Serves 4
Prep time: 20 minutes; Cook time: 3 hours, 15 minutes; Total time: 3 hours, 35 minutes

This soup is amplified with corn stock made with corncobs. Once you’ve made this golden broth for the chilled corn soup, save the leftovers and use them in place of chicken or vegetable stock to make risotto or polenta. The heavy cream can be left out for a vegan dish. Use zhoug condiment as a garnish with this recipe.

Sweet Corn Soup

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time3 hours 15 minutes
Total Time3 hours 35 minutes
Course: appetizer, Soup
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 4 ears sweet corn, shucked and kernels removed, cobs saved
  • 8 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 shallot, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 –3 cups corn stock
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • Zhoug, for garnish
  • Cotija cheese, for garnish
  • Handful of heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved

Instructions

Corn stock

  • Place the corncobs and water in a large stockpot or dutch oven over high heat. Bring to a boil, turn the heat to low, and let simmer for 2–3 hours. Use tongs to pull cobs from the broth and place them in a colander set over a bowl to catch the liquid. Once they have cooled to room temperature, squeeze cobs into the broth to capture the last bits of flavor, then discard them.

Soup

  • Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot and garlic and sweat until translucent (about 5 minutes), lowering heat if necessary to avoid browning the shallots.
  • Add corn kernels and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add corn stock and bring to a low simmer for about 10 minutes.
  • Pour soup into a blender; blend until smooth. Pass soup through a strainer. Add heavy cream, if using. Chill in the refrigerator or an ice bath until the soup is cold. Garnish with zhoug, cotija, and heirloom cherry tomatoes.