Grilled Flank Steak with Smoked Corn, Greens and Roasted Shallot Vinaigrette

I recently won an Internet giveaway for a new cookbook (TY Zester Daily), so this summer you will probably see quite a few recipes come to life like this one last week.

It's all about sustainable foods and local produce and I love, love love it. Did I tell you that I love it?
I want to make every dish in this cookbook and that does not happen all that often. So many times I have great expectations about a cookbook and then when I finally get it in the mail, rip open the shipping bag and sit down to devour the guts, after a few pages I often find myself flipping quickly through the remaining ones.

So sad.

But this cookbook (The Chefs Collaborative Cookbook), OMG it's a vegetable, spice and sauce lovers dream. There isn't anything in this book that I do not want to cook, it is that good.

While the ingredients of this salad are fairly easy to source, I like to take liberties and throw in my two cents worth.
Take your own liberties and buy what you love, I get the impression the vinaigrette is the actual featured recipe and the salad ingredients were meant to inspire. This one screams, "pick me and make the dressing, the rest will come together".
Pick a lettuce you love, a fruit you adore, a cheese that will make your mouth smile and a steak that once grilled will slice to perfect pieces of juicy tenderness.

The dressing is to die for. Easy to make and will keep for a few weeks in a bottle in the fridge.

I set up my grill and on a sheet pan, placed a bag of frozen shoe peg corn, a half dozen baby red onions and garlic cloves, two jalapenos (for another recipe) and olive oil, salt & pepper.

I soaked a couple of cups of apple wood chips and once the coals were lit, I tossed the chips on the fire, the sheet pan on the opposite side of the coals, shut the lid and smoked everything for 45 minutes at 325°.
The only thing I needed to do was to assemble the salad because yesterday, I roasted the shallots and made the dressing. This composed salad will show up in many different forms throughout the summer. Maybe with shrimp or pork tenderloin and surely with sliced chicken breasts. 

The best part was the smoked corn. I can't wait to smoke all sorts of vegetables as they come into season.
I might even smoke a few fruits on that grill.

Roasted Shallot Vinaigrette
makes about 1/2 cup
* 1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter
* 3 shallots, thinly sliced into rings
* 2 teaspoons sugar
* 1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
* 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
* Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, reduce the heat, and simmer until they are evenly golden brown.
Allow the shallots to cool slightly, then put them in a blender or food processor with sugar, mustard and vinegar. Blend until smooth. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the vinaigrette has emulsified. Add the thyme and season with slat and pepper.