Grilled Peach Corn Salad (Print version)
Charred peaches and corn with cherry tomatoes, basil and honey-balsamic dressing, topped with torn creamy cheese.
# What you'll need:
→ Produce
01 - 3 ripe peaches, halved and pitted
02 - 2 ears fresh corn, husked
03 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
04 - 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
05 - 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
→ Dairy
06 - 3.5 oz creamy cheese (burrata, fresh mozzarella, or goat cheese)
→ Dressing
07 - 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
08 - 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
09 - 1 tsp honey
10 - 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
11 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
# How to make it:
01 - Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.
02 - Lightly brush the peach halves and corn ears with olive oil to prevent sticking.
03 - Place peaches cut side down on the grill and cook for 2–3 minutes until charred and caramelized. Grill the corn, turning occasionally, for about 10 minutes until lightly charred. Remove from the grill and let cool slightly.
04 - Cut grilled peaches into wedges. Slice the kernels off the corn cobs and discard the cobs.
05 - In a large salad bowl, combine the grilled peach wedges, corn kernels, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and torn basil leaves.
06 - In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper until well emulsified.
07 - Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat all ingredients evenly.
08 - Tear the creamy cheese into pieces and scatter over the top of the salad. Serve immediately.
# Expert suggestions:
01 -
- It tastes like summer on a plate and requires almost zero effort to pull together.
- The combination of smoky sweet peaches and rich creamy cheese makes people think you spent hours planning it.
02 -
- Do not walk away from the peaches on the grill because they go from perfectly caramelized to burnt in under a minute.
- Adding the cheese while the salad is still warm makes it soften just enough to become part of the dressing rather than sitting on top like an afterthought.
03 -
- If your peaches are extremely ripe, grill them for only about ninety seconds to keep them from falling apart.
- Cutting the corn kernels directly into the salad bowl saves you a dish and catches all the sweet milky juice that would otherwise end up on your cutting board.