Every week for the last four weeks, I have held an heirloom tomato in my palms and whispered, “are we there yet?” before cutting into it. Based on every Early Girl and Brandywine I’ve tasted, the answer is, “not quite.” The anticipation of tomato season is upon us: soon I will be eating them until my mouth is tender. But until that moment arrives and tomatoes hit their irresistible peak, I’ll be swapping my caprese and panzanella for this plum salad.
Summer Plum, Corn & Halloumi Salad with Basil Oil
Serves 2
Here I go talking about the respiration rate of your produce again. The moment an ear of corn is plucked savagely from its stalk, it starts turning its sugars into starches. That means, the longer you wait to eat it, the less sweet it will be. So don’t let it languish in your crisper. Eaten fresh, sweet corn is delicious raw. If yours is less-than-sweet, pop it on the grill to char it up so you don’t notice as much. Don’t sweat it if a few strands of corn silk sneak into your salad. Life is too short to pick it out by hand, and certainly too short for tweezers of any kind to weasel their way into your kitchen.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup basil leaves, plus more for serving
1/2 cup olive oil
2-3 ripe, juicy plums or pluots sliced into wedges
1 ear of sweet corn kernels, removed from cob
4 oz halloumi cheese, cubed
1 small serrano chile, very thinly sliced
1/2 lemon or lime
Salt and pepper
Directions:
In a blender, combine the basil leaves and olive oil and whir them together until the basil is totally pulverized. Strain over a fine mesh sieve, catching the strained oil and discarding the solids. You will have a green, basil-flavored oil! You won’t use all the oil for this recipe, but save the extra for drizzling on grilled veggies, pastas, or a recipe I’ll share next week. :)
Heat a skillet over a medium flame and add your cubed halloumi. Allow it to brown on one side, then flip the cubes over to brown on another side. Once browned on at least two sides (or more if you’re into it), remove from heat and set aside to cool while you assemble the rest of the salad.
Arrange your plum wedges on a plate, sprinkle your fresh corn kernels on top, then top with the cooled halloumi and serrano chile. Squeeze half a lemon or lime on top and drizzle generously with the reserved basil oil. Sprinkle everything with salt and a few good cracks of black pepper. Add more small basil leaves on top for garnish and more basil flavor.
Currently:
Currently reading: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, which I admittedly had no intention of reading until Justin left it around the house and I ran out of other books to read. A fascinating look at the scope of human history and the massive impact our species has had on the planet in a relatively short period of time.
Currently following: @chefjonkung, who in addition to being a stone-cold hottie, makes very delicious-looking dumplings and noodles and stuff.
Currently fantasizing about: Cheese Toasts With Mushrooms, Miso & Honey