It's National Watermelon Day! How to Make Watermelon and Cheese Checkers

This is a great way to serve cheese and fruit, and even the kids will enjoy eating their healthy food! This watermelon and cheese checkerboard is a wonderful idea for a child's party or even for placing out on the buffet table. Here is how to prepare the checkerboard in just a few minutes.

Ingredients

• Watermelon (seedless is preferable but any type can be used)
• Cheese

Steps

1. 
   
   
   

   
   
   Buy hard cheese and watermelon. The cheese can be yellow or orange, whatever is available in your area.
2. 
   
   
   

   
   
   Prepare the watermelon pieces. Cut slices of watermelon 1/2 inch or 1.3 cm thick. Use a ruler if you're not able to gauge this easily.
3. 
   
   
   

   
   
   Turn the slices on their side and cut into strips of equal width.
4. 
   
   
   

   
   
   Cut into equal squares. Do this as evenly as you can. The exact square size is up to you and will be determined by the amount of watermelon and cheese you have, or the plate size.
5. 
   
   
   

   
   
   Set to one side for arranging shortly.
6. 
   
   
   

   
   
   Prepare the cheese. Slice the cheese 1/2 inch or 1.3 cm thick.
7. 
   
   
   

   
   
   Cut the cheese into even squares the same size as the watermelon squares.
8. 
   
   

   
   Still a bit of sorting, tidying up, and size matching to go...
   Arrange the pieces into a checkerboard formation on a suitable serving plate.
   
   • This is a good time to remove pieces that are lopsided or of the wrong size – cut more if needed, or simply reshape existing pieces.
   • Also remove any obvious seeds from the watermelon pieces, if you haven't used seedless watermelon.
9. 
   
   
   

   
   
   Prepare the checkers. Use a very small cookie cutter or a small shooter glass turned upside down to cut out the checkers from the watermelon. Cut slices thinner than for the checkerboard squares.
   
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     Push all the way through to ensure that the checker piece comes away clean from the watermelon flesh.
     
     
     
     
     

     
10. 
    
    
    

    
    
    Repeat the cookie cutter process with the cheese to make cheese checkers.
    
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      As with the watermelon checkers, cut the slices thinner than cheese squares for pushing the cutter through.
11. 
    
    
    

    
    
    Arrange the checkers on the checkerboard and firm up the entire checkerboard. Place the watermelon checkers onto cheese pieces, and cheese checkers onto watermelon pieces, as this makes them easier to see and it looks more effective. Your watermelon and cheese checkerboard is ready for serving!
    
    • It's a good idea to provide toothpicks to enable guests to pick up the cheese and watermelon pieces easily.

Video

Tips

• For a kid's party, also provide pretzels and chips and different shaped crackers or cookies.
• Make a large checkerboard for a party, because the pieces will be finished before you have time to serve the drinks!
• You can also make this into an actual game. Each piece that is captured is eaten, the first person to eat their opponent's pieces wins.
• If you're already using watermelon, use the left over watermelon. For example, you could make a carved centerpiece and then use the rest of the watermelon for the checkers board.

Warnings

• Always use caution when cutting with knives.
• It's a good idea to cut the cheese and watermelon on separate boards, otherwise the juice from the watermelon will soak into the block of cheese that isn't being used for the recipe.

Things You'll Need

• Cutting board and knife
• Cheese knife
• Small cookie cutter or a shooter glass
• Large serving plate