This has been a good season for corn, though the drought had initially stumped their growth. But as the season matures, the size of those cobs are bigger. Beyond eating it plain–boiled or grilled–slathered with butter, you can create the essence of corn flavor by putting it into the soup pot.
Corn at the Portland Farmer’s Market
This is no ordinary soup but an extremely elegant rendition of a puree, which I came across from Minneapolis chef Gavin Keysan (he owns Spoon and Stable restaurant), featured in August 27, 2015, Wall Street Journal food story.
I’ve made a few changes to the recipe, but what gives the soup base so much flavor is that after taking the kernels off the cob the stripped corn is put into the pot with a mix of sautéed onions, shallots and leeks to steep in chicken stock and cream, making the infusion complete.
Bear in mind, the quality of the corn you choose can make that special difference. Mostly we have bi-color corn at the markets and it’s a fine-tasting variety. But I look for heritage yellow corn,which is rare in our parts. It can be so sugar sweet. At the Portland Farmer’s Market, you can find it at Middle Intervale and South Paw farms. Other farmers’ markets may have this too such as Beth’s Farm Market in Warren (the variety changes weekly), the Damariscotta farmer’s market and the Camden and Belfast markets. Then there’s the extremely sweet bi-color corn grown by Harris Farm in Dayton. It’s available at
Yellow corn from the fields of Foggy Meadow Farm on North Haven Island
their farm store as well as the Saco Farmer’s Market on Saturdays.
Corn soup
You’ll need 4 to 6 ears of corn to get 4 1/2 cups of kernels. I needed 6 ears to meet the yield. After simmering for about 30 minutes just puree it in a blender; for a really smooth puree it can then be put into a food mill, but it’s not necessary. Also have a little extra stock on hand to thin the soup if necessary.
Adapted from a recipe by Gavin Keyson, chef/owner of Spoon and Stable restaurant in Minneaplos and featured in a WSJ food article
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 leeks, white part only, chopped
- 1 small shallot, chopped
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 to 6 ears corn to measure 4 1/2 cups corn
- 1-quart light chicken stock, or more if needed
- Generous 1/2 cup good quality heavy cream
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Snipped chives, croutons and good extra virgin olive oil, to garnish
Instructions
- Peel and slice the onion finely, chop the shallots and thinly slice the leeks. Set aside.
- Meanwhile melt the butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot like a Dutch oven and add the aromatics to sauté over medium low heat, stirring often, until translucent. Season generously with salt and pepper
- Take the kernels of the cob, reserving 1/2 cup of the corn to garnish, adding the rest to the pot. Add the cobs and the stock. It should barely cover the cobs.
- Increase the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes or until the soup thickens slightly. Add the cream and simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove the cobs, scraping the residue left on the cobs into the soup. Discard. Let the soup cool for several minutes then in batches puree in a blender until smooth.
- Add more stock to get the right consistency or add more cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
- Pour into Mason jars with caps and let cool on the counter until lukewarm, uncovered. Cover the jars and refrigerate for at least 3 to 4 hours. Serve nicely chilled, adding more cream to thin the soup if necessary.
- To serve garnish with the reserved corn kernels, chives and croutons and give each bowl a decorative swirl of olive oil.
