The color dinner series, which launched in April with green, returned this weekend with a sunny, summery, yellow.

Yellow! There’s corn (we could and almost did have an entire meal made of corn…),  summer squash and zucchini flowers, chickpeas and canary beans, lemons, pineapple, yellow watermelon and mango, bell peppers, heirloom & cherry tomatoes, saffron, curry, eggs!

‘Twas a bright, cheerful afternoon full of delicious and inventive creations.

(We brought sweet corn ice cream with roasted peaches & cinnamon candied corn nuts. And roasted plantains with queso blanco. Ice cream recipe below!)

color dinner no. 2: yellow.

To drink…saffron agua fresca flavored with melon, rhubarb, peach & lemon

The antipasto….pickled ahi amarillo peppers & yellow onion, and roasted yellow bell peppers in lemon olive oil

Yellow heirloom tomato pico de gallo with yellow corn tortillas

Pickled golden beets and the very popular candied mustard seeds with herbes de provence

And then to feast!

Roasted plantains with queso blanco

Handmade saffron pasta tossed with chickpeas & zucchini marinated in saffron, tumeric, olive oil & shallots, served over chamomile sabayon folded into chamomile infused ricotta and garnished with dill, carrot tops with pickled mustard seeds.

Toasted arepas with Mexican longanza, queso fresco, pickled jalapeño avocado, cilantro, roasted yellow peppers & a mango scotch bonnet chimichurri.

Griddled polenta cakes with caramelized yellow onions, maple syrup & goat cheese

Cheddar corn muffins

Yellow bell peppers stuffed with saffron risotto, peas, tomatoes, basil & parmesan

Peruvian Pastel de Choclo (with Pisco!) 

No photo, unfortunately, of the yellow watermelon & yellow cherry tomato salad with mint & feta.

And for dessert….buttermilk shortcake with lemon curd & candied lemon peel

Frozen bananas with all the trimmings!

and…our…

sweet corn ice cream with roasted peaches & cinnamon candied corn nuts

For the ice cream

Makes a quart

2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
4 ears of corn
7 egg yolks
pinch of kosher salt

1. Slice the kernels off the cobs, and break the cobs in to pieces.

2. Warm the milk, cream, salt & 1/2 cup of sugar in a medium saucepan until hot, but not boiling. Remove from heat. Add the corn kernels and cobs, cover, and let infuse for a half hour.

pausa

3. Remove the cobs from the mixture and discard. Working in batches, blend the mixture in a blender (an immersion blender works too, if you have one.) Return to stove and heat on medium.

4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Slowly pour a cup of the warm milk/corn mixture into the egg yolks in a thin, steady stream, whisking constantly (this helps temper your eggs, so they don’t scramble). Once mixed, pour back into the pot.

5. Stir the mixture – in a figure eight pattern – over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture begins to thicken and coat the spatula (when you run your finger across the back of the spatula, a line should be made that will not run back together). It will take 6 to 10 minutes for the mixture to thicken. Don’t rush it or you’ll end up with scrambled eggs!

5. Place a strainer over a bowl. Pour the custard through the strainer, pressing as much liquid as possible out of the solids. Discard the solids. Place the bowl in an ice bath, and stir until cool.

6. Chill several hours, preferably overnight, and then freeze according to the ice cream maker’s instructions.

For the peach sauce

1 1/2 lbs peaches
2 tablespoons salted butter
3-4 tablespoons of sugar, to taste
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2-3 tablespoons dark rum, again to taste

1. Peel the peaches and cut into small pieces (irregular is fine, as they’ll melt into a sauce.)

2. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Add the peaches, and cook over medium heat for two minutes, stirring constantly and using the back of the soon to crush larger peach pieces.

3. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let summer for 3-4 minutes, stirring once.

4. Bring the heat up to medium, add the rum, and continue to stir and cook until the sauce has thickened to your liking.

5. Store in an airtight container in the fridge (no need to properly jar, especially if you’re using it within a few days.)

For the candied cornnuts

1 cup corn nuts
2 tablespoon honey (the darker and more deeply flavored the better)
1  tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon water
1/8 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or more, to taste)

In a medium sized pot (we usually use a wok here, the shape is perfect for even coating and heat) heat the honey, oil and water over a medium flame until the honey dissolves slightly. Add the corn nuts, mix well, and continue to cook, mixing frequently most of the liquid’s been absorbed. This will take about 7 – 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, and let sit for a minute or so. The honey will begin to set and separate from the oil. If there’s a lot of extra liquid left unabsorbed, spoon it out and discard. Mix the corn nuts again to coat them fully with the cooling honey.

Mix together the sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle over the corn nuts, mixing well. When fully coated, spread on a piece of parchment paper to cool, and harden. You can separate the corn nuts while still hot or, break apart clusters later once cold.

Store in an airtight container until ready to serve! (If you can resist eating them immediately, that is.)