Chilled Corn and Basil Soup

A heatwave makes me yearn for all things cool. An ice cold beer, watermelon spears, bowls of creamy yogurt.. all perfectly adequate before and after meals. I'd like to start lunch or dinner with a cold concoction. Summer corn and my basil bush are my inspiration.

My basil no longer looks like a shrub. More like a bush, which I trim often. And like Jack's beans, it grows back the next morning! We've made pesto. Tomato and basil sandwiches. Basil in salad. Basil in sauce. Why not soup?

I look for inspiration through the NYT Cooking App. Melissa Clark has the ideal offering, a cold corn and basil version. The corn I buy from the farmers market isn't up to par.  So I boil corn kernels and cobs in water for an enhanced flavor. The cooled corn is blended with basil, garlic, scallions and buttermilk. You could use regular milk, then you would miss the tangy flavor that buttermilk imparts. The blended corn is sieved through a fine mesh. This gives the soup a smooth velvety texture. I save a few kernels as a garnish. A squirt of extra virgin olive oil finishes the soup. This pale green potage chills till you are ready to eat. Garnish and garner your spoon!


CHILLED CORN AND BASIL SOUP
Inspired by Melissa Clark
Serves 4


2 Corn cobs
3/4 cup Basil leaves
1 Garlic clove
2 Scallions
2 cups Buttermilk or 2% Milk
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Several grinds of Black Pepper
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
Extra Virgin Olive Oil




Slice the kernels off the cobs with a sharp knife. Use a bowl so the kernels don't fly across the kitchen counter. You should have 3 cups of kernels.

Place kernels and cobs in a deep saucepan. Cover with water. Season lightly with salt and boil corn for 5-6 minutes. Turn off flame and let cobs steep in liquid for 15 minutes.  

Drain corn. Discard cobs.

Keep 1/2 cup corn as a garnish.

Scrape the rest of the corn into a blender.  

Peel the garlic clove and add to corn.

Trim root ends of scallions. Chop into small chunks and add to corn.

Add basil leaves to corn.

Add buttermilk and lemon juice to corn.

Season with salt and pepper.

Blend till almost smooth.

Place a mesh sieve over a deep saucepan.

Pour blended corn into the sieve and press down. Use a circular motion to extract as much liquid as you can. Discard the solids. 

Refrigerate soup till you are ready to serve.

Pour into bowls. Garnish with corn kernels. Squirt a little EVVO onto soup.

Enjoy the cold soup on a hot day!

Soup on a warm day is manna from heaven. Colleen and Keith agree heartily. Glenn poses  the opposing question..."why is my soup cold?" Eyes rolling back, I look in exasperation at my loved one.

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