Sweet Corn and Basil Soup               

 tags (edit): Summer Spring Advance @Try Soon! @Vogel Bon Appetit Magazine Soup  

 

My girlfriend and I had our first date at THE BRIDGE CAFE in Westport, Connecticut. We both enjoyed the com and basil soup while looking out over the Saugatuck River. I would love to have the soup recipe to try at our new home in St. Louis.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 each sweet onions (such as Maui), chopped
8 ears white com kernels removed from cobs (about 8 cups), cobs reserved
10 cups water
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup fresh basil chopped
 

Instructions
 Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add half of onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add com cobs and 8 cups water. Simmer until liquid is reduced to 4 cups, about 25 minutes. Cool slightly. Refrigerate overnight. Strain com broth; discard cobs.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in another heavy large pot over medium heat. Add remaining onions and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add com kernels and saute until almost tender, about 15 minutes. Add strained com broth and remaining 2 cups water. Simmer uncovered 40 minutes. Cover and simmer until com is very tender, about 20 minutes longer. Cool slightly.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to pot. Stir in cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made I day ahead. Cool slightly, then cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before continuing.) Divide soup among 6 bowls. Sprinkle with basil and serve.

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Yields: 6 Servings
     Bon Appetit magazine, September 2002

 notes:  I've made this soup twice. The cooking of the cobs makes it seem too time-consuming, but the flavor and consistency are worth it. Didn't care for the blenderized bits of corn in the soup; I thought it detracted from the intense corn flavor. So, after the blender step, I put this through a sieve. The result: a velvety smooth soup with an intense corn flavor. Save this recipe for when the sweetest of sweet summer corn is available.

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