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.

Favorite Finds: Food Podcasts

Thanks to Serial and This American Life, I am now semi-addicted to podcasts. Even though my daily commute isn't that long, I enjoy getting the opportunity to learn and discover new things on my BART ride. In particular, I am loving food-themed podcasts (big surprise there, I know). If you are looking for a few podcasts to start listening to, these are my favorite!

Radio Cherry Bombe

This women and food podcast is an off-shoot of Cherry Bombe Magazine, another Hilary Stone Soup Favorite.  Julia Turshen, a fabulous food writer, interviews all of your favorite foodie ladies, like Ruth Reichl and Ina Garten. 

Burnt Toast

Food52 now has their own podcast, and though tthey are just a few episodes in, it's already pure gold. Expect discussions with thought leaders on food trends they love and hate. One of my recent favorite episodes had the founders of Big Gay Ice Cream, and I learned that Australia calls sprinkles "hundreds and thousands". How great is that?!

Chewing the Fat

Not surprising since this is an NPR podcast, Chewing the Fat has a strong bent towards topics like sustainability and food policy, though they cover all things food. Expect to hear conversations about reconciling pleasurable food with healthy food and picking out sustainable choices at the grocery store. 

America's Test Kitchen

I've always loved America's Test Kitchen (the greats behind Cook's Illustrated, Cook's Country, and more), but I only recently got into their podcast. The podcast feels similar to their TV show--they answer a couple listener questions, have a product review, talk through a recipe, and then interview a food thought leader. It's a great way to get a little bit of everything food-related in one 50 minute session!

Weekend Reading

Happy Friday and 4th of July everyone! Hopefully none of you are at work right now so that you can enjoy the three-day weekend. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the temp here in San Francisco rises above 70. We'll likely make our way out of the city for time with friends, family, and sunshine. 

Here are a few of my favorite links from the week:

People have strong feelings on guacamole.

Is expensive wine worth it?

My current summer read--I'm only a third of the way through, but I really like it!

I really really really want these summer shoes.

Liberty of London is Nordstrom's latest pop-in, and I couldn't be more excited!

10 of the best farmers markets in America.

How to find healthy airport snacks.

The Babington House in England's Somerset looks amazing. Can I move in?

Whole Foods is sure sorry that it is known as 'whole paycheck'.

Favorite Finds: Aprons

 For Friendsgiving, I invited some of my closest girlfriends over for a delicious meal. As everyone was sitting down to eat, I had a few things left in the kitchen to do (carve the turkey, heat up the gravy).

 Since I was wearing one of my favorite outfits (a black silk tank top with a lace covered pencil skirt), I pulled out an old terry cloth robe and threw it on over my outfit. I didn't want to get my outfit dirty, and I (embarrassingly) didn't own an apron. 

Needless to say, my friends made so much fun of me. I had a house full of people, I'm wearing a fancy outfit, and I threw on a bright fuchsia bathrobe to protect myself. I looked really silly. 

This year for my birthday, my best friend Viv put together an incredibly thoughtful gift for me. She works at Zazzle, which makes customizable products, and she made a Hilary Stone Soup apron for me, complete with the Hilary Stone Soup logo!

It was too cute not to share, and for those of you who need an apron yourself, below are two of my favorite picks.

I incidentally bought this Parisian printed apron ($17) the day before Vivian gave me the Hilary Stone Soup apron!

I love love love Hedley & Bennet aprons, and so do many famous chefs! This striped apron ($85) with a tie in the front is great for both sexes. 

Watermelon Granita

Happy almost 4th of July! With barbecues and sunshine just around the corner, it's only fitting to offer you a recipe today that is perfect for the 4th of July holiday weekend.

This recipe is actually inspired by a trip to Italy a few years back. In Rome, I fell in love with espresso granita, a slightly sweetened frozen espresso slushy. It was the perfect way to get my caffeine fix for the day while staying cool.

Granitas have a great icy texture, and for Independence Day weekend, a fruit filled treat that you can eat by the pool sounds lovely. I made this version with watermelon and mint, riffing off of last week's salad. 

I love love love the color here--it's a bright pink color that screams summer get-togethers and events. 

There are lots of other things to love about this dish: it's dairy free and gluten free, low in calories, plus, you can make the granita up to 3 days ahead of time! 

Watermelon and Mint Granita

Recipe adapted from Ellie Krieger

9 cups seeded, cubed watermelon

1/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

1 cup mint, finely chopped

1/3 cup sugar

Working in two batches, puree the watermelon in a food process or blender. Strain the pureed watermelon into a bowl, making sure to get all the liquid out. Stir in the lime juice, mint, and sugar. Pour the mixture into a 9x13 inch pan. 

Place mixture in the freezer. Every 30 minutes for about 2.5 hours, use a fork to break up the ice crystals and scrape the mixture until it has a coarse texture. Scrape one last time before serving, and spoon into bowls.

Enjoy!