Sweet Corn Bisque with Basil-Pecan Butter
Food Styling lara miklasevics
Serves 6
This soup resonates with sweet corn whose flavor is exponentially enhanced by a composed butter made from fresh basil and pecans. If you don’t want to bother (although it is worth the small effort), you can add a flourish of toasted pecans or bits of crispy bacon. As a bonus, you make a simple “corn cob broth” (see below) by extracting all the flavor from the cobs in boiling water. I make it and use it all year long (in soups and stews) for a lasting whiff of summer.
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 small bunch basil
¼ cup finely chopped pecans
7 large ears sweet yellow corn
1 large bunch scallions
Green Tabasco, to taste
To make basil-pecan butter:
Place 6 tablespoons butter in a flat bowl and let soften. Finely chop basil to get 3 tablespoons. Add basil, chopped pecans, and a large pinch of salt to butter. Mash with a fork until thoroughly blended.
Place on waxed paper and roll into a log, about 6 inches long and 1 inch in diameter. Freeze until solid.
Using a sharp knife, cut corn kernels from cobs—you will have about 6 cups. Cut white part and light green part from scallions and chop finely to get ²⁄3 cup.
Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 4-quart pot. Add chopped scallions and cook 10 minutes over medium heat. Add corn, 6 cups water, and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and cover. Simmer 15 minutes until corn is tender.
Purée the soup in small batches in a blender or food processor until very smooth. Pass through a wire strainer, pressing down hard on the solids. Discard solids and return soup to pot. Re-seat soup, adding salt and Tabasco to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with several slices of frozen butter. Garnish with tiny sprigs of basil.
6 ISSUES (1 YEAR)
