I can’t be the only one that hates the idea of eating in the summer. Not all summer, of course. What’s a summer without picnics and barbecues and various grilled items? But right around late July to mid-August, I just kind of shut down. It’s too hot to think about cooking, let alone eating something. But, we all have to eat. So, typically, I’ll throw together a quick salad with some grilled chicken and that gets old after a while. But, then what?
Enter, the summer soup. Not just hot and heavy soups, mind you. Nice, cold, summer soups are one of my favorites. Have you had one? If not, you’re missing out. The one most of us have eaten is probably gazpacho. Seeing that the Vuelta begins next week, I decided to avoid that one, for now. But, there’s also lovely cold pea soups, carrot soups, and yes, even this corn soup which is served slightly warm for those of you reluctant to jump whole hog into a cold bowl of soup. This recipe is luxurious. Think of it as canned creamed corn converted by the hands of a maestro. But, what’s that thing floating in my soup? Well, that is an oil-poached egg yolk! You can omit, if you're leery of the idea, but it helps break up the sweet and soft richness of the corn purée.
Corn Potage from Food & Wine, Jonathan Yao
2 cups grapeseed oil
6 egg yolks
5 ears of fresh corn
1 qt whole milk
Yellow onion, halved and sliced thinly
1 stick of butter, quartered
Kosher salt
Sugar (optional)
Black pepper
Preheat the oven to 175 degrees. Pour oil into a small sauce pot and gently place the whole egg yolks into the oil. Carefully transfer the pot to the oven and cook for about an hour, basting the yolks half way through cooking.
Meanwhile, shuck and slice the kernels from the corn into a bowl, reserving the cobs.
In a pot, combine the corn cobs and milk, stirring occasionally over medium-low heat, cooking gently for about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
While the corn milk cooks and cools, combine the butter and onion in a skillet over medium-low heat, stirring together until the butter has melted. Reduce the heat to low and stir in a tablespoon of Kosher salt, along with the corn kernels. Partially cover and sauté for about 15 minutes, until tender. Remove from the heat and cover.
While the corn kernels and onions cook, remove the corn cobs from the cooled milk, pouring the milk through a fine-mesh strainer into a measuring cup until you have 2 cups.
Pour the 2 cups of milk into a blender, adding in the cooked corn and onion mixture. Process until smooth. Pour back into a pot, tasting for any seasoning needs, primarily salt. I have never had to add sugar as summer corn is naturally sweet.
Portion into bowls. Remove the poached yolk from the oil with a spoon and place into the bowls of soup. Season with freshly cracked black pepper and serve.
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Copyright 2021, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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