Kale Caesar with Fresh Corn & Cornbread Croutons

This salad is corn-centric, as the corn in the Hudson Valley at the moment is pretty off the charts tasty.  If you can get your hands on some fresh corn, give this a try.  The cornbread croutons bumps up the flavor of the season even more.  The fresh made Caesar dressing pulls it all together.  Here we go!

Boil a pot of water and cook 2 to 3 ears of corn.  Once done, pull out and set aside to cool.  Then cut the kernels off the cob over a bowl.  Let sit until ready to assemble.  Turn oven to 400, I know, very surprising. Let it heat up.  You can certainly make cornbread or muffins, but I found some stellar ones at the grocery store so those were used.  Carefully cut them into good sized cubes.  Put on a baking sheet, sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil and a good amount of pepper.  Put in the oven for 10 minutes, then take out and turn them, then bake in the oven for another 10.  Once done, take out to cool.

Now on to the dressing.  A food processor or blender is best for this.  Roughly chop 2 cloves of garlic, add to the mixer.  Then a heaping tablespoon of Dijon mustard. Juice 2 good sized lemons and add that juice.  Chop up 2 anchovies and add to the mix along with the yolk of a room temp egg and liberal pinches of salt & pepper. Almost there.  Pulse it all.  Now, with the machine running slowly pour in a half of a cup of the best extra virgin olive oil you can get your hands on.  Lastly add a third to half of a cup of finely grated Pecorino Romano and pulse one last time.  You have now made one very tasty Caesar dressing!

Tear up as much kale as you would like in a big bowl, being careful not to add any of the tough spine of the kale.  Sprinkle in the corn, a little more grated Pecorino, then spoon over the dressing, adding as much or as little as you like.  Top with the cornbread croutons.  Serve.  I like to offer more dressing in a small bowl that guests can add if they like their salad super dressed.  It is a taste of Summer in a salad.  Enjoy, enjoy.  Mister Sive grilled barbecued chicken that worked great with this salad.  Truly, just about any main dish like steak or fish would be yummy with this too.