Grilled Corn Salad

This corn and Shishito pepper salad gets loads of flavor from the grill. Don’t be scared away by the peppers. Shishito peppers are a mild spicy East Asian pepper that is often served in Asian restaurants as an appetizers. They incredibly versatile and work in so many different kinds of recipes. But the real star of this recipe is the summer corn, fresh from upstate New York. My best friend’s mom sent him a bunch and I was lucky enough to grab some!

Grill some chicken thighs or salmon to serve alongside. Trust me this will become your new favorite summer salad!!

Ingredients

• 4 ears corn, husked
• 6 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil plus 1/3 cup, divided
• 2 shallots, rough chop
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 
• 6-9 shishito peppers 
• 3 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 2 teaspoons honey
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese

INSTRUCTIONS 

Place a grill basket on a grill; preheat on high for 10 minutes.

Toss peppers, shallots and tomatoes with 2 teaspoons of oil in a medium bowl. Transfer to the grill basket.

Brush corn with 2 teaspoons of oil. 

Place the corn directly on the grates. 

Grill the vegetables, turning occasionally, until lightly charred in spots, 8 to 10 minutes for the corn and peppers. 

Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1/3 cup oil, vinegar, garlic, honey, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Cut the corn from the cobs.

Add the corn, tomatoes, and peppers to the dressing along with the feta; stir gently to combine.

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Grapefruit Salad with a Citrus Cilantro Dressing

This salad is perfect for summer!

It is refreshing and tart, with arugula, sliced red onions and creamy goat cheese, all topped with a citrusy cilantro dressing. It’s great as a side salad or add some protein to make it an entrée! It is especially delicious served alongside salmon!

INGREDIENTS 

For the dressing:

• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, packed, stems mostly removed
• 1 medium-sized pink grapefruit, juiced
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ½  tablespoon honey
• 1/2 tablespoon white wine vinegar

For the salad:

• 4–5 cups arugula
• 1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 large pink grapefruit, sliced with skin on or peeled and split into wedges
• 1/2 medium-sized red onion, peeled and sliced thinly

INSTRUCTIONS

Make the dressing:

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend on high until well combined but bits of cilantro still remain.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Just shake or stir before adding to the salad.

Assemble the salad:

In a large bowl, add the arugula, goat cheese, grapefruit and onion. Add the desired amount of dressing and toss to combine.

Peach & Blueberry Cake

After picking blueberries and peaches at Southern Hill Farms this weekend, I was inspired to make this delicious and beautiful Peach and Blueberry Cake!

This cake screams summer fruit! And you can easily switch out the fruit and make it a year-round dessert.

The combination of the peaches and blueberries is amazing. The natural sugars in the fruit enhance the flavor. The crust is almost biscuit-like and has a rich buttery flavor. 

Enjoy the summer weekend and this scrumptious summer cake!

Check out Southern Hills Farm!

INGREDIENTS

For pastry

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

For filling

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ½  tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 lb firm-ripe large peaches (about 4), halved lengthwise, pitted, and each half cut lengthwise into fourths
• 1 cup blueberries (1/2 pint)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

Make pastry:

Pulse together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter and pulse just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Add egg and vanilla and pulse just until dough clumps and begins to form a ball, about 15 pulses.

Press dough onto bottom and evenly (about 1/4 inch thick) all the way up side of springform pan with floured fingertips. Chill pastry in pan until firm, about 10 minutes.

Make filling while pastry chills:

Put the oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 375°F.

Generously butter the inside of your springform pan.

Grind 2 tablespoons sugar with flour and cornstarch in a food processor until combined, then transfer to a large bowl. 

Add peaches, blueberries, and lemon juice and sprinkle 6 tablespoons over the top, toss to coat. 

Spoon filling into pastry and bake, loosely covered with a sheet of foil and cover the bottom of the pan with foil, until filling is bubbling in center and crust is golden, about 1 3/4 hours.

Transfer cake in pan to a rack and cool, uncovered, 20 minutes, then carefully remove side of pan.

Cool cake to barely warm or room temperature, then cut into thick wedges with a sharp knife before serving.

Tip:

I recommend using light-colored metal pans for baking. Dark metal pans, including nonstick, will cause your baked goods to brown more quickly. If you don’t have a light-colored pan, wrap the bottom of your pan with foil and lower the heat to 350 degrees F. 

Homemade Strawberry & Citrus Shrubs

Have you made shrubs before? 

They are a beautiful sweet and tangy combination of fruit and vinegar. 

Shrubs add sweetness and tang to cocktails and mocktails. Splash some in ice-cold seltzer to make a mocktail or make a boozy beverage with vodka. 

Well having brunch at the C House in Seminole Heights, I learned about shrubs. I tried one of their signature cocktails that uses their homemade Strawberry shrub. It was delicious! I was inspired to try my hand at making my own shrub. 

Ingredients

Strawberry Shrub

• 1 cup strawberries, halved  
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup Apple cider vinegar
• 1 (1 inch) strip lemon zest

Citrus Shrub

• I cup lemon, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup orange, peel and chopped 
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar

Directions

Strawberry Shrub

1. Combine strawberries, sugar, vinegar and lemon zest in a medium saucepan. 
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. 
3. Remove from heat and let stand for 20 minutes. 
4. Pour into a mason jar.
5. Refrigerate until cold, about 4 hours or up to 1 week.

Citrus Shrub

1. Place all the fruit flesh into a blender and pulse until smooth. 
2. Pour puree mixture, sugar and vinegar into a saucepan. 
3. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. 
4. Remove from heat and let stand for 20 minutes. 
5. Pour into a mason jar.
6. Refrigerate until cold, about 4 hours or up to 1 week.

For the cocktails

In a cocktail shaker, add 1 ounce of vodka, ¾ ounce of Shrub, and ice. Cover and shake until cold, about 30 seconds. Strain into a glass of ice and top with Prosecco. Garnish with mint.

For a mocktail, serve Shrubs over Seltzer water and ice.