Summer Corn Soup

Every August, I find myself chasing summer: looking to savor every last moment of the Northeast's most bountiful season: spending time outside on the beach, wearing light clothes, and enjoying the year's ripe fruit. This August, I planned September's menus from the Hamptons, where the corn is sweetest, yellowest, and most delicious. With a dash of cinnamon, this soup matched the palette of one of Jennifer Martin's beautiful paintings perfectly. 

The crust is a woven garnish that balances the sweet corn because ... suitors. 

RECIPE

Ingredients:

  • 4 corn cobs
  • 6 cups of water
  • 3 tbsp. (43 g) of unsalted butter
  • ¼ tsp. of salt
  • ¼ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 store-bought pie crust

Directions:

Soup:

  • Cut kernals from cobs. Set aside.
  • Break cobs in half and place in pot. Pour water over cobs.
  • Set pot on high flame and bring to a boil. When it begins to boil, set flame to medium low. Let simmer for 90 minutes. Periodically use a ladle to remove the white and yellow impurities that float to the top.
  • While the stock simmers, melt the butter in a saucepan until it darkens to a browner shade of yellow. Place the kernals and 1/8 tsp salt in the pan and cook the corn just until the texture softens and yellow becomes more yellow. Remove from the heat and set aside. 
  • After 90 minutes, remove the cobs from the stock and discard them. Add the cooked kernels to the stock, bring to a boil, and then turn off.
  • Blend with immersion blender, and season with pumpkin pie spice and the rest of the salt.

Lattice:

  • Preheat the oven to 375°.
  • Using a lattice pie cutter, roll dough into a lattice pattern. Gently stretch the dough like an accordion. 
  • Using a round pastry cutter, cut the dough into rounds.
  • Sprinkle pumpkin pie spice on top of rounds.
  • Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, place lattice rounds on top, and place in oven for 8 minutes. Bake until golden brown.

Assemble and enjoy.

Serves 2. 1 hour active time, 2 hours total time. 


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