Melon

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.

The musky-sweet flavor of melon also takes well to red pepper flakes and cracked black pepper.

Feel free to adapt this fruit salad as the seasons change; aim for a mix of juicy fruit (like melon), stone fruit, and berries.

The colorcoded salad is one of Babylonstoren's signature dishes and always features a mix of fruits and vegetables on the same plate. Engelbrecht says produce that looks good together tastes great together, too, and she's developed specific vinaigrettes to complement the red, yellow, and green options.

This salty, sweet, and sour dish is a bold mix that is guaranteed to keep grilling exciting through the end of summer.

Dress just before serving so that the fennel will still be crunchy and the melon retains its juices.

A super-juicy watermelon is key; it should feel heavy for its size and sound hollow when tapped.

A grown-up shaved ice, with a welcome hit of spice from the pepper.

The flesh immediately surrounding the seeds is the most succulent part of any melon; if you haven't tried eating the crunchy seeds before, hold on to your hat.

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.

"I'll juice just about any green, but spinach is my go-to. Melon just sweetens the deal." —Alison Roman, senior associate food editor

The near-creamy sweetness of cantaloupe plays exceptionally well with tart raspberries in these frozen treats.