Summer Entertaining: Corn and Stone Fruit Salad

This salad adds corn to bring a sweet crunch that pairs with ripe plums, nectarines, and herbs.  All topped with a bright vinaigrette.  Summer in a salad!

Corn and Stone Fruit Salad

Summer is filled with fresh produce and to make good use of it's abundance I like to put all varieties of fruits and vegetables in my salad.  Today's salad is a true winner!  It features fresh green leaf lettuce, crisp corn right off the cob, juicy plums and nectarines, and a sprinkling of mint.  This is all topped with a bright vinaigrette that allows the produce to shine.

This salad is easy to make and will be on the table in a flash.  Making a homemade vinaigrette is easier than you think, and this one is only 4 ingredients, foolproof, and much better than anything bought in the store.  I served this salad for dinner with a grilled steak and some crusty bread.  It was wonderful!  

This salad would be great to take to a pot luck, alongside any grilled protein, take along on a picnic, or have with some added shredded chicken for lunch.  It's the new perfect summer salad!

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• green leaf lettuce
• corn on the cob
• nectarines - you want ripe but a little firm
• plums - you want ripe but a little firm
• green onions
• mint -fresh is best
• olive oil
• apple cider vinegar

Substitutions and Variations

• Use red leaf or romaine lettuce

• Add peaches to the mix

• Add chives

• Don't like mint? Add basil or parsley

• Red or white wine vinegar would be a good choice instead of apple cider vinegar

• Get bold and add some feta or ricotta salata cheese

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Did you know you can eat corn raw?  Yes you can.  Fresh corn right off the cob is sweet and crisp.  No cooking makes this even easier!

• To easily keep corn from scattering all over the board when cutting, place the cob standing up in a bowl and cut down the cob.  The bowl will catch all the kernels.

• Fan your slices of fruit for a pretty presentation.

• You can arrange this on a platter for a pretty presentation that's easier for guests to serve themselves.

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Corn and Stone Fruit Salad

serves 6

5 cups green leaf lettuce, chopped
3 ears corn, husks and silks removed
2 - 3 nectarines and plums, sliced
2 green onions, white and green parts chopped
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a large bowl or platter place lettuce.  Remove corn from the husks using a knife.  Add corn to the bowl.  Add sliced plums and nectarines to the bowl. Add green onions and mint.

In a small bowl add vinegar and whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Add salt & pepper and stir. Add to the dressing and toss. Serve.

Weekend Treat: Small Batch - Plum Muffins (Regular and Low Carb Versions)

I have a long standing relationship with Plums.

We go way back.

Back to some fond memories of us spending time together at the beach, backyard picnics, school lunch boxes, and summer pool parties.  Plums have been a true companion, compadre, confidant, and most beloved fruit!  They've never failed me. Nope!  With their plump fleshy insides one bite has the juices running down my chin.

Ahhh memories of plums!

I look forward to seeing my old friends again each year when summer hits.  Black ones, red one, spotted ones...doesn't matter to me.  I'm a lover of all plums!

While I like to eat them raw, straight from the tree.  That tree is long gone.  So I frequent the local farmer's markets and buy dozen of plums each time.  I know to have eaten 1 or 2 on the way home and MGG has to hide some for himself to get any....ahhemm.  But today I craved a warm, baked plum. My second favorite baked summer fruit to blueberries.  Oh! Hot juicy plums have such a warm delicious flavor ...it is hard to beat.  So what to make?  Muffins of course!

Muffins are my weekend guilty pleasure.  I've made tons and tons of them. If you've followed me then you know I love muffins!  But plum muffins?  WOW!  Jackpot on this idea for sure.  To switch it up a bit I made a small batch of muffins, filled with cinnamon and juicy plums, topped with cinnamon and sugar.  Yum!!!

A small batch will make 6 good sized muffins.  Sometimes you just don't need or want 12 muffins, so a small batch is in order!  I'm also giving you two versions.  One is low carb using a sugar blend, and the other is the original version. Either way you make them these muffins will bring back great memories of a close friend, "the plum".  I know they did for me.

Enjoy!




Here are some of my favorites muffins:

Peaches and Cream Muffins
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (Healthier Version)
Simple Blueberry Muffins
Raspberry Sour Cream Muffins
Marshmallow Muffins
Basic Muffin Recipe (Lower Carb Version)





Plum Muffins  (Small Batch)

makes: 6

1 c flour
1/4 c + 2 T sugar (low carb version use 3 T Splenda Sugar Blend)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 T baking powder
1/4 t kosher salt
1 egg, beaten
1 t vanilla
1/4 c + 2 T 2% milk
1/4 c canola oil
2 medium size ripe plums, pitted and cut into small chunks
2 T sugar or (Splenda Sugar Substitute)
1/4 t cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray a 6 cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl add flour, sugar (or Splenda) cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.  Whisk together to blend. Add egg, vanilla, milk, and oil to flour mixture and stir until just combined.  Fold in chopped plums.

Mix 2 T sugar (or Splenda) with 1/4 tsp of cinnamon.  Mix to blend.  Sprinkle over the muffin batter.

Scoop batter into the muffin cups, filling to the top.  Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the muffin batter.  Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes until muffins are golden and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool.  Serve.

Christmas Appetizers: Plum and Mascarpone Crostini

A few days ago I brought you a wonderful muffin for your Christmas Breakfast.  Today's goody is going to be a simple yet elegant appetizer to make.

Appetizers are wonderful little tidbits to serve to family and guests at a holiday party, Christmas dinner, or even New Years eve.  They are perfect for keeping hunger at bay while the dinner is being cooked.  Wouldn't it be fun to host a holiday party of all appetizers?  Just an array of small bites?  I often do that for New Years Eve.

MGG is a BIG snacker.  So keeping him from munching on all the food that I'm cooking is a task.  By preparing a few appetizers ahead of time and having them on hand when the snack monster attacks seems to do the trick!  Does anyone else have a snack monster in their house, or am I facing this monster alone??

These Plum and Mascarpone Crostini are super delishhh!  They go together pretty quickly once you re-constitute the plums, and they can be made ahead of time and assembled at the last minute.

What's better than toasted bites of bread, a blend of mascarpone and ricotta cheese, a little arugula, and some dried plums reconstituted in Sherry?  Not much!  This dish is very easy to change depending upon your tastes too.  Use figs, or cherries instead.  The Sherry can be substituted out if your don't want the alcohol, but I must say it's mighty tasty with it!

That's all there is to it!  Simple and elegant, that's what I like during the holiday festivities.  Enjoy!

Plum and Mascarpone Crostini 

8-10 dried plums, chopped
1/3 c Sherry
1 french baguette, sliced into thin rounds
1/4 c mascarpone cheese
1/4 c ricotta cheese
1/2 c arugula leaves
balsamic vinegar for drizzling

In a small saucepan place the chopped plums and the sherry.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Turn heat down to low and allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes until plums have plumped up and the sherry is thick and syrupy.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Take the baguette rounds and place them flat on a baking sheet, not touching.  Bake in the oven until toasted, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the oven.

Meanwhile combine the mascarpone cheese and the ricotta cheese together in a small bowl and blend to mix.  

To assemble take one bread round and spread some of the cheese mixture on the toasted side.  Top with a leaf of arugula and a small spoon full of the reconstituted plums.  Drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar.  Serve immediately.