Besting Bon App: Double Grilled Salad

I rarely like to write about recipes I read in magazines. I tend to think that if it passed the editorial muster of print publication, my skills of improving upon it usually fail. However, once in a while I manage to get it right and when I do, I like to share. I’m a giver like that.

A couple of weeks ago I had a couple of friends over for dinner. One of them is a picky eater — yes, I sometimes think to myself, why do I bother to have these types of friends at all, let along invite them over to eat? I was cooking chicken and I wanted a simple, but fresh and summery side, and I came across this Bloody Mary Tomato Salad in July’s Bon Appetit. I made this salad to the letter, and it was delicious, my guests loved it. But there was something not right. I gave it some thought and decided to make it again, this time over July 4th. Again, I was hosting, so I increased portions and changed it up some. And again, my guests loved it, all 15 of them. To see what changes I made, keep reading.

That something not right I mentioned — it needed even more grill! I decided to grill the tomatoes, in addition to the corn, to give that added grilled flavor. I also cut out the onions, as they seemed unnecessary,

Double-Grilled Bloody Mary Salad

2 qts cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bunch scallions,  chopped
12 ears corn, shucked
sherry vinegar
hot sauce
extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper

Fire up the grill until it’s hot to the touch. The usual rule — hold your hand over the grill a couple of inches and if you can hold it there for more than two seconds it isn’t hot enough.

Grill the corn first, turning occasionally, until there are a good number of char marks all over it. Remove and set aside to cool.

In a grill pan add the tomatoes, a pinch of salt and pepper and dash of olive oil, stir to coat. Grill for about ten minutes then, throw in the scallions, grill for a further five minutes. Remove and set aside.

Once the corn has cooled enough for you to handle, stand each ear on the flat end and run a knife down the edge to remove the kernels from the stem. Mix in with the tomatoes. Stir in a few dashes of hot sauce and two to three tablespoons of sherry vinegar. Depending on your taste, you can increase or decrease the amount of the last two ingredients. Serve when ready, or can be made ahead of time by 2-3 hours.