Sweet Summer Corn, Tomato and Basil Salad

Hello, everyone. As promised, here's the recipe for my Sweet Summer Corn, Tomato and Basil salad -- adopted from the original recipe found in my favorite Bon Appetit cookbook. As mentioned in the previous post, I'll provide the original recipe along with notes as to what I did differently.

Just a few notes before we begin... The corn in this recipe has been sauteed with olive oil and garlic -- and it's a really cool way to cook corn! It smelled amazing and it was fun to watch the corn go from pale yellow to golden. I liked it so much that I used this same method when I prepared an impromptu heirloom tomato-corn salsa earlier this week, only I used shallots instead of garlic. However, I absolutely recommend the garlic for this salad; the flavor is phenomenal. If you're not a huge garlic person, stick to the recommended 3 cloves. 4 was pretty strong -- but if you love garlic like I do, definitely go for the extra clove.

I used a package of grape tomatoes instead of the plum tomatoes recommended in the original recipe. I did this for the simple fact that the plum tomatoes at Whole Foods didn't look that great while I was shopping. The grape tomatoes, on the other hand, looked pretty fantastic. Thus, decision made. I'd actually recommend using the grape tomatoes if you try this, because they end up making cute little beds for kernels of corn that get stuck inside. Diced plum tomatoes just wouldn't have the same effect.

Lastly, definitely try to chill this salad for 8 hours, as it really did get better with time and was actually better and more flavorful the day after I made it! (Sorry members of the Food Babies/Mega Bites dinner party... Live and learn!)

All right, without further ado, here's that recipe:

Sweet Summer Corn, Tomato & Basil Salad

Ingredients
6 large ears white corn, husked (I used 8 bicolor ears)
5 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves or 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic (I used 4 cloves)
1/2 cup (packed) thinly sliced fresh basil 5 plum tomatoes, seeded & chopped (I used 1 package of grape tomatoes, quartered)
3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper (to taste)

Prep
Using large knife, cut corn kernels from cob. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add corn; sauté until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add half of basil.

Transfer corn mixture to large bowl. Cool slightly, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes, vinegar, 3 tablespoons oil and remaining basil. Season with salt and pepper. Cover; chill 3 hours or up to 8 hours.