Roasted corn salad with hearts of palm, cherry tomatoes and lemon cucumber

by Simona Carini

Ingredients:

• 2 ears of corn, still wrapped in their husks (if they aren’t, wrap them in foil before roasting them) and with their silks attached
  
• 2 hearts of palm (I used canned)
• 2 dozens cherry tomatoes (I used Sun Gold) [variation I: 8 yellow Blush tomatoes]
• 1 lemon cucumber
• sea salt and freshly milled black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons drained yogurt (see Note below)
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, or to taste
• fresh dill [variation I: shiso (perilla) Britton chiffonade], to taste (use tender leaves at the top of a branch)
  

Note: I used non-fat yogurt, but you can also use low-fat and full-fat plain yogurt. Line a small colander with a piece of cotton cloth and spoon some yogurt of choice in it. Place colander on a bowl to catch the whey. Let drain in the fridge overnight, then store in a container. Use as base for spread or dressing.

Roast corn in the oven at 450 F for 20 minutes. Let cool briefly, then remove the husks. Working on a shallow bowl or pyrex dish, use a knife to separate kernels and scrapings from the cob. This page from bon appetít describes precisely the way I do this with the knife. (Save the empty cobs to make stock or broth.) Rinse hearts of palm and slice crosswise. Cut cherry tomatoes in half lengthwise. [variation I: Cut each Blush tomato in half lengthwise and then cut each half into three pieces crosswise.] Peel and dice lemon cucumber. Put all the ingredients in a bowl, add salt and pepper and toss gently.

In a ramekin, mix together drained yogurt and Dijon mustard, then spoon on the salad. Snip dill on the surface of the salad and toss well. [variation I: Sprinkle shiso on the salad and toss well.] Refrigerate until shortly before serving. I don’t like fridge-cold salads, so I always let them reach a mellower temperature before enjoying them.