Sweet and Tangy Corn with Roasted Red Peppers

This recipe was contributed to Food and Wine by Tom Colicchio. 

I really wanted to like this recipe. I really did, even though it broke one of my rules. Of course if a recipe is a dessert, it can have sugar, but if the dish is for any other course, I almost never make it. As I look through recipe magazines and websites, I just skip over recipes if they contain the following: sugar, mayonnaise, cream, butter. Butter is tricky because it can sometimes be substituted with olive oil so I have to read those recipes. 

I can't pan this recipe completely just because it goes against my own personal rules that most others are not going to care about. I could easily see this recipe being a hit side dish at a picnic or family reunion party in the park with lots of other options so that people are only eating a small portion. That was the biggest issue I had - it was good for a small portion, but any more than that and it just turned me off. This recipe makes a lot, so you need a large gathering to finish it off. 


Total Time: 1 HR

3 red bell peppers
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
10 ears of corn, shucked and kernels cut off the cobs (about 10 cups)
3 medium leeks, light green and white parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1 cup thinly sliced scallions, preferably red (about 8 scallions)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Roast the peppers directly over a gas flame or under a preheated broiler, turning, until charred all over. Transfer the peppers to a large bowl, cover tightly with plastic and let cool completely. 
Peel, seed and stem the peppers, then cut them into 1/3-inch dice.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar with the water and cook over moderate heat without stirring until lightly golden in color, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and cook until the caramel dissolves, about 1 minute; let cool completely.

In a large saucepan of salted boiling water, blanch the corn kernels and sliced leeks until crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes; drain well and let cool completely.

In a large bowl, toss the corn and leeks with the roasted peppers, scallions and sweet-tart dressing. Season the corn with salt and pepper, transfer to a platter and serve.

MAKE AHEAD The recipe can be prepared through Step 3 one day ahead; refrigerate the roasted peppers, dressing and blanched corn and leeks separately.