Velvety Chilled Corn Soup Recipes

CHILLED CORN SOUP

Steps:

• Cut the corn: Hold an ear of corn upright with one end on the cutting board and the other in your non-cutting hand. Use a sharp knife to shave off the kernels in rows from the cob. Rotate the corn and cut close enough to the core so that the kernels remain relatively whole, but not so closely that you end up taking fibrous pieces of the cob with you. Repeat with all of the corn. Gather the kernels in a bowl and reserve the cobs.
• Start the soup: Combine half the olive oil and all the scallions with a generous pinch salt and 1/4 cup water in a large saute pan and cook over medium-low heat until they are translucent and tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Cook the corn: Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in the same saute pan and add all the corn kernels. Season with salt, then stir in the brown sugar and a generous pinch black pepper. Cook over medium heat until the corn becomes tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Finish: Bring the half-and-half and 1 cup water to a gentle simmer in a medium pot over medium heat and add the cobs. Simmer the cobs gently on low heat until they impart their corn flavor to the half-and-half, 12 to 15 minutes. Discard the cobs. Add the Worcestershire and hot sauce and stir to combine. Add the cooked corn and scallions to the pot and simmer on low heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning.
• Puree half of the liquid and corn in the blender until smooth and pour back into the rest of the soup. Refrigerate until fully cold, at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Serve: Whisk to blend so some of the remaining corn lands in each bowl as you serve the soup. Taste for seasoning. Ladle into the bowls.

VELVET CORN SOUP

Steps:

• Place broth in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add shrimp, ham, water, chestnuts, and corn. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring frequently. Add cornstarch solution and cook, stirring, until soup boils and thickens slightly. Turn off heat. Add egg whites, stirring until they form long threads.
• Stir in green onion, sesame oil, pepper and salt, to taste.

VELVET CORN SOUP

Steps:

• About 10 to 15 minutes before serving, put individual soup bowls in a low oven to warm. Have all the ingredients within easy reach of your stovetop.
• Set a heavy non-aluminum stockpot over high heat until hot enough to evaporate a bead of water. Add the oil to the pot, swirl to coat the bottom, then reduce the heat to medium-high. When the oil is hot enough to sizzle a bit of scallion, add the scallion and ginger, adjusting the heat so they sizzle without scorching. When fully fragrant, about 10 to 15 seconds, add the ham or crab. Stir briskly to combine, about 10 seconds, then add the wine. Wait a split second for it to "explode" in an aromatic hiss, then toss the meat briskly several times and immediately add the stock. Stir to blend, add the corn, and stir again. Bring the mixture to a near-boil over moderate heat. Stir frequently and watch that the heat does not climb too high, lest the corn burn.
• Reduce the heat to low, taste, add salt as required. Dissolve the cornstarch in the 2 tablespoons cold chicken stock. Stir the cornstarch mixture to recombine it, pour it evenly into the soup, and stir gently for about 1 minute until the mixture becomes glossy and slightly thick. Turn off the heat, Beat the egg whites lightly with a fork or chopsticks to break the gel. They will froth a bit, but do not beat to a foam. Add them to the soup in a thin, steady stream, pouring from a stationary spot about 6-inches above the pot. Stir gently once midway, then again after all the egg whites have been added, to bring the lacy threads to the surface.
• Serve at once, ladling the soup into the heated bowls and garnishing each with a sprinkling of coriander or chopped scallion. Or, cover the pot and keep the soup warm over the lowest possible heat. It will keep nicely this way for an hour, if you need to cook in advance.
• Leftovers keep well 4 to 5 days, refrigerated, and also survive freezing in remarkably good shape. Rewarm in a heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring frequently.