By Erin Walgamuth
Last weekend we had friends over for dinner. I wanted to use the sweet corn I had in the refrigerator, but I didn’t want to serve corn on the cob. So I decided to make corn soup.
I have never made it before and tried to keep it simple using ingredients that I had on hand. Well, it turned out to be a great soup so I thought I would share the recipe with my KHTS friends
Sweet Corn Soup with Basil Cream
Serves 4
You will need:
Blender
11-12” sauté pan
Yields about 3 cups of soup
Prep time 20 minutes
Cook time about 17-20 minutes
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Soup
2 ½ cups of fresh sweet corn kernals. Approximately 1.4 pounds of fresh corn
1/3 cup of finely chopped shallots. About 2 medium shallots
1 tablespoon butter
2 pinches of salt
1 pinch sugar
1 cup half and half (purchase a pint carton)
Salt and pepper to taste
Chicken broth if needed
Cream
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons half & half
15 leaves of fresh basil
Combine sour cream and half & half in a small bowl. Whisk with a fork until blended. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for one hour, mixture will thicken as it sits. Put cream blend in a food processer or blender with the basil leaves and puree until well combined. Return to small bowl and press plastic wrap directly on top of basil cream. Cover bowl with plastic wrap as well. Refrigerate. About ½ an hour before you wish to use the cream, set it out on the kitchen counter to lose its chill.
Slice corn kernels off of the cob and set aside. You will have approximately 2 ½ cups. Finely chop shallots and set aside. Put 1 tablespoon of butter in an 11-12” sauté pan and melt on medium-low heat. When butter is melted add the shallots, 1 pinch of salt and 1 pinch of sugar. Sauté shallots until softened, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Add corn kernels and one pinch of salt. Stir to combine. Continue cooking, stirring often for about 7 minutes or until corn is softened. Reserve 1/3 cup of corn and shallot mixture, set aside. Add 1 cup of half & half, turn heat down to simmer and continue stirring often for about 5 minutes. Mixture will start to thicken. Puree the shallot, corn, and half & half mixture in a blender. Return pureed mixture to the sauté pan and add the reserved 1/3 cup of shallots and corn. Stir to incorporate, add salt and pepper to taste. At this point you can serve immediately or put soup in a food safe container and refrigerate. If you chose to make the soup ahead of time, say the day before, you may want to add a bit of chicken broth or more half & half to thin it a bit before serving. Not too much though, maybe a tablespoon at a time and taste as you go. You don’t want to dilute the wonderful flavor of the soup!
Divide the soup among four medium-sized bowls. Put a dollop of the basil cream on top of the soup and serve. Enjoy!
Erin Walgamuth has been an assistant Food Stylist for television and print for the past 26 years and writes this column using her own recipes. Check out her other creations in our Hometown Recipe section.