With all due respect to George Gershwin (click for a seasonal musical interlude), summertime in New Jersey means it's time for fresh corn! It's all over the place right now, and usually for a great price--anywhere from 10-30 cents per ear at the grocery store. But to really experience summer corn, I suggest visiting a farmers' market or any of the multitude of local farm stands to get the freshest corn possible. Yes, you will pay closer to 50-75 cents per ear, but the decent quality of the grocery store corn cannot compare with the exceptional quality of the fresh-from-the-farm corn.
Adam Rapoport of Bon Appetit wrote a great article today about his favorite ways to cook fresh corn, which got me thinking about some of the ways I've been using corn lately. A few weeks ago I checked out of the library Secrets of the Best Chefs by Adam Roberts. I read it, not like a cookbook, but more more like a novel (this is typical for me). In it is Chef Curtis Duffy's recipe for a chilled corn soup. This recipe differs from many others, in that after pureeing the corn, you strain it (I used cheesecloth and squeezed it like crazy), then cook the liquid that remains. This liquid contains the starch from the corn, which when cooked, makes the soup slightly thickened, about the consistency of lemon curd (or, in Roberts' words, a soft custard). The soup contains only fresh corn (lots of it!), a little water to get the blender going, about 1-2 teaspoons olive oil, and a pinch of salt. You can serve it with a garnish of cooked corn kernels tossed with lime juice and a little chopped cilantro (optional, but I do recommend it). This soup is corn soup in it's perfect form, with none of the fibrous corn pulp to get in the way of your tongue experiencing this velvety corn goodness.
Chilled Corn Soup by Chef Curtis Duffy
from Secrets of the Best Chefs: Recipes, Techniques, and Tricks from America's Greatest Cooks by Adam Roberts of amateurgourmet.com
Notes:
1. I used 12 ears of corn because the price for 12 was the same as for 10; I used 10 ears for the soup and 2 ears for the garnish. The recipe says to use a serrated knife to cut off the corn kernels, then a paring knife to scrape the cobs. I used an 8" chefs knife for both tasks, using the back of the knife to scrape the cob, which I suggest doing into a bowl.
2. I prefer to line the strainer with cheesecloth, pour in the blended corn, then squeeze it to get every last drop of liquid and starch out of the corn fibers.
10 ears of sweet corn
olive oil
kosher salt
sugar (if your corn is farm fresh, you will not need this)
juice of 1 lime
freshly ground black pepper
cilantro leaves
Using a serrated knife, cut off the kernels from the corn. Reserve 1 cup of kernels and place the rest of the kernels in the blender. Using the back side of a paring knife, scrape down all the cobs and release the various clingy bits--they'll look like white flakes--onto the cutting board. Add these to the blender too.
Blend the kernels, the white flakes, and just enough water so the liquid comes out of the corn. You may need to add more water; the mixture should look like a wet smoothie.
Strain all the liquid from the corn through a fine mesh strainer (or a strainer lined with cheesecloth) into a pot; using a rubber spatula, press hard to release all of the liquid. Rinse out the blender.
Bring the corn liquid to a boil, whisking constantly over medium-high heat. This heating process will cook off the starch; allow it to come to a full boil and cook for about a minute until it starts to resemble a soft custard. Transfer it to the blender.
Blend for 1 minute, being careful not to cover the blender entirely or the top will blow off (hold a towel over the open hole). Add a splash of olive oil and a big pinch of salt, blend, and taste. Not sweet enough? Add some sugar. Keep blending and adjusting it until you love the way it tastes.
To quickly chill the soup, put it in a bowl and rest it in a larger bowl of ice water or (the easier option) put it in the refrigerator. Allow the soup to chill until it's cool.
Boil the reserved cup of kernels in a pot of boiling salted water for 2 to 3 minutes, until the starch is cooked but they're still firm. Strain and place in a bowl tossing the kernels with olive oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste. Allow to cool to room temperature.
To finish, spoon some of the corn kernels into 4 soup bowls. Pour the soup over and garnish with a few cilantro leaves, if you'd like.
