Aug.

2

Z’s Larder: sweet corn soup

After picking up some fresh corn at the farmer’s market last weekend to make my mom’s baked cream corn, I realized that I had several cobs left over, so I decided to make a corn soup, but most of the recipes were too fussy with tons of ingredients and various steps to oversee. Then I found this beyond simple recipe courtesy of Chef Mark Fuller of Spring Hill restaurant in Seattle. This sweet corn soup is the essence of summer in a bowl.

Sweet Corn Soup

8 fresh ears of sweet corn
Heavy cream or vegetable stock, as needed
Sea salt, to taste

First, clean the fresh corn by removing the husks and silks with your hands. If the silks are particularly difficult, place the cobs in a bowl of cold water to loosen them. Then dry the cobs completely.

Next, slice the raw corn kernels from each cob, then puree the kernels in a food processor (or blender) until smooth. Over a bowl, pass the puree through a fine mesh strainer to extract as much of the corn milk as possible, approximately 3-4 cups.

Discard the corn kernel solids and pour the corn milk into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir the corn milk continuously with a wooden spoon (or rubber spatula) until the corn milk begins to thicken to a soup-like consistency. Remove the soup from the heat and if it’s a bit thick, thin the soup with a couple tablespoons of heavy cream or vegetable stock, whichever you prefer. If you would like to serve the soup hot, season to taste, reheat and serve. If you would like to serve the soup chilled, thin with additional uncooked corn milk, season to taste and serve. Serves 4.

Photo used with kind permission of Nancy Leson