The inspiration for this soup came from Somerset, a restaurant in the Viceroy Hotel in Chicago. I can’t recall the day, or the time of year for that matter, but it struck me as worth a try, especially since I like corn, and it seemed right for a light lunch. They served it with blueberries floating in it; a surprise, but a very pleasant one.
INGREDIENTS
10 medium sized ears of fresh corn, husks and silks removed
Water
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Cream, or half-and-half
DIRECTIONS
Using a knife or corn stripper, remove the kernels from the corn cobs. Using the back of a knife, scrape the soft remaining corn and ‘milk’ from the cob. Put it all in the container of a blender (you may need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your blender jar).
Add about a cup of water.
Blend until the corn seems to be entirely liquified using a very high speed. Add salt and pepper to taste, about a tablespoon of olive oil, and a small amount of cream, then blend just long enough to incorporate.
Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the contents of the blender into the strainer – then use a spatula to press the contents of the strainer to maximize the amount of liquid you get in the bowl.
Pour the contents of the bowl into a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. The mixture should thicken a bit (it is cornstarch, you know). You’ll want to stir to keep the suspended solids from sticking to the bottom of the pan and browning.
Once you’ve reached a boil, pour the soup back into a bowl; let it cool a bit then put it in the refrigerator until good and cool. Serve chilled. When serving, a tasty addition is to drop some olive oil on the top – think “I’m an artist” – and then cut a few blueberries in half and float them, cut side up, on the top as well.
NOTESS
I’ve not tried this using frozen corn, though I suspect that without the ‘milk’ from the ears of fresh corn, a bit of additional liquid might be called for. If I were to try using frozen, I think I’d have some vegetable stock handy to loosen it up. Worth a try.
never 2 old 2 start cooking 