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Of course, I will be trying this recipe for grilled corn salad very soon! Some others I've bookmarked to try while the corn is in abundance:
I was thinking of serving a corn salsa with Baja style fish tacos some time next week. I haven't yet found one that sounds perfect. If you have a suggestion, let me know!
Adam Rapoport of Bon Appetit wrote a great article today about his favorite ways to cook fresh corn, which got me thinking about some of the ways I've been using corn lately. A few weeks ago I checked out of the library Secrets of the Best Chefs by Adam Roberts. I read it, not like a cookbook, but more more like a novel (this is typical for me). In it is Chef Curtis Duffy's recipe for a chilled corn soup. This recipe differs from many others, in that after pureeing the corn, you strain it (I used cheesecloth and squeezed it like crazy), then cook the liquid that remains. This liquid contains the starch from the corn, which when cooked, makes the soup slightly thickened, about the consistency of lemon curd (or, in Roberts' words, a soft custard). The soup contains only fresh corn (lots of it!), a little water to get the blender going, about 1-2 teaspoons olive oil, and a pinch of salt. You can serve it with a garnish of cooked corn kernels tossed with lime juice and a little chopped cilantro (optional, but I do recommend it). This soup is corn soup in it's perfect form, with none of the fibrous corn pulp to get in the way of your tongue experiencing this velvety corn goodness.
Chilled Corn Soup by Chef Curtis Duffy
from Secrets of the Best Chefs: Recipes, Techniques, and Tricks from America's Greatest Cooks by Adam Roberts of amateurgourmet.com
Notes:
1. I used 12 ears of corn because the price for 12 was the same as for 10; I used 10 ears for the soup and 2 ears for the garnish. The recipe says to use a serrated knife to cut off the corn kernels, then a paring knife to scrape the cobs. I used an 8" chefs knife for both tasks, using the back of the knife to scrape the cob, which I suggest doing into a bowl.
2. I prefer to line the strainer with cheesecloth, pour in the blended corn, then squeeze it to get every last drop of liquid and starch out of the corn fibers.
10 ears of sweet corn
olive oil
kosher salt
sugar (if your corn is farm fresh, you will not need this)
juice of 1 lime
freshly ground black pepper
cilantro leaves
Using a serrated knife, cut off the kernels from the corn. Reserve 1 cup of kernels and place the rest of the kernels in the blender. Using the back side of a paring knife, scrape down all the cobs and release the various clingy bits--they'll look like white flakes--onto the cutting board. Add these to the blender too.
Blend the kernels, the white flakes, and just enough water so the liquid comes out of the corn. You may need to add more water; the mixture should look like a wet smoothie.
Strain all the liquid from the corn through a fine mesh strainer (or a strainer lined with cheesecloth) into a pot; using a rubber spatula, press hard to release all of the liquid. Rinse out the blender.
Bring the corn liquid to a boil, whisking constantly over medium-high heat. This heating process will cook off the starch; allow it to come to a full boil and cook for about a minute until it starts to resemble a soft custard. Transfer it to the blender.
Blend for 1 minute, being careful not to cover the blender entirely or the top will blow off (hold a towel over the open hole). Add a splash of olive oil and a big pinch of salt, blend, and taste. Not sweet enough? Add some sugar. Keep blending and adjusting it until you love the way it tastes.
To quickly chill the soup, put it in a bowl and rest it in a larger bowl of ice water or (the easier option) put it in the refrigerator. Allow the soup to chill until it's cool.
Boil the reserved cup of kernels in a pot of boiling salted water for 2 to 3 minutes, until the starch is cooked but they're still firm. Strain and place in a bowl tossing the kernels with olive oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste. Allow to cool to room temperature.
To finish, spoon some of the corn kernels into 4 soup bowls. Pour the soup over and garnish with a few cilantro leaves, if you'd like.
________________________________________________________________
Of course, I will be trying this recipe for grilled corn salad very soon! Some others I've bookmarked to try while the corn is in abundance:
I was thinking of serving a corn salsa with Baja style fish tacos some time next week. I haven't yet found one that sounds perfect. If you have a suggestion, let me know!
I thought the avocado was a nice garnish in a different corn soup, but might go nicely here too
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