Melon

After such a substantial meal, you'll want to keep things light for dessert. A little fancier than a fruit salad yet almost as easy, this cool combination of musky cantaloupe and honeydew gets an unexpected fillip from icy granita. Don’t worry if the granita melts faster than you expect—it will slump into a lovely sauce over the fruit.

If the idea of tomatoes and watermelon together sounds odd to you, this dish will be a revelation. There is a saying that what grows together goes together, and in this case it is true. If you think of tomatoes as a fruit, which they are botanically, this combination makes more sense. Seasonality, however, is the key. I make this salad only in the summer, when tomatoes, watermelon, and cucumbers are at their peak of flavor. Rich, creamy Hass avocadoes are included to lend a nice contrast of flavor and texture. I always toss this salad together before serving, but for the photo opposite I was inspired to create a painstaking mosaic of the ingredients. If you're so inclined, feel free, but don't say I didn't warn you—it takes a lot of time.

This protein-rich dish virtually swims in antioxidants and niacin, which keeps skin healthy.

The combination of condensed milk and lime gives this dessert a bit of tropical flair.

At Café Panique, in the 10th arrondissement, Chef Guyader uses smoked haddock, but we've substituted richer smoked sable, which is more readily available in the United States. As simple as classic melon and prosciutto, this sweet and salty combo is made even more magical by a harmonizing ginger emulsion.

Drink up and get a healthy dose of cancer-fighting lycopene.

A stylish symphony in green, this dish has a heady bouquet to match. The tart tomatoes and sweet melon are the stars, but the supporting players—hot jalapeño, earthy pumpkin seeds, and pungent cilantro—add plenty of intrigue.

What may seem like an incongruous mixture is actually a harmonious blend of ingredients and textures. There are few dishes that illustrate how the seemingly disparate flavors of sweet, sour, bitter, and salty can be successfully combined. One tip: While the melon should be chilled, the other ingredients are their most flavorful at room temperature, so combine the salad just before serving.

Don't throw those melon seeds away. It's a traditional Mexican technique to use the seeds as a thickener, and here they work their magic in a coulis, adding effortless panache to a straightforward and wonderfully light dessert.

You would be hard-pressed to find something more refreshing than watermelon. This cooler is easy to make, beautiful to behold, and not too sweet. You'll want a pitcher of it in the refrigerator all summer.

Inspired by the floral qualities of Japanese teas and sweets, this cool jelly's lightly flowery flavor is enhanced by orange Muscat.

Rosé wine with fresh fruit adds the right touch to this spiced-up menu.

Briggs takes iron-rich lean beef to another level by topping this steak with cantaloupe, one of the best sources of vitamin A, a nutrient that keeps your skin and eyes at their healthiest.

Be sure to start this recipe at least 1 1/2 hours ahead so the components have time to cool. Mix up the syrup and chill it until it's cold. Cut the melons into wedges and refrigerate them in plastic containers. Then, just before you leave, chop the mint and stir it into the syrup, then drizzle the syrup over the fruit.

Ensalada de jícama con melón Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Fonda San Miguel: Thirty Years of Food and Art, by Tom Gilliland, Miguel Ravago, and Virginia B. Wood. For more on Cinco de Mayo, click here. Chef Miguel Ravago also shared some helpful tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. Although many fresh condiments in Mexican cuisine are called pico de gallo ("rooster's beak"), this refreshing salad from the Mexican state of Jalisco is known as Pico de Gallo. Depending on the seasonal availability of fresh fruit, Miguel has found that the salad is equally good made with Rio Star grapefruit, pineapple, blood oranges, cantaloupe, watermelon, and honeydew melon. The contrast of sweet fruit, crunchy jícama, tangy lime juice, and a little dash of chili powder makes for a delightful palate cleanser.

In Big Timber, a town of seventeen hundred people just northeast of us, lives Susan Pauli, a great gal and wonderful cook who is in great demand as a caterer. She makes this unusual summer creation as soon as the local watermelons have ripened. The pink color is gorgeous, and the salad travels well. Who would have thought that feta cheese and black pepper together would enhance the taste of watermelon?

Reproduce our handsome cover in your home to add a note of distinction to your entertaining during the warm summer evenings. This is "Watermelon" a creation of the Bourbon Institute. The colors and styling are most appropriate for summer entertaining. And the novelty will appeal to your guests.

**Editor's note:**This recipe is reprinted from Rose Hammick's and Charlotte Packer's book Great Parties for Kids. For Hammick's and Packer's tips on throwing a kids' summer party, click here. Make the fruit kabobs a day in advance and keep them in the fridge. The sauces can also be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge for 2 days.

Fresh and creamy all at once, this clever combination of rich ricotta ice cream and icy-cold watermelon chunks is a twist on the classic Creamsicle. Shaved bittersweet chocolate complements both flavors beautifully.

Removing the typical cucumber from tabbouleh leaves plenty of room for fresh honeydew or any cool, sweet melon in this summer-inspired departure.

Watermelon chunks in savory salads have been all the rage in the past few years, but we wanted a way to retain the fruit's best trait: how enjoyable it is to eat out of hand on a hot day. These wedges, sprinkled with salt, pepper, cheese, and heady fresh mint, are a light, refreshing start to a warm-weather meal. And they leave your other hand free to hold a drink or chase after the kids.