Melon

Fresh cantaloupe + coconut make for the perfect summer cocktail.

This salty, sweet cantaloupe jam will put your go-to strawberry jam to shame.

Marinating and searing the watermelon concentrates its flavor and primes it for this savory treatment.

Wow! This flavor-packed limeade is a real thirst quencher during the dog days of summer, when watermelon is at its best. Should a festive occasion arise, it also makes a wonderful margarita mixer when paired with premium white tequila.

I know, I know. This sounds crazy, right? Well, you just have to trust me on this one. The cantaloupe breaks down to form the backbone of a sweet, creamy sauce scented with pancetta and marjoram. A sleeper but a keeper, for sure.

Fresh, crisp, sweet and salty, this is my go-to summer salad. Using in-season fruit in salads always makes for a refreshing change.

Water infused with cucumber and mint gets a bit of natural sweetness from ripe honeydew melon. The salt in the drink helps with rehydration, while lime juice and club soda balance it out.

The combination of melon, marjoram, and sweet moscato vinegar in this delicate salad tastes like summer to me. When I serve guests this dish, I like to watch them take their first bite and enjoy a moment of pure bliss as the melon juices run down their chin.

Serve this cooling mint-infused watermelon juice as cooling refreshment in the summer sun.

This frosty drink is as refreshing as frozen lemonade but has the added lushness of summer melon. Fresh thyme gives the fruit’s sweetness some grown-up dimension.

This slushy blender cocktail is perfect for whiling away the summer hours.

People's Pops At first lick, these pops will bring back memories of summer afternoons—but with the distinction that these sophisticated frozen treats are made with fresh fruit and herbs. You can use any watermelon, although yellow is an unexpected change from red. Basil and tarragon are good alternatives to the mint.

Vegan The simplest saladitas in my repertoire are the ones that pair a single fruit with just one fresh herb. These are as flexible as they are easy. Extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon or lime juice, and salt and pepper are all optional. A small pile of Pickled Red Onions is always welcome on top. Make these shortly before serving.

They look fancy, but these bite-size cubes are simple. A melon baller keeps things neat, but a regular spoon works, too.

This melon dessert will help keep you hydrated on scorching days.

Believe it or not, watermelon and feta make a great pairing. Toss in some hot chili peppers and cilantro and you have a salad to delight everyone who tries it. Buy seedless watermelon for this—you won't be disappointed when you try it!

A dollop of yogurt keeps these pops from being too icy, and we love the way the ginger adds a little spice.

Jeremiah Bacon, The Macintosh, Charleston, SC: "Infused simple syrup rounds out the flavor of cantaloupe for this quick dessert."

Watermelon and heirloom tomatoes work together to create a juicy and flavorful arrangement that is sweet and tangy. Use different-colored watermelon with tomatoes for a stunning presentation. Heaping the salad over a crunchy base of fresh arugula keeps the various flavors in check.

The combination of stone fruits, berries, and melon, dressed in a simple but zingy ginger syrup, makes for a seasonal dish that’s elegant enough for a party and easy enough for a creative topping to your morning bowl of quinoa or oatmeal.

If it's melon season, you have to make this. In Burma (Myanmar), gin thoke, meaning "ginger mix," is a blend of crispy fried garlic, sesame seeds, and ginger, and is eaten as a sweet digestive snack after meals. Although not native to the region, melons are a refreshing and delicious complement to this dressing, together making a perfect summertime side dish. The ginger is key to this salad. Ideally, the gingerroot should be so young that the skin is almost transparent and the roots are tipped with pink.

The yield for these ice pops depends on the size of your molds — you could use anything from paper cups to store-bought specialty molds.

This salad of melon, sweet pepper, salty cheese and earthy basil recalls the watermelon salad that we all love so much, but its elegant components make it more refined. Salt is key to marrying the flavors, so be generous, tasting as you go. Be liberal, too, with a very good extra-virgin olive oil—it is very much a part of this salad.

Since I've spent so many years eating and cooking in Spain, I would be remiss if I didn't include a gazpacho in this book. But alas, this is not your abuela's gazpacho. In this version, peaches, plums, and watermelon all come together in a bright, colorful, chilled soup that is topped with a single seared diver scallop. The tart sour plums allow the sweet plump scallop to feel a little less self-conscious in its summery dress. If you can't find sour plums, substitute sweet plums, preferably golden plums, plus the juice of 2 lemons.