Creamy Corn Salad with Fresh Herbs

From the book The Basic Gourmet Entertains by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart

Serves

Introduction

As an alternative to serving corn on the cob, we created this summer corn salad. When entertaining centers around grilled foods, it is wonderful to have a couple of dishes that do not require any last-minute attention, except, of course, remembering to serve them! What makes this simple salad so remarkable is using freshly shucked corn–substituting frozen corn kernels would make the salad pale in comparison.

Ingredients

Salad

	8	ears fresh corn
	1	large red bell pepper (about 12 ounces), seeded, deveined, and cut into ¼-inch dice
	½	cup minced parsley
	2	Tbsp. minced fresh chives
	3	Tbsp. minced fresh tarragon

Dressing

	¾	cup mayonnaise
	¼	cup buttermilk
	1	Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
	¼	tsp. sugar
	½	tsp. salt
	1	tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Steps

To make salad, fill an 8- to 10-quart stockpot two-thirds full with water, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Prepare corn by peeling back green husks and silk. Remove and discard. Cut corn kernels from each cob by standing ear upright on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut downward along cob. Discard cobs and scoop kernels into a medium mixing bowl. When water boils, add corn. Cook for 3 minutes, drain in a colander, rinse under cold water, and let drain completely. In a large mixing bowl, combine corn, bell pepper, and herbs. Set aside.
To make dressing, in a medium mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, buttermilk, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Blend well.
Add dressing to salad. Stir well, cover, and refrigerate up to 2 hours before serving. If preparing salad earlier in the day or the night before, refrigerate salad and dressing separately, then combine just before serving.

This content is from the book The Basic Gourmet Entertains by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart.