When you think of summer, what food items do you consider the most evocative of the season?

Torafuku chef de cuisine Baker Hsu offers his recipe for a salad includes two summertime food essentials—corn and watermelon.

Most people may not have considered combining the two into one dish, or some may think that the twain should never meet, but Hsu manages to pull it off.

For those that don’t have the time to make it themselves (or simply prefer to leave everything to the experts), this salad is available on the Father’s Day menu at Torafuku (958 Main Street) in Chinatown, featuring ricotta made by Hsu in house.

Summer salad

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients
watermelon (5 to 6 pieces cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
1 fresh corn cob (husk on)
tomato (2 vine ripe tomato or 1 medium sized heirloom tomato)
2 lemons
100 ml olive oil
100 ml canola oil
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
mint
ricotta

Directions

Lemon oil:
Toast coriander seeds in a pan until fragrant.
Peel lemon zest and combine it with toasted coriander seeds, olive oil canola oil.
Let sit for 2 days at room temperature.
Juice the lemon and strain lemon oil.
Whisk together lemon juice, lemon oil, sugar, mustard, salt, and pepper to taste.

Corn:
Roast the corn in the oven at 400 C for 20 minutes with the husk on.
Once cooked, shuck the corn, and discard all the fiber between the corn and the husk.
Return the husk to the oven for 5 minutes or when the husk is fully charred and crispy. Meanwhile char the corn on.
Direct flame on the stove top or alternately char it on a griddle pan.
Using a blender, blitz the husk into a fine powder and add 1 tablespoon to 250 ml of the vinaigrette (recipe above).

How to assemble:
Cut watermelon and tomato into bite sized cubes and arrange on plate.
Cut corn kernel off the cob, and place over melon and tomatoes.
Drizzle the vinaigrette on the vegetables and season with fresh cracked black pepper and sea salt.
Tear some pieces of mint on the salad and dollop as much ricotta as desired.