corn toast with fresh cherry tomatoes

corn toast with fresh cherry tomatoes

There is nothing better than a spontaneous road trip. Waking up in the morning and just saying lets go for of a drive, then ending up eating crazy new foods, crashing weddings, hiking, making new friends and discovering farms with badass local bands playing…yup, my level of detail is a clear giveaway…I’m obviously referring to my last weekend.

We drove to a town called Monroe that has one of the most lush and charming farms I have ever been to. Blooming Hill Farm supplies restaurants all over NYC with local produce and on the weekends they have live music, breakfast/brunch.

We ordered an assortment of toasts off their small but smart menu and this one really stood out to me with it’s simplicity, originality and insanely delicious and sweet, fresh flavors.

The spread on this toast is straight up pureed corn. At the farm they pureed it till it was very smooth, but I left mine chunky, which I think adds a nice textural element. The corn is SO sweet and perfect right now. This is FOR SURE the best dish to make before the season is over (maybe even make it for labor day weekend?!?!?) There are very few ingredients in this toast and that is how I like it. Please make it and make LOTS because you will want 2 maybe three to yourself.

By the way…to continue the beginning part of this post, we ended up swimming in a lake which actually was a venue for a wedding, so we got kicked out. Then we hiked the Appalachian Trail, which was literally down the street and downed a bottle of rose after walking for 10 minutes….it was a trip! I highly recommend a weekend just like this.

Ingredients
  • 3 corn-husk removed
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes- I like an assortment, try different colors
  • 1 large handful of fresh basil- rolled up and sliced finely (chiffonade)- keep the small buds for the garnish on the toast
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 thick slices of sourdough
Directions

1. In a large pot place in 4 cups of water. Add the corn in and bring it to a boil. Cover with a lit and turn down to a simmer. Let simmer for 5-7 minutes. Remove and let cool.

2. Remove the kernels from the cob with a knife and place into a blender. Blend until smooth but still a little chunky. Season with a nice pinch of salt and black pepper- set to the side.

3. Slice your cherry tomatoes in half and place in a bowl, add in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season well with salt. Mix and taste- set to the side.

4. Pre-heat a grill or a cast iron pan- drizzle 1 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over your bread. Place on you grill or on a cast iron pan and grill on medium heat until golden and slightly charred, flip and do it on the other side. When the bread is toasted up remove it from the grill. Take your garlic clove and rub it all over your toasted bread, making sure to get it in every crack. You want LOTS of garlic. YUMMY!

5. Spread the corn paste all over the bread and then top with the tomato and basil salad. Drizzle over a little more extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with a little more salt and the small basil leaves. Serve ASAP…you want the bread to still be warm.