It’s a perfect side dish for summer picnics since it’s an ideal accompaniment to grilled meats. The slightly acidic mustard dressing is a refreshing contrast to crunchy, colorful vegetables like red and yellow peppers, radishes, fennel, onion and cabbage.

Change the vegetables based on the season, keeping in mind that it is best to have a variety of colors, textures and flavors. Avoid any vegetable that will bleed, such as red beets, or that will overpower the other flavors in this dish. The key is to cut the vegetables in roughly the same size and shape.

Read more of this story »

Summer’s bounty is starting to arrive at the market. This means corn, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, summer squash and melons for most of us. In other words, Picnic Season! This week’s round up of posts is a bit light due to the holiday, so I wanted to share some favorite links to summer recipes as well as our guest posts.

If you want to make something besides corn on the cob, this is an easy and tasty recipe for those fresh ears arriving at the market:

Baked Corn and Basil
Kernels and milk from seven ears of fresh corn
1/2 cup cream
3/4 cup two percent milk
3 eggs
1/2 cup basil
1 tbs. corn meal
3 tbs. flour
1 tbs. sugar
1 tbs. honey
1/2 tsp kosher salt
pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350.

Pulse half the corn in food processor until chopped fine, but not total mush. Add basil and pulse a couple more times until chopped. Put back in bowl with other corn. Add the dry ingredients like flour, sugar, salt, cornmeal and pepper. Mix. Add honey. Add the eggs and cream and milk and fold together. Pour into a two-and-a-half quart shallow baking dish. Bake in oven for about one hour until edges are puffed and brown and center is set. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. You can also use individual ramekins to make this a nice dinner party dish.

Links and posts after the jump.

Read more of this story »