Peach and Corn Salad with Pan-Seared Scallops
A one-pan summer time recipe, plus how to taste cheese with cheese expert, Alexandra Jones!
Despite what The Presidents of the United States of America said in their hit song “Peaches,” the fuzzy fruit does not come from a can, that was put there by a man in a factory down town. They come from delightful fruit trees across the country, including New Jersey.
The best part about peach season in The Garden State is that it hits at the same time as sweet corn. They may seem like ingredients that don’t go together — peaches are more of a sweet dessert, perfect for peach muffins or a peach cobbler, while corn is more of a savory side — but the two combined are delicious, especially when you’re using Jersey Fresh sweet corn!
They’re both sweet and juicy and just like soulmates, they bring out the best in one another. The corn brings out the peaches more subtle, earthy notes while the peach punches up the corn’s sweetness.
When I first tried to make a peach and corn salad, I was afraid that the peaches would be too delicate to cook in my cast iron skillet. But they’re a surprisingly substantial and hearty fruit that can really stand up to the heat, so don’t be shy — maybe caramelize them a little bit to bring out more of that summertime essence!
Since I haven’t been around for a minute — been busy writing about food history for The Philadelphia Inquirer — I thought I’d share with you a recipe I just put the final touches on.
Peach and Corn Salad with Pan-Seared Scallops
Ingredients
4 cups of corn
2 peaches
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 purple onion, diced
2 tablespoons fresh dill
scallops
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil for your cast iron skillet
1 tablespoon of butter to cook scallops
1 sprig of rosemary for scallops
Directions
Turn on stove to medium heat to heat up olive oil in a cast iron skillet. On a separate burner on medium, heat up butter in a separate pan, and when melted, add the spring of rosemary. Prep scallops by patting them dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle the scallops with a little bit of salt and set aside.
When the cast iron skillet is hot add corn. Let corn cook 1/3rd of the way before adding one chopped peach. Mix thoroughly together with apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper.
In a separate pan, cook your scallops, searing them on both sides. With a spoon, periodically scoop butter steeped in rosemary over the scallops. They should get about 4 minutes on each side.
While scallops are cooking add diced purple onion to corn and peaches and mix. Add salt and pepper to taste.
When corn and peach salad is almost complete add dill. Save a little on the side to use as a garnish once you’re done.
When scallops are finished, turn off the heat for both the corn salad and the scallops. Put scallops on top of the corn salad and garnish with the rest of the dill.
Alexandra Jones: How to Taste Cheese
There's eating cheese and then there's tasting cheese. Like... REALLY tasting cheese. We're talking about engaging every sense and being present in the moment while indulging in the ultimate dairy bliss. That's just a brief description of how a proper cheese tasting is done, according to dairy expert Alexandra Jones, author of Stuff Every Cheese Lover Should Know.
In this episode of Amuse-Bouche we chat all things cheese with Alexandra Jones touching on everything from a brief history of cheesemaking in the United States to how to maximize your cheese experience. There's a lot of delicious dairy talk in this episode, so if you're hungry, pause the episode and build the most Instagrammable cheese plate you can imagine!
If you’re interested in learning more, get Alexandra’s book, Stuff Every Cheese Lover Should Know available everywhere books are sold! You can find more of Alexandra’s work on her website AlexandraJones.net. And be sure to give her a follow on social media — she’s @arockjonestown on both Twitter and Instagram.
BONUS: Peaches & Cream Muffins
Okay, since I’ve been away, let me share with you one of my favorite peach recipes from last year, these Peaches & Cream Muffins from Baker By Nature. They were so creamy and sweet and loaded with junks of juicy peaches. They’re perfect for breakfast but they taste as good as dessert!
Watching: Space Jam: A New Legacy!
Publishing: A lot ! I’ve been working on a quirky little beat lately with The Philadelphia Inquirer that explores foods that have a unique history with our region and where we can go eat those foods.
I kicked it off with the story of whoopie pies and how we all embraced the idea that they were a Pennsylvania Dutch thing until Maine awkwardly stepped in to try and claim they were the true birthplace of the whoopie pie — the jury’s still out on that one.
Then Monday of this week, they ran my story on the banana split, a sundae created in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. The banana split is truly a product of its time. In 1904 when it was created, the banana split was a modern marvel. It was American ambition served up in an elongated boat-shaped glass — an opulent dessert that captured people’s imaginations, all made possible by technological advancement, an increasingly globalized supply chain, and confectionery innovation.
Listening: Tim Heidecker, one half of the absurdist comic duo Tim & Eric, came out with a music album called Fear of Death last September and the music is really good. It's got folksy Simon & Garfunkel and Beatles vibes with nuances of Arlo Guthrie-esque socio-political protest in some lyrics. I’ve been driving a lot lately so this album is exactly the road trippin' jams I need to get me thinking.
Snacking: Salted chocolate-covered figs! Check out the tutorial video here!