Corn

What gives this thick, voluptuous soup its deep-golden flavor and aroma is toasted dried summer-sweet Cope's corn. Chef Linton Hopkins embellishes the soup with tender, briny shrimp and foresty mushrooms, but it would also be delicious with crabmeat or bacon & or with nothing at all to distract you from its mysterious, soul-satisfying essence.

Be sure to use white corn—it's sweeter.

The recipe below is part of a healthy and delicious spa menu developed exclusively for Epicurious by Ananda spa in India. Darjeeling tea and herbs, including star anise, cinnamon, and ginger, flavor the smoked duck breast, which is served with nutrient-packed pears, sweet potatoes, vegetables, and blueberries. If you are watching calories and cholesterol, take a small portion of duck and fill the rest of your plate with the veggies and fruit. If you are following an Ayurvedic diet, the experts at Ananda recommend this for vata and pitta doshas. Be sure to start this recipe one day ahead.

These have the lively crisp exterior and cloudlike interior you expect from a gougère, but with an incredibly intense combination of smoky bacon, roasted corn, and extra-sharp Cheddar.

This dense and savory stuffing resembles the filling inside a tamale. This recipe makes enough to stuff the Mole-Roasted Turkey with Masa Stuffing and Chile Gravy, or to serve eight people when baked as a side dish.

For extra flavor, add leftover (plain) gravy or stuffing to the soup. If using stuffing, stir in one to two cups half an hour before the end of the cooking time. If using gravy, add it just before the soup's done.

Sweet summer corn, a whole-grain source of potassium, is delicious on its own. Even better: Spread it with one of the flavorful butter blends created by Bonaparte for a luxuriously indulgent touch.

Majarete A typical Dominican meal usually ends with nothing more than a cup of coffee and a simple dessert. That ethos is perfectly captured in this traditional pudding, with an unexpected—and delicious—interplay between the sweet corn and the tropical coconut.

Tamales—meat or vegetable fillings surrounded by masa dough and steamed in softened corn-husk packets—are a Latin American staple, and this rendition cleverly showcases corn in three distinct forms. Kernels of fresh sweet corn brighten up a dough made from corn tortilla flour. (Adding cornmeal to store-bought masa flour helps mimic the texture of fresh tamale dough, a trick we picked up from Magda Bogin at the Cocinar Mexicano cooking school in the town of Tepoztlán.) Poblano chiles add a touch of heat, but it's the time on the grill that gives the tamales real fire. The husks develop a light char, and the smoky flavor penetrates the tamale, accenting the corn in all its dimensions beautifully.

Ajiaco The term ajiaco means different things in different parts of Latin America, but in Colombia the name refers to a chunky chicken soup thickened with papas criollas, a native potato. The tiny yellow tubers break down completely, giving the broth a rich, silky mouthfeel. If you can't find papas criollas in your supermarket's freezer section, grated russets achieve pretty much the same effect. Yukon Gold and red boiling potatoes contribute contrasting texture, and a handful of briny capers punches up the flavor.

Dried cracked corn, after being soaked and cooked, is mixed with milk and brown sugar to make a soupy sweet for indigenous peoples in the highlands of Colombia. Here it adds the thickening base that potatoes would in a traditional chowder. Chipotle and bacon mingle to form a low, smoky whisper of heat.

Making a fresh-tasting Asian-American meal at home is easier than you think. If you don't have Sherry in the house, you can substitute Scotch.

This time of year, corn adds a little sunshine to everything it touches: Its sweetness really pops next to cheese tortelloni and the salty jolt of prosciutto.

Full of sweet corn, smoky bacon, and delightfully briny clams, this light summer chowder is like having a whole New England clambake in a bowl.

A nice side for grilled chicken or steak.

Why you'll make it: Because its tart and spicy cream topping does butter one better. Stubborn strands of corn silk are most easily removed by rubbing with a damp paper towel, or even with a little oil.

If you haven't had maque choux — corn and tomatoes stewed together — you're really in for a treat. In this favorite Cajun dish, the corn gains a lush, savory sauciness, while the tomato benefits from the kernels' gentle chew. Here, okra is added and cooked just until tender, bringing its own unique texture to the mix.

This recipe alone is reason enough to grab your tote bag and head to the farmers market. Blackberry Farm dresses up the dish with parmesan foam and a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar, but the ingredients stand on their own beautifully. Slip a fried egg on top, and you have an easy summer supper.