No-Cook

Use any combination of ripe melons that you can find. Charentais (or Cavaillon), delicious French melons with orange flesh, are at farmers' markets now, while Galia (sweet and aromatic, similar to honeydew) and Sharlyn (a white-fleshed variety that tastes like a combination of honeydew and cantaloupe) are increasingly available at supermarkets.

One of Cat Cora's signature dishes is a watermelon, feta, and mint salad (a nod to her Greek heritage). Here, she gives the recipe an Italian accent.

This fresh, colorful soup makes a great summer starter.

Ice wine, or eiswein, is traditionally made from grapes that are handpicked after being allowed to freeze. Less costly bottlings of the concentrated sweet wine are made from grapes frozen in freezers.

This combination is inspired by the creamy sauce for vitello tonnato, but uses sardines rather than tuna for a more lively fish flavor.

Smear on crackers for an hors d'oeuvre or on bread for a flavor-packed sandwich.

Pair this summery mixture with Italian bread for an easy, delightful sandwich.

Try this with your next roast beef or pork sandwich, on either pumpernickel or rye.

In this perfect no-cook dish you can substitute crumbled bacon for the chicken or just omit the meat altogether.

Chojín Alma Guillermoprieto of Cambridge, Massachusetts, writes: "My guatemalan grandmother made a salad she called chojín. I remember the taste vividly, but when I went to Guatemala, no one knew the dish. This is my attempt to re-create it." While the ingredients in this recipe are extremely simple, the result is an eye-opening explosion of flavors.

Instead of calling for slices of roast veal—which would take some work—I went for white-meat turkey, an easily found option (I bought mine at a deli), and one that doesn't differ all that much in taste and texture from cold veal.

Stars and studio moguls often do their wheeling and dealing at this legendary Hollywood haunt, where Catherine Zeta-Jones and Tyra Banks have been seen. Chef Sam Marvin tweaks dishes to anyone's liking (A-lister or otherwise) and purchases the freshest ingredients daily from local farmers' markets. Think of this colorful bowl as an alphabet soup of vitamins, delivering a healthy dose of A, B6, C, and K, not to mention lycopene, a potent antioxidant.

Investor Ashton Kutcher has cozied up to current flame Demi Moore at this see-and-be-seen Melrose restaurant. Other famous patrons include Halle Berry and Sharon Stone, who have feasted on the Whole-Wheat Penne With Eggplant, Tomato, and Buffalo Mozzarella. To avoid filling up on a heavy entrée, start with this salad, which contains heart-friendly fat from olive oil.

Healthy bonus: Protein, vitamin B12, and niacin from tuna

Based on a classic pâte brisée, the buttery French pastry dough used for making pies and tarts, this pie crust dough is easy to work with and wonderfully versatile.

Limoncello can be found at most supermarkets and at liquor stores.