Summer Salad with Basil, Blue Cheese, Corn, and Heirloom Tomatoes

I am in denial that summer is basically over, and that is why I'm serving up a recipe today with some of summer's best produce--heirloom tomatoes, sweet corn, basil, and arugula. Not to mention a hearty portion of blue cheese!

My friend A introduced me to this salad a few weeks ago. She stole the idea from her neighborhood salad/sandwich spot, and made it for me one night for dinner. I brought a big bowl of this salad to a potluck recently, and my friends devoured the salad quickly. Once you make it, you'll find yourself wanting it for dinner basically every night. Which isn't really a bad thing, since you'll only find these ingredients for maybe a few more weeks. So make this summer salad for dinner tonight.

As an adult, summer isn't quite as fun as it used to be. Living in the city means no friends with pools, working means no long summer vacations, and residing in San Francisco means piling on sweaters come June. Z and I will be escaping for a week to Hawaii very very soon, so we'll have to get our fill of warm weather, swimming, and vacation then, before the long grind to the holidays.

I'm thinking of fall recipes already--items for college football tailgates, Rosh Hashanah, and cozy Sunday night dinners. Before that though, let's make this salad over and over again, holding onto summer just a little bit longer.

Summer Salad with Basil, Blue Cheese, Corn, and Heirloom Tomatoes

2 ears of corn (white, yellow, bi-color--it doesn't matter!)

1/2 tablespoon of butter

4 cups of arugula, washed, rinsed, and dried

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Salt

Pepper

2 medium-sized heirloom tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

3 tablespoons chopped basil

Cut the kernels away from the corn cob. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat, add the corn, and cook until just barely cooked (3-6 minutes, depending on the corn). You just want to lose the starchiness of the corn. 

Toss the arugula with balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper according to taste. Add half the corn, tomatoes, blue cheese, and all of the basil. Toss and plate on a large serving platter. Top with the rest of the corn, tomatoes, and cheese. Enjoy!

Grilled Corn Salad

Corn is the epitome of summer foods for me. As soon as the weather starts to warm up (well, warm up everywhere but here in foggy San Francisco), you begin to see piles of corn at supermarkets and farmers markets, and it disappears almost as quickly. 

As a child, we stuck to the classic boiled corn on the cob; only three minutes in hot water and a final pat of butter was all corn needed. I didn't even know that people grilled corn until I was in college, when Z and I tried Mexican-style grilled corn.

These were no ordinary corn on the cobs. They were grilled to have a dark charred exterior, and then covered with cojita cheese, lime juice, and red chili pepper. It has great flavor balance-smoky corn exterior, sweet corn kernels, salty cheese, acidic lime juice, and spicy red pepper. 

Inspired by these corns on the cob, I've created a corn salad recipe here that uses the same flavor profile. We served it on the 4th of July, and it's a perfect meal to bring for summer dinner parties, pool parties, and picnics. 

Grilled Corn Salad

3 ears of corn

3 tablespoons mayo

1 lime

1/4 teaspoon of red chili pepper

4 tablespoons shredded cojita cheese

Prep corn for grilling by shucking the corn and lightly rubbing the outside with olive oil. Place corn in a hot pan or on an electric skillet. Turn every 5 minutes until the corn is dark and charred throughout.

Next, cut the corn off of the cob, and place the kernels into a bowl. 

In a small prep bowl, combine the mayo, lime juice, and chili pepper. Top the kernels with the dressing and toss. 

Add in cojita cheese and toss again. Feel free to adjust salad to match your taste--add more pepper for heat or more lime for acidity.

Kale Salad with Honeycrisp Apples and Parmesan

I could eat this salad every day for lunch AND dinner. I love the lemon and mustard dressing, the salty grated Parmesan cheese, and the crisp sweet apples. 

I found the recipe in Bon Appetit Magazine, and after a few tweaks, it is exactly where I want it to be. Simple enough for everyday, yet elegant and refined for company, this salad is perfect for every occasion this fall. 

Enjoy!

Kale Salad with Honeycrisp Apples and Parmesan

Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine

Serves two

5 stalks green kale, removed from stem and chopped

1 tablespoons honey

1/2 shallot, chopped

Juice from 1 lemon

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

Salt

Pepper

1/6 cup olive oil

1 honeycrisp apple, thinly sliced

1/6 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Place kale in your salad bowl. Sprinkle salt on top of the kale. Massage for ~5 minutes.

In a bowl, whisk together the honey, shallot, lemon juice, dijon mustard, and salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.

Toss the salad gently with the salad dressing. Add the apple and cheese to the salad, and toss again. 

Enjoy!