A salad to obsess over: Fresh corn salad

Given how long it's been since I posted a recipe, you must be thinking to yourself, this is a really special recipe. And you are right.

We have an amazing local chef in Walla Walla who makes a corn salad at his take-out joint (in a gas station, which is awesome), and I have enjoyed it a number of times. But me being me, I thought--actually for the first time, this summer--I should be able to make this at home, right?

And right I was. After a Google/Pinterest search or two, I found a great many recipes purporting to be "Mexican street corn salad," and narrowed my findings down by reading a few and deciding on one that seemed close to what I'd tasted in the past.

So I made it, and tweaked it, made it again, and kept tweaking. It has, over the course of many makings this summer, evolved to a place where it feels different enough from the original recipe(s) I spotted online, and also very, very good.

Fresh corn salad
6 ears of sweet corn, cut off the cob
1/2 medium sweet (I like the Walla Walla, of course!) onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
2 Anaheim peppers, diced

Saute the first three ingredients over high heat, until the corn starts to blacken and scorch a bit (not unlike grilling or roasting). Add the peppers and saute for a few minutes more, until they wilt a bit. Take off the stove to cool.

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup cojita cheese, crumbled
Juice of three limes, squeezed
1 generous bunch of cilantro, chopped (at least 1/2 cup)
6 green onions, chopped
1 tsp chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl mix the mayonnaise, cheese, and lime juice, and stir until well blended. Add the cilantro, green onion and chili powder, and mix.

Once the corn mixture has cooled slightly, toss the dressing with the corn and stir well. Serve with extra cheese, and adapt at will. We have enjoyed this concoction in quesadillas and tacos, I've added tomatoes and avocados and really enjoyed it that way too. This is probably the most repeated recipe in our house this summer, which--knowing Seth's and my shared penchant for pesto--is saying something!

I highly recommend the fresh corn aspect of this salad. Many of the recipes I found called for frozen or canned, and I think that the fresh corn just makes it. I also tended to up the cilantro as I went along, and got no complaints from the guys! The one time they were less wild about it, I couldn't find cojita (not every town has the cheese selections of Walla Walla, let's just say, and on vacation I had to make do) and used parmesan. Just not the same. Go for the cojita.

I hope you make it and enjoy as much as we have this summer. I decided to blog the recipe so that Seth can access it from college this winter if he decides he can't do without a corn salad fix.

This recipe makes roughly eight cups. So divide that as best among your eaters. In our house it tends to go pretty quickly. :)

Sept. 4: Kale makes me happy, but you already knew that!

Another kale salad? Why the heck not! My love of kale has been well-documented this summer, and adding yet another salad to the mix just seemed to make sense. Though, truthfully, this post ends up being more about the dressing than the salad... 

Originally the plan was for the kale caesar salad (see the video below). Then I realized I'm not really a fan of anchovies, and wasn't in the mood to buy them just for this salad. Capers aren't something I love love, either. So I took the idea, and the general concept from the recipe that PBS posted (one of their most clicked on recipes in the month of August!) and adapted to suit my tastes.



Pretty funny pup, eating kale, eh? I love this video. It's a very happy salad-making moment. (I put the happy in there just for you, Jen.)

I also had a really great kale salad at a juice/salad place in Seattle earlier this summer, and have been meaning to recreate that combination of flavors all summer. So this salad really turned into an amalgam of 1) what is around and fresh, 2) my taste memories and 3) any excuse to throw a handful of parmesan cheese into a bowl and call it healthful!

Kale salad with corn, avocado and tomato
Serves 2, as a side dish, 1 if you're me
3 large handfuls of prepped kale--destemmed, roughly chopped or ripped
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 avocado, cubed
1 ear corn, roasted and cut off the cob
1 cup croutons, homemade preferable but storebought is allowed ;)
1/3 cup shredded parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

Dressing
2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 large bunch parsley, washed
1 egg yolk
2 tsp. dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
2/3 cup olive oil

Put all the dressing ingredients into a blender and whiz on high until blended well.

Put the kale in a large mixing bowl and drizzle the dressing generously over the leaves. Massage the kale with your hands until the leaves wilt and the dressing is very well integrated.

Add the rest of the salad ingredients except the parmesan, and toss to combine. Add a bit more dressing to the salad to ensure that the additional ingredients get coated well with dressing. Add the parmesan last and toss one more time, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

This recipe makes more dressing than needed for one salad. Put the rest of the dressing in a jar and refrigerate. Its pretty greenness will call to you from the fridge!

This salad and dressing are both keepers. I love the bite of the shallots and garlic, as well as the green goddess appearance from the parsley. I will be tossing this dressing on many a salad in the near future!

Enjoy. These waning days of summer, all I want is the good, fresh produce that I know is going to vanish before we know it. Poof.

Jen and I (and now my mom and Lisa too!) are blog challenging throughout September. You can catch her blog over at Stuff Jen Says. If you want to write along with us, give me a shout and I'll send you the blog prompts.

