Still Summer!

Have you been to the farm stand on 32^nd near Panera? LOVE IT. Because it seems to be there most days of the week. Perfect for someone like me who is not liking the farmers market crowds, can’t plan ahead enough to order online, and often get a bee in my bonnet needing to make THAT RECIPE NOW and run out and get the ingredients. Whew.

Well, that happened this week. A good friend from Brooklyn sent me the recipe and photos of a peach, tomato, and goat cheese concoction she found in the NY Times. She shared it with her man as a side to grilled steak and asparagus. I shared it with my man in a huge messy pile as our early dinner. We were slobbering cave people as we slurped it all up in a few short minutes, exclaiming with happy grunts when we could breathe between bites!

So back to the RIGHT NOW part of the story…I didn’t have peaches, tomatoes, or cheese. So I went on my mission. I wanted goat cheese, but didn’t want store bought stuff. I wondered if feta would work in this recipe, then I thought of the fabulous Lomah Dairy in Wyandotte. I had bought some weeks ago at Empire Market, but I needed it NOW. So I made Lance come with me and drove out to Lomah and ended up buying $40 worth of cheeses. YES. On the way back to Carthage, we detoured down 32^nd and hit the farm stand for perfectly ripe and juicy peaches and tomatoes. I had remembered their big, beautiful signage as I was scanning my memory for fresh fruit in the south of town. I’m telling you, the tang and sweet combo is just so addicting. We soaked it all up with torn sourdough for added depth of yum.

The second recipe is a delicious take on elotes, Mexican grilled corn sprinkled with smoked paprika and cotija cheese, and devoured from the cob, on the spot, in the street. This salad version is delicious as a side to any protein. I had it with fried crab cakes and fresh watermelon, and the trifecta knocked it out of the park. Celebrate summer!

Peach and Tomato Spread

Serves 4 as an appetizer 

Serves 2 as a meal

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or vinegar of choice

1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

½ teaspoon fresh lemon zest, plus 2 teaspoons juice

Kosher salt and black pepper

¼ small red onion, very thinly sliced

4 ounces soft goat cheese or feta

4 tablespoons heavy cream

2 large heirloom tomatoes, cored and cut into 1-inch wedges

2 medium peaches halved, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch wedges

Handful of fresh basil or herb of choice

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, mustard and lemon juice. Season generously with salt and pepper, stir in the red onion and set aside.

Crumble the cheese into the bowl of a food processor and whip until creamy, scraping down the sides of the work bowl as needed, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream and lemon zest and whip just until fluffy, about 1 minute, scraping the bowl as needed. Transfer to a bowl and season to taste with salt.

Spread the whipped goat cheese on a large serving platter or in shallow bowl, distributing it evenly using the back of a spoon. Add the tomato wedges and peach wedges to the dressing and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place on top of the whipped goat cheese, add basil, surround with torn bread of choice, and serve immediately.

-adapted from NY Times Cooking

Esquites (Mexican Corn Salad)

 

Serves 4

 

Instructions

 

SALAD

5 ears corn on the cob, shucked or 5 cups frozen sweet corn

Vegetable oil

1 red bell pepper chopped

1/4 cup red onion finely chopped

1/2 English cucumber sliced and quartered

1 cup cherry tomatoes halved

1 jalapeno seeded, deveined, diced

1/2 cup packed cilantro chopped

1/3 cup Cotija cheese finely grated

DRESSING

1/4 cup Mexican crema or sour cream

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

3 tablespoons lime juice

1 clove garlic minced

1 tsp EACH chili powder, sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 tsp EACH smoked paprika, pepper

Instructions

Add all of the Dressing Ingredients to a large salad bowl and whisk to combine; set aside.

GRILL CORN: Lightly brush each ear of corn with oil. Grease and heat grill to high heat. Once hot, add corn and close the lid. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side, rotating the corn until all of the sides are lightly charred, about 10-12 minutes, closing the lid in between rotations. Set the corn aside and allow to cool enough to handle. Cut the kernels off of the cob and transfer to the dressing.

 

OR SKILLET CORN: Cut the kernels off of the cob or if using frozen corn, DON'T thaw first. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in large cast iron skillet over high heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until corn starts to char, approximately 5 minutes for fresh and 7 minutes for frozen. Transfer kernels to the dressing.

Add all of the Salad Ingredients to the corn/dressing and stir until evenly coated.

Taste and season with additional salt, pepper and/or lime juice to taste.

-Carlsbad Cravings