This early fall medley was made famous by the legendary Richard Olney, whose books brought the south of France to kitchens all over the globe. In his recipe, the prosciutto is julienned, scattered over figs, and drizzled with a crushed-mint cream. In this version, I add melon, and instead of thin strands of prosciutto, I drape whole slices around the fruit to create a layered antipasto. There’s no right or wrong type of fig for this dish; as long as they’re super-ripe, luscious, and oozing, they’ll work beautifully. If you have the luxury of choosing more than one variety of fig, such as Genoa, Adriatic, or Honey, this is a spectacular way to show them off. The same rules apply for the melon: just pick the sweetest, most perfumed one you can find.

　　

Ingredients

12 mint leaves

　　3/4 cup heavy cream

　　1 teaspoon lemon juice

　　1 ripe melon, about 2 pounds

　　16 ripe fresh figs

　　12 thin slices prosciutto di Parma

　　20 very pretty arugula leaves, cleaned

　　Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Using a mortar and pestle, pound six mint leaves to a paste. If your mortar is large enough to accommodate the cream, stir it in, scraping the sides and bottom of the mortar with a rubber spatula to incorporate the cream fully. Or, if not, transfer the paste to a bowl. Add the lemon juice, and season with a heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch or two of pepper. Taste for balance and seasoning.

　　

Step 2

Cut the melon in half lengthwise, remove the seeds, and slice the melon into 1-inch-thick wedges. Remove the peel. Cut half the figs in half, and the other half into quarters. (I like to leave some of the stems attached.) Slice the remaining six mint leaves.

　　

Step 3

Place six wedges of melon randomly on a large platter. Drape six slices of prosciutto over and around them, leaving some of the melon peeking through. Arrange half the figs and arugula over and around the melon and prosciutto, tucking some of them under the prosciutto. Arrange the remaining melon, prosciutto, figs, and arugula in the same way.

　　

Step 4

Drizzle the mint cream over the prosciutto and fruit. Scatter the sliced mint on top, and grind a little black pepper over the dish.

　　Sunday Suppers at Lucques[by Suzanne Goin with Teri Gelber. Copyright © 2005 by Suzanne Goin. Published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved..Suzanne Goin graduated from Brown University. She was named Best Creative Chef by Boston magazine in 1994, one of the Best New Chefs by Food & Wine in 1999, and was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2003, 2004, and 2005. She and her business partner, Caroline Styne, also run the restaurant A.O.C. in Los Angeles, where Goin lives with her husband, David Lentz.Teri Gelber is a food writer and public-radio producer living in Los Angeles.](http://astore.amazon.com/epistore-20/detail/1400042151)