Cinnamon sugar biscotti

Every holiday season, there are the baked goods that I share and feed to others, and then there are the ones that I don't. Surely I can't be the only one who has less-successful baking ventures? My reasons for not sharing--whether at the work event where I make nibbly foods, or in the baking tins I share with family and friends--can be varied: it simply didn't turn out, or it didn't turn out as I had hoped... two very different things.

The biscotti I'm sharing today didn't make the cut for one simple reason, it's kind of plain looking. I know that might seem really discriminatory--poor biscotti can't help that it's rather monochromatic and beige, can it? But when I'm assembling holiday platters and goodie boxes, color and texture really DO matter. So this is one that I nibbled myself with coffee during the holidays, but didn't share further.

I made one large batch--probably quadrupled what you see below--and cut the first log into slices and continued baking. Once I saw the color and decided to keep moving along in terms of other baking, I took the remaining logs (uncut) and froze them. I do remember happily enjoying a few with morning coffee, back in December... but then promptly forgot about them in the new year.

Imagine my delight when I was rummaging around in the freezer this morning, looking for something, anything, to be a small sweet treat to accompany breakfast, and I saw these goodies? I'm really the only one in the household who likes to have something sweet to go with breakfast; both my guys are just fine with eggs, potatoes, maybe a little fruit and breakfast sausages or something, but neither of them have my same "Where's some jam on a scone?" "I need a cinnamon roll!" or "Just one bite of a blintz, please?" tendencies.

I took one biscotti log out of the freezer, defrosted it in the microwave and sliced it. I didn't run it back through the oven this morning, as I was quite happy with the flavor and texture as I dipped it in my coffee. But I do think it certainly would have more of an authentic biscotti texture if I did that in the future.

The flavor is quite a bit like cinnamon-sugar toast from childhood, and goes really well with coffee. What's not to love?!

Cinnamon sugar biscotti
2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, baking powder and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat 1 cup sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add 1 egg; beat well. Add egg yolk; beat well. Mix in vanilla, then dry ingredients.

Transfer dough to work surface. Divide in half. Shape each half into 9-inch-long, 1 1/2-inch-wide log. Transfer logs to baking sheets. Beat remaining egg in small bowl. Brush logs with egg. Bake until golden and firm to touch (dough will spread), about 50 minutes. Cool on baking sheets. Maintain oven temperature.

Mix 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in small bowl to blend. Using serrated knife, cut logs into 1/2-inch-wide diagonal slices. Place biscotti, cut side down, on baking sheets. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon sugar over each biscotti. Bake until pale golden, about 20 minutes. Cool on racks. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container.)

I believe I got the original idea from Pinterest, but when looking over the variety of recipes there and comparing to Epicurious, I went with the one on Epicurious. Simple, and delicious.

And, as I've already mentioned, it freezes well. Make a batch, and pull them out as needed for a weekend treat! I know I will be doing that again, soon.

Enjoy!

A-Z blogging challenge: F is for Frangipane

I remember the first time I tasted frangipane (around 1988-89). My reaction was pretty straightforward: What is this heavenly mixture, and where can I get more? I was working at a local deli/bakery, and one of the owners looked at me as if I must have just ridden into town on the back of the proverbial turnip wagon. Seriously, you've never tasted this before? Now, he didn't actually call it frangipane, but he did identify it as a very common pastry filling, sometimes combined with fruit. (In this case, it was embedded in a puff pastry pretzel. Oh, sweet memories...)

Since then, I have eaten, made and experimented with frangipane, many times. A few variations/tweaks from epicurious.com over the years, and it's practically tattooed on my brain. I simply adore the very basic combination of eggs, butter, sugar and nuts (most commonly: almonds). Maybe a little vanilla or almond extract. That's it. Easy as can be, and flavorful.

1 cup blanched almonds
1/4 cup granulated sugar
5 Tbsp. butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract

Grind almonds finely in food processor, pulsing to get fine, but not too fine. Add other ingredients and process to combine.

If using a pastry shell, have that prepared and chilled. I have had great luck just putting fruit and frangipane in ramekins and baking sans pastry--also, it's gluten-free that way, if that's important. (Again, the options are endless.)

When ready to bake the frangipane, preheat oven to 350 F. If using multiple small baking dishes, place them on a cookie sheet to make it easier to get them into and out of the oven. Bake 20-35 minutes, depending on baking dish (frangipane will bake faster in shallower dishes than deeper ones), until the top is golden and has puffed just slightly.

Let cool for at least 10 minutes. Store leftovers in refrigerator for up to a week.

Makes 2 generous servings or 4 smaller ones, or a dozen tart-size.

Summer berries with frangipane (top)
Fresh apricot frangipane tarts (bottom)

I consider it a sign--providential, coincidental, serendipitous, whatever you want to call it--that my very favorite flower in the world, plumeria:

...is also known as frangipani. Not exactly the same, but very close...

What's this A-Z business about? Check out my kick-off post. And stay tuned for the random joy and nonsense I concoct during the month of April!