Serves6
- Active time:15 min
- Start to finish:1 1/2 hr
August 2008
Simmering the cobs lends depth to a cool essence-of-corn soup, enhanced with a swirl of sour cream and a sprinkling of chives.
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3
ears of corn, shucked
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1
medium onion, chopped
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1
garlic clove, finely chopped
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2
tablespoons
unsalted butter
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4 1/2
cups
water
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Cut kernels from cobs with a sharp knife, then cut cobs into thirds.
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Cook onion and garlic in butter with 1/4 tsp salt in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add corn and cobs, water, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes.
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Discard cobs, then purée corn mixture in batches in a blender until very smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Force soup through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding solids.
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Chill until cold, at least 1 hour. Thin with water if desired and season with salt.
Cooks’ note: Soup can be chilled up to 3 days.
