1 GRILLED BUTTERED CORN
Some people grill corn in the husks, which involves a fair amount of fussing: peeling back the husks, removing the silk, and sometimes soaking the husks in water so they don't burn. Tom likes to remove the husks and throw the corn right on the grill, turning the corn as it cooks. This will take less than 10 minutes over a medium fire, direct heat. The corn comes off the grill beautifully golden with brown patches, and with a good smoky taste. It's especially delicious smeared with a special flavored butter. The possibilities for flavored butters are limited only by your imagination. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Chile Butter
Mix 4 tablespoons of softened butter with 1/2 teaspoon toasted and ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder, and 1 teaspoon molasses.

Curry Butter
Mix 4 tablespoons of softened butter with 2 teaspoons good-quality curry powder, 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest, 2 teaspoons minced cilantro, and a dash of cayenne.

Herb Butter
Mix 4 tablespoons of softened butter with 2 teaspoons minced chives, 2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon minced dillweed, and a few grinds of black pepper.

2 SWEET MELON
Melon varieties abound in the supermarkets at this time of year. Chef Duskie at the Palace tells us that there are two types of melon. Musk melons are those that have a netted skin (like a cantaloupe) and they are called musk because of their aroma. Winter melons have no scent and their skins are smooth, like a Honeydew melon. Our favorites: Galia (small and round with a white, sweet flesh), Sharlyn (oval in shape, and very fragrant), Charentais (smooth pale green skin with deep green segment markings, sweet orange flesh and terrific with prosciutto di Parma). And the classic American watermelon while delicious fresh and cold, can also be pickled and served with curries or cold meat. Remember that once melons have been picked, the ripening has stopped. Press the blossom end of a melon to test for ripeness; it should give a little.

Try making Duskie's Watermelon Limeade : Make a simple syrup by combining 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan and melt over high heat until the sugar has dissolved. Cool completely. Make watermelon juice by processing chunks of seedless watermelon in a Cuisinart and then pushing puree through a sieve to yield 3 cups watermelon juice. Add 2 cups of freshly squeezed lime juice and one cup of simple syrup. Serve in tall chilled glasses and garnish with lime slices.

3 SUMMER WINES
Chinook Cabernet Franc, WA
Try this just barely chilled - it's very similar to a big beaujolais

Lusco Albarino, SP
This is very light in fruit and refreshingly citrusy - currently on the Palace wine list

Camerone Pinot Bianca, OR
Great body with no oak getting in the way. Nice fruit!

Chateau Bellevue LaForet, FR
This rose has delicious soft strawberry fruit flavor.

4 TENDER HERBS
From that pot of basil on your porch deck to the farmer's market stalls brimming with chervil, anise hyssop and sweet cicely, the herb choices in summer are the best! We especially love to use herbs which we call "tender" because they are more fragile than other types of herbs that have woody, sturdier stems such as rosemary or thyme. Both the stems and leaves of many summer herbs are edible, and can be tossed whole in fresh salads. Try adding a few whole basil leaves, sprigs of tarragon and blades of chive into your next salad.

Sweet cicely (which has a faint licorice flavor) is used to infuse flavor into the creme anglaise served with plum upside down cakes at Dahlia Lounge. Its delicate ferny leaf has a bright green color and is very pretty as a garnish.