Melon Ball Salad

Cut melons of three different colors into melon balls and drain the balls in a colander. Save the juice to make sherbet.

Make a very strong salad dressing of chicken broth, sherry vinegar, lemon juice, crushed garlic, salt, pepper and minced fresh tarragon, chervil and lemon basil.

Dress the drained melon balls and let the dressing sink in for half an hour. Serve with sliced ham and toast.

NOTES:

* Margaret's X-rated melon balls — I had a lettuce and tomato sandwich Saturday with mustard instead of mayonnaise. Better than I would have feared. But the big discovery of the week is Margaret's X-rated melon balls. Yield: Serves 4.

* In truth, I have to report that Margaret herself thought the garlic was too much; but I didn't.

* This recipe is not wholly unrelated to fruit curry, another godsend for the overplump.

: Difficulty: easy. : Time: 15 minutes preparation, 30 minutes waiting. : Precision: no need to measure.

: Mary-Claire van Leunen : DEC Systems Research Center, Palo Alto, California, USA

Your Melon Ball Salad is ready. Good luck!