Recipe: Avocado, Tomato, and Corn Salad

Recipe

Avocado, Tomato, and Corn Salad

This colorful salad makes a splash on a late-summer outdoor buffet table. Chipotle, a smoked dried jalapeño chili, adds a Southwestern flare to the dressing.

Serves 8

4 fresh corn ears, shucked
1 small head frisee, cored
8 ounces mixed baby greens
1-1/2 cups Chipotle-Sherry Vinaigrette
(recipe below)
2 each red and yellow beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
4 ripe California (Haas) avocados, peeled, pitted, and halved (see Chef's Tip)
2 pounds red and yellow cherry and pear tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
2 red onions, cut into 1/8-inch-thick lengthwise slices
8 ounces aged Cheddar cheese, crumbled into bite-sized pieces

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the corn until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, and let drain again. Cut the kernels from the cob, but don't go too deeply into the cob. Use the back of a knife or a spoon to scrape the corn and milk from the cobs. Set aside. Toss the frisee and baby greens with all but 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Arrange the greens on a chilled platter or individual salad plates. Place the sliced tomatoes on the greens. Cut each avocado half into a thinly sliced fan and place on top of the tomatoes. Scatter the small tomatoes, corn, red onions, and Cheddar cheese over the salad. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the salad(s), and serve at once.

Chef's Tip: Often avocados are sold while still hard. To ripen, place hard, unripe avocados in a brown paper bag and store at room temperature until the flesh yields slightly under pressure and becomes tender.

Chipotle-Sherry Vinaigrette

Makes 1-1/2 cups

1/4 cup sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 canned chipotle peppers, drained and minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the olive oil. Gradually whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is lightly thickened. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

From:
More Cooking Secrets of the CIA
By the Culinary Institute of America
Chronicle Books
1998; $14.95 paperback
Recipes and photos reprinted be permission.