Rabbit Hill Inn Summer Sweet Corn Bisque Recipe
This five-star silky sweet corn bisque soup recipe will become your very favorite summer soup. It is rich, silky smooth, and captures that heavenly corn on the cob flavor. As a bonus, this corn bisque recipe is vegetarian friendly and gluten free.
Pro Tip: There are so many great toppings you can add to jazz up your corn soup. Be sure to check out the serving notes at the end for suggestions.
Yield: Approx 1 gallon (Side note: This corn soup can be frozen)
Have on hand: a sheet pan, two stock pots (or large sauce pots) and a blender.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Ingredients:
- 8 ears of corn (still in husk)
- 1 Large leek, sliced thin and washed
- 1 Large Spanish onion, thinly julienned
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup Olive Oil
- 2 quarts of Corn Stock (recipe below)
- chicken stock or water, just to have on hand, if needed
- Cream, to taste
- Salt, to taste
- lime juice, to taste
Method for corn stock:
- Place the whole corn (unpeeled, still in the husk) on a sheet pan, and place in the oven and roast at 350 for about 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Once cool, peel the husk off the corn and remove any corn silks.
- Cut the corn kernels off the cob. Using the back of a knife, scrape the cobs to remove the last little bit of kernel and the juice still in the cob. Reserve the kernels and scrapings.
- Place the cobs in a stock pot or large sauce pot. Break them into smaller chunks if needed. Cover with cold water (about 2-3 quarts) and place on the stove. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once at a simmer, remove from stove top and allow to cool to room temperature. This corn “stock” will form the basis of our soup.
Method for vegetables:
- In another large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the Olive Oil, then the leeks and onions. Add a pinch of salt to help extract moisture from the vegetables. Sweat, stirring often, until vegetables are translucent and completely tender, about 20 minutes. Turn heat to low if needed—try not to get any color on the vegetables.
- Add the corn and stir to combine. Cook the corn and leek/onion mixture for a couple minutes to begin wilting the corn.
- Add the corn stock to the pot. If you need more liquid to cover the corn, add a little water or chicken stock. Simmer gently until the corn is tender, about 20-30 minutes.
- Once cooked, add to blender in batches and puree until very smooth. Chef note: At the restaurant, we pass our soups through a very finely meshed sieve called a chinois. If you don’t have one, this step can be omitted though the resulting soup will not be as silky.
- Once soup is all blended and passed into a holding container, we add some cold heavy cream and salt to taste. We like our soups to be not too thick but still have body. If you add enough cream for your taste but the soup is still too thick, add water until desired consistency.
- Finish with fresh lime juice, and more salt to taste.
Serving notes: We use a variety of garnishes as the mood strikes. Here are some delicious ideas to try:
– fresh crab or lobster meat
– fried corn fritters/hush puppies
– dried corn powder
– corn salsa
– corn and tomato relish
– sliced cherry tomato
– basil (or other herb) pesto
– freeze dried corn kernels
Reminder: Yes, you can freeze this bisque. Defrost fully – if it appears “chunky”, simply stir vigorously or put it in the blender to reach desired consistency.
BONUS: Check out our online recipe files for more terrific recipes from the Rabbit Hill Inn kitchen. Use the search box for specific interests.
