Corn

This refreshing summer salsa gets some heat from serrano chile.

This unexpected brined corn is a terrific foil alongside rich and smoky grilled dishes. Start at least four days ahead so that fermentation can go to work, and taste the corn for flavor as it pickles. We used Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt; other brands may result in a saltier pickle.

"It's not meant to be super sweet," Reusing says of this delicious, silken ice cream. "It's a fun way to taste corn." And using coconut milk in the base means there's no need to make a custard.

Because overcooking can cause this comforting pudding to separate, take it out of the oven when it's still slightly wiggly in the center. Then give it a quick flash under the broiler to brown it.

Andrea Reusing, chef at Lantern in Chapel Hill, NC, cooks whole ears of corn in the dying embers of a charcoal fire after the burgers or pork chops have finished cooking. "I love the efficiency of it," she says. The waning heat produces some sweeter bites and others that are more charred. Keep the husks on to protect the corn, and soak the ears before they hit the embers so the kernels don't dry out.

The warm flavors of the Indian-accented butter elevate classic creamed corn. When making this dish, scrape juices from corn cobs with the back of a knife to extract as much milk as possible.

Simmering a whole chicken guarantees a great base for Reusing's take on tortilla soup: "You get everything out of a whole chicken without a lot of work. Anyone can do it." Build even more flavor by using corn cobs to bolster the broth. When serving, lay out the garnishes and salsa so guests can customize their bowls; those finishing touches bring the dish together.

It's hard to imagine anything better than freshly picked ears of corn roasting to golden-brown goodness on the grill. One taste of our Honey-Ginger Barbecue Sauce and you'll be wondering why you ever stuck to plain ol' butter. This sweet and tangy sauce transforms the season's staple produce into a standout, flame-kissed favorite. Editor's Note: This recipe is part of Gourmet's Modern Menu for A Fourth of July Cookout. Menu also includes Grilled Shrimp with Honey-Ginger Barbecue Sauce and Red, White, and Blue Ice Cream Cake.

No room on the grill? Cut the kernels from the cobs and char with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a cast-iron skillet on the stove.

A quick and healthy breakfast choice.

All of these dishes would benefit from a scoop of rice on the side, but Pelaccio's twist on northeastern Malaysia's rice salad is meant to be served over the grains. (He prefers jasmine.) The smoky grilled vegetables are enlivened by a generous final flourish of fresh herbs.

All the flavors of chicken pot pie, but handheld!

No-fry zone: We let the fish 'n' chips fave go au naturel.

Cerciello marinates small chickens with garlic and herbs, then roasts them until golden. In summer, he serves them with a quick, piquant sauté of corn and peppers along with a chunky pistachio sauce that's so good, you'll want to make it all season long.

{sauceless} When we found out our dear friends Katie and Parker got engaged, we packed up our pizza dough and big bag of greens from our garden and headed to their place for an impromptu celebration that's become a tradition in both our homes. Though the best pizza dough takes a little preparation {it gets more supple as it sits overnight}, a pizza topped with little more than fresh farmers' market finds can be thrown together on the fly like a grand game of Twister, with everyone's arms cutting, slicing, patting, and rolling in a tangle that is soon to become a very good dinner. Sip: Snappy and crisp Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand

Blending ice cubes into the marinade helps to keep the fish and marinade ice-cold while you're preparing and serving.

"If gumbo is the national stew of Cajun country, burgoo is the stew of Kentucky," Ronni Lundy asserts in her book Shuck Beans, Stack Cakes, and Honest Fried Chicken. Because the stew is made in many different ways with a variety of ingredients, the "Burgoo Song" by Robert Myles claims, "You can toss in almost anything that ever walked or flew." Many early recipes for burgoo include squirrel in addition to chicken, beef, and pork. In Kentucky, Anderson County, which hosts its Burgoo Festival every September, is known as the burgoo capital of the world. Arenzville, Illinois, makes a similar claim. But the French lay claim to the basic concept of burgoo, and it's conceivable that the word burgoo arose somehow from the French ragout (pronounced ra-goo), also a term describing a stew. Burgoo makers agree • Burgoo should be made in stages: cook the meat first, and then add the vegetables.
• No less than 4—6 hours should be devoted to making burgoo. Some recipes call for a 24-hour cooking period.
• Burgoo should contain more than one meat.
• Burgoo should be prepared outdoors over an open fire.

"There is no point in cooking country ham and burgoo to serve just six," Charles Patteson advises the Derby Day host in Charles Patteson's Kentucky Cooking (1988). "Start with the mandatory mint juleps," he continues. "Burgoo, which is midway between a hearty soup and a stew, succeeds the juleps in the guests' cups as a first course." I hadn't known that. Nor had I known that it's traditional for burgoo to be scooped into silver mint julep cups at the annual Kentucky Colonels' Barbecue the day after the Derby. In Kentucky's Best (1998), Linda Allison-Lewis writes that burgoo must "simmer for twenty-four hours prior to being served," then confides that burgoo chefs used to listen for the splatter of the "mysterious ingredient"—the ingredient that fused all flavors—being added "sometime in the dark of night." Legend has it that that ingredient was a black snake that fell out of a tree into the first batch of burgoo. Historians doubt that but most do agree that burgoo was created during the Civil War by Gus Jaubert, a French chef serving Confederate general John Hunt Morgan. At war's end, Jaubert settled in Lexington, Kentucky, began making burgoo on a massive scale, and soon gained fame as "the burgoo king." On his death, according to Ronni Lundi, author of Shuck Beans, Stack Cakes, and Honest Fried Chicken (1991), Lexington cook J. T. Looney "inherited both Jaubert's pot and his title." While traveling about the Bluegrass State some years ago to research my Grass Roots Cookbook, I ate burgoo every chance I got. I also learned more about this Kentucky classic. Jaubert's original recipe apparently contained blackbirds. Unable to say "blackbird stew" not only because French was his first language but also because he had a hairlip, Jaubert pronounced it "burgoo." Or so I was told. Elsewhere I learned that those early burgoos contained mostly squirrels plus whatever vegetables came to hand. I daresay that there are hundreds of different recipes for Kentucky burgoo today. This downsized version of the burgoo served for years at the Pete Light Springs Restaurant in Cadiz, Kentucky, was given to me by Lois Watkins, whom I profiled in my book. "This burgoo is the best in the world," she said as she handed me the scribbled recipe. I won't quarrel with that.

For many years Tandy Ellis, the Kentucky wit and raconteur, ran a daily column in the Louisville Courier-Journal. It was considered quite an honor to be invited to his sanctum (Rambeau Flats) at his home in Ghent, Kentucky. Once, when I published a recipe for burgoo which called for cabbage, he took exception and sent me his own version of this distinctive Kentucky dish. He wrote: "I have been asked many times for my recipe for burgoo, especially for home use. I learned to make burgoo from Gus Jaubert of Lexington, and from several of the other old-time makers of Kentucky burgoo. I trailed with Gus Jaubert on one occasion when he went to Ohio and served 10,000 people. He had one kettle that held 600 gallons. I have made burgoo for several meetings. My recipe to serve at the home for about 8 people* follows":