'Cactus' Melon

Directions

1. Thoroughly wash and dry the melon and the pepper.
2. Coat with the jelly, when this is on the point of setting.
3. And allow to set quite firmly.
4. Meanwhile, cream the cheese with milk until it is of a soft piping consistency.
5. Colour two-thirds of the cheese a pale pink, and the remaining portion a pale yellow.
6. Drain the anchovies and cut the fillets into narrow strips.
7. Using a small "cocktail" cutter, cut star-shaped pieces from the strips of pimento or tomato flesh.
8. Dip the strips of anchovy into stiff jelly and arrange in a diagonal lattice pattern over alternate sections of the melon; now dip the stars into jelly and arrange them on the remaining sections.
9. Place the pink cream cheese mixture in a forcing bag fitted with a large star pipe, squeeze a large star of cheese on to the bottom of the pear or pepper and secure it to the top of the melon.
10. Outline the sections of the melon with stars of pink cream cheese.
11. Using a small, plain writing pipe and the pale yellow cream cheese, pipe dots between the lattice of anchovy fillets.
12. Lattice the pear or pepper, and finish it with stars of pink cream cheese.