Summer Melons & Cí Cí Chili Olio
A Jules Recipe from Chef Max Blachman-Gentile, adapted for home
Chef Max Blachman-Gentile created this airy summer melon dish for his much-lauded SF pizza pop-up, Jules, but it’s easy to recreate at home. Delicate melons and fruity chili olio are neither too-sweet nor not too-spicy — equally lovely before dinner with a spritz or afterwards with espresso.
“Cí Cí Chili oil is so bright and peppery — I wanted to pair it with something delicate, like melons, to showcase its nuance and fruitiness.”
- Chef Max Blachman-Gentile
Ingredients
Peak-season market melons (Chef Max used Charntarais, Korean, & Piel de Sapo, but you can substitute with any available market melons.)
Buttermilk (at Jules, Max used cultured cream, but good store-bought buttermilk works well too)
Fresh mint, leaves plucked
Toasted sesame seeds
Flaky sea salt
Steps
Core, peel, and cube melons. Pour a shallow pool of buttermilk into your serving bowls. Here, we plated individual servings, but if you’d like to serve family style, simply compose the dish in a large shallow bowl. Layer melon cubes in the pool of buttermilk, add a handful of mint leaves, and a good dusting of sesame seeds. At the table, finish each bowl with a drizzle of Cí Cí chili olio and a big pinch of flaky salt.
