Chilled Corn Soup
This chilled corn soup from Jennifer Milsap of Sacramento-based Shef Madres is the essence of late summer cooking. It’s all about taking the greatest care with the sweetest peak-season corn.
How to Make It
Slice the corn off of the cob and save the cobs. Place the cobs in a large stock pot and cover with 4 quarts water, or more, if needed. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer for up to 4 hours, for stronger corn flavor, adding water as necessary, to equal 4 quarts. This is going to create a “corn stock.”
While the stock is simmering, heat a large sauté pan on medium heat with just enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the corn to the pan with 1 bunch of thyme and sprinkle with salt. Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until thyme leaves start to fall from the stems. Add a small amount of corn stock and simmer until the thyme leaves have almost completely fallen off the stems. Using tongs or kitchen tweezers, remove bare thyme stems from mixture.
Taste your corn stock for flavor. You may reduce further for more corn flavor, as desired. When you are finished simmering the stock, remove the cobs and strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer. Place the sautéed corn mixture with thyme leaves into a Vitamix blender. Using just enough corn stock to get the blender to spin, blend the corn on high speed. Add corn stock in small increments, as needed, to thin the corn purée to a soup consistency that coats the back of a spoon.
Taste the soup and adjust with salt. Chill the soup until very cold. Taste once completely chilled and adjust salt if necessary. Cold foods need more salt to bring out their flavor. Serve chilled soup in small shot glasses and garnish with a few drops of chile oil and popcorn shoots. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions
Slice the corn off of the cob and save the cobs. Place the cobs in a large stock pot and cover with 4 quarts water, or more, if needed. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer for up to 4 hours, for stronger corn flavor, adding water as necessary, to equal 4 quarts. This is going to create a “corn stock.”
While the stock is simmering, heat a large sauté pan on medium heat with just enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the corn to the pan with 1 bunch of thyme and sprinkle with salt. Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until thyme leaves start to fall from the stems. Add a small amount of corn stock and simmer until the thyme leaves have almost completely fallen off the stems. Using tongs or kitchen tweezers, remove bare thyme stems from mixture.
Taste your corn stock for flavor. You may reduce further for more corn flavor, as desired. When you are finished simmering the stock, remove the cobs and strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer. Place the sautéed corn mixture with thyme leaves into a Vitamix blender. Using just enough corn stock to get the blender to spin, blend the corn on high speed. Add corn stock in small increments, as needed, to thin the corn purée to a soup consistency that coats the back of a spoon.
Taste the soup and adjust with salt. Chill the soup until very cold. Taste once completely chilled and adjust salt if necessary. Cold foods need more salt to bring out their flavor. Serve chilled soup in small shot glasses and garnish with a few drops of chile oil and popcorn shoots. Enjoy!