Corn Soup

FOR THE SOUP

• 3 ears corn (preferably yellow corn for its color), husked
• 3 cups whole milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, preferably Spanish, finely chopped
• Fine sea salt
• 1 celery stalk, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, trimmed, peeled, and thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, split, germ removed, and finely
• chopped
• 2 cups water
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• Freshly ground white pepper

FOR THE GARNISH (OPTIONAL BUT VERY GOOD)

• Kernels from ½ ear of corn
• 1 scallion, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
• ½ small chile pepper, halved, seeded, and thinly sliced, or a pinch of piment d'Espelette (see Sources) or cayenne
• 2 strips bacon, cooked and finely chopped
• ¼ cup crème fraiche, for serving (optional)

TO MAKE THE SOUP:

1. You need to strip the corn kernels from the cobs - a messy job that's best done by standing each cob upright in a large bowl, grabbing a sturdy chef's knife, and cutting straight down the cob through the base of the kernels. Turn the cob and cut, and continue turning and cutting until all the kernels have been released, reserve the cob. Set the kernels aside and cut each cob into 3 pieces.
2. Put the cobs in a saucepan, pour in the milk and bring to a boil. Turn of the heat, cover the por, and let the milk steep while you work on the rest of the soup.
3. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Add the onion and a pinch of sea salt and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until the onion softens and glistens with butter - it shouldn't take on any color. Toss in the celery, carrot, garlic, and corn kernels, season with a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring now and then, until the vegetables are soft, about I0 minutes.
4. Add the water, milk, and corncobs to the pot, along with the herbs and I teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then immediately lower the heat, partially cover the pot, and cook the soup at a gentle simmer for 20 minutes.

MEANWHILE, TO MAKE THE GARNISH, IF USING:

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl.
2. Taste the soup and season with salt and white pepper as needed. Remove and discard the cobs, bay leaf, and whatever herb sprigs you can fish out easily from the soup. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor; or use an immersion blender. If you'd like the soup to be smoother, push it through a strainer, pressing down on the solids to squeeze out every last bit of flavor. Taste again for salt and pepper and, if the soup has cooled considerably, reheat it - this soup is at its best really hot.
3. Serve immediately, with or without the garnish, topping each bowl with a dollop of crème fraîche, if you like.

Notes:

• Served with several seared bay scallops

Original Recipe

from Around my French Table by Dorie Greenspan