparation and cooking.

Explore the Sicilian cooking guide for related dishes and pantry notes.

Storage

Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days; garnish shortly before serving.

Freezing

Do not freeze: the starch-set texture can release water after thawing.

Reheating

Serve chilled. Reheating will spoil the set pudding.

Keep cooking

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