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Summer has finally arrived and with it come some of my family's favourite foods. I like to keep things simple at this time of year so I can spend more time in the sunshine and less time in the kitchen.

One of the places in British Columbia that I loved as a kid and love every bit as much today is our old summer retreat in Osoyoos in the Okanagan Valley. The summers we had there were always special - in large part because of the food. I still remember going to outdoor markets to pick up fresh fruits, peppers, tomatoes and, of course, corn. Sometimes we had corn on the cob every other day, sweet, succulent and smothered in butter.

In that spirit, this salad is all about summer, eating local and keeping it simple. It takes just five to 10 minutes to prepare and is so good you can have it as a side or all on its own.

With this recipe, I've taken some of my favourite things and combined them in one bowl: the wonderful peaches and cream corn that I grew up with, blue cheese, Caesar dressing, bacon and spinach. The key is to add enough blue cheese for your taste, always making sure to season the greens and not to overdress the spinach. I take the corn right off the cob and simply use it raw as this really illustrates the sweet and wonderful flavour of B.C. corn. You can also cook it off, but why bother?

Enjoy, have a wonderful summer and eat well.

SPINACH, PEACHES AND

CREAM CORN, BLUE CHEESE AND BACON SALAD

What you need

Croutons:

1 large sourdough loaf, crust

removed

1/2 cup olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon chili flakes

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Dressing:

6 anchovy fillets

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves

2/3 cup grape seed oil

3/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Salad:

11/2 pounds baby spinach

12 slices double-smoked bacon, cut in half

11/2 cups blue cheese, crumbled

1 cup corn, removed from cob

What you do

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cut bread into ½-inch cubes. Toss the bread with olive oil, garlic and chili flakes, season with salt and pepper and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool.

Add the dressing ingredients to a food processor and process for 10 to 20 seconds. Refrigerate.

Cook bacon on a cookie sheet in a 375 F oven until crispy.

Toss the spinach with enough dressing to coat the leaves, season with salt and pepper. Place in six large bowls and put croutons, blue cheese and bacon on top of each salad. Finish with the corn. Serves 6