I learned at the Caprial + John cooking class that to add that taste of smoky char flavor to corn, I don’t necessarily need to roast it on the grill while on the cob. I put this new learned execution method to use yesterday when making a dish for a Labor Day barbecue.

I also made a dressing for this recipe modified from one on Food Network which I chose because the dressing uses lemon juice instead of vinegar, specifically what I wanted to give the greens zing without too much acid so it would be a counter to the babyback ribs I knew would be at the bbq and the fact that the weather would be more then 90 degrees. I thought that having the sweet and smoky corn with the burst of tomatoes and tartness in a salad would go well, and had mozzarella for some bits of creaminess and toasted almonds for crunch.

 Ingredients:

• 6 cups of spinach and spring mix greens
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 5 cups of sweet corn niblets
• 2 cups of cherry tomatoes
• Juice of 1 lemon or 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons (or to taste depending on what you use) of your favorite bbq seasoning. I used Weber Grill Kickin Chicken seasoning
• Ground salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 pound of fresh mozzarella (optional).
• 1 cup of unsalted almonds (optional)

Directions:

1. First, I defrosted the frozen sweet corn and cooked it slightly by putting it in a wide pan with 1 cup of water and heating it on medium for about 15 minutes or so until all the corn is no longer frozen but still firm. This will take less time if you cut the corn kernals fresh from the cob instead. Drain the corn in a colander.
2. In that same pan on med-high, I heated about 3 tablespoons of butter until it was sizzling and distributed throughout the pan. Pour in the corn and spread it out so the most amount of corn is touching the pan bottom and butter. Do not touch the corn for about 7 minutes or so in order for the corn to brown, and then stir to distribute the char and remove from heat. Pour into your planned serving container (I used a 4 qt dish) and let cool.
3. I cut all the cherry tomatoes in half, and once the corn was cool, added it to the dish of corn kernals.
   
4. Cut up the fresh mozzerella into small squares and add to the top (again to the cooled corn so it doesn’t melt)
   
5. In a bowl, I whisked the lemon juice, olive oil, ground some salt and pepper, and the bbq seasoning to make the dressing
6. Add the greens, and then the dressing and toss. When the greens and dressing mix it will wilt a bit, so depending on size of your container you may have to add, mix, and then add, mix like I did.
7. Take the almonds and cut them into slivers or pieces toast them in the saucepan until golden brown and top them on the salad for more crunch – you can also add them raw but I like them warm and toasty to bring out more flavor while softening the nut slightly

The recipe above serves 6 as salad courses and fed 9 as a side the barbecue. Total time was 45 minutes, mainly as there was some waiting to cool time so it is easy to make this while also mulitasking another dish. While the corn is initially warming in the water step, cut your tomatoes. You can keep yourself busy and away from the temptation from touching your corn while it is browning by cutting and toasting your almonds if you don’t need them warm on your salad. Then while the corn is cooling spend your time cutting the mozz and making the dressing.

You can also make all of this ahead of time and just leave out the greens and dressing and combine right before mealtime. Or, you can skip the greens and dressing part and just use a handful or so of fresh basil and make it more focused on the corn and tomatoes and cheese. F is a baby and didn’t like the creaminess of the cheese, so another alternative woudl be to use fresh tofu instead to still get that texture and not the flavor (even though I think mozz is already a really light cheese). If you want more cheesy kick, try goat cheese, or feta.