Sweet corn is summer’s sweetest season

Meredith Deeds | Star Tribune (TNS)

Come midsummer, you’ll find sweet corn on my dinner table almost every night of the week. And one of my favorite ways to serve it is in a bowl of soup.

You don’t have to do much to get a decent bowl of corn soup at the peak of corn season. Each kernel is packed full of flavor and bursting with sweetness. Still, if you take an extra step or two, you can take that decent bowl and turn it into a memorable summer soup.

It’s really all about extracting as much flavor as you can from the corn, and what many cooks overlook is the cobs. If you are cutting those kernels off the cob and tossing them into the trash, you’re missing out on a ton of corny goodness.

First, after you’ve cut the corn off the cobs, it’s important to scrape the cobs with the back of a knife to get every bit of corn pulp and corn milk out of them.

For this week’s Creamy Corn and Poblano Soup, the cobs are simmered with the broth, combining it with the corn kernels and pulp and puréeing in a blender. Simmering the cobs doesn’t take much time, but it definitely dials up the flavor.

Once the corn is puréed, I like to pass it through a sieve for an extra-smooth texture, but if you like your soup on the more rustic side, you can skip this step.

I add cream to this soup which, admittedly, gives it an ultra-creaminess that borders on decadent. If you’d like to keep your soup on the leaner side, you can substitute the cream with more broth.

What takes this soup over the top are the garnishes. Roasted poblano chiles are diced and scattered over the top, along with crumbled queso fresco, a mild Mexican cheese, and crispy tortilla strips.

If you want to add a little protein in the form of shredded, cooked chicken, you certainly can, but I find this soup rich and satisfying on its own.

Creamy Corn and Poblano Soup

Serves 4 to 6.

Sweet corn, puréed into a smooth soup and topped with roasted chiles, salty queso fresco and crispy tortilla strips, is simple to make but sure to impress. From Meredith Deeds.

• 5 ears of corn, kernels cut off of cobs, cobs reserved
• 3 c. vegetable broth
• 2 medium poblano peppers
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 to 2 serrano chiles minced
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 c. heavy cream
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• 1 tsp. salt
• Queso fresco, as garnish
• Crispy tortilla strips, as garnish
• Lime wedges

Directions

Scrape the corn cobs with the back of a knife to remove any corn pulp. Set pulp aside and cut cobs in half crosswise. In a large saucepan, combine corn cobs and broth and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, roast the poblanos over an open flame or 4 inches below a broiler, turning regularly until blistered and blackened all over, about 5 minutes for an open flame, about 10 minutes for the broiler. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 5 minutes.

When the chiles are cool enough to handle, rub the blackened skin off with a paper towel. Pull out the stem and seed pod. Rinse the chile flesh to remove bits of skin and seeds. Cut into ¼-inch pieces and set aside.

Heat the oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until just starting to brown, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and serrano and cook 1 minute more. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a food processor or blender; set the pan aside. Add the corn kernels, corn pulp, cornstarch and corn cob broth and process to a smooth purée.

Place a fine mesh strainer over the Dutch oven and pass the soup through the strainer. Bring soup to a simmer over medium heat. Immediately reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in the cream and salt and cook, stirring, until hot, about 3 minutes. Stir in lime juice. Taste and add more salt or lime juice, if necessary.

Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with poblano, queso fresco and crispy tortilla strips. Serve with lime wedges on the side.

Meredith Deeds is a cookbook author and food writer from Edina. Reach her at meredithdeeds@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram ­at @meredithdeeds.

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