Smooth Roasted Corn Soup with Peppers and Shrimp
One of the best things about my job as a blogger is the amazing places I get to travel. Take for example, late September in Fresno when I was on the Raisin Tour…miles and miles of grape vineyards, gorgeous sunsets, and farms as far as the eye can see. One evening we gathered at the home of the Wilt Family, where dinner was served al fresco in their stunning back yard. The grapes in the fields hugged up close to the yard, incredibly green and spotted with thriving plants and ponds full of goldfish. The table stretched for miles it seemed, set with glass and silver and twinkling lights, just like in a magazine.
Inside, we could watch our executive chef and his team preparing our dinner as the rest of us chatted up our new friends as the sun went down. Everything we had that evening was divine, but the one dish that everyone raved on (and practically licked the bowls of) was a Roasted Corn Soup with peppers and shrimp. It was as smooth as silk, but the bite of the peppers and shrimp was a welcome addition. I knew as soon as I got home, the soup would be mine.
And mine it was.
I made some changes to the chefs recipe, as I was limited when it came time to add the peppers, but the outcome was every bit as delicious. I served it in a less spectacular setting – a tailgate party – but every drop was eaten, and just like I did, the recipe was demanded.
Make it yours.
This recipe is courtesy of Chef Mike Siegel. Thanks, Chef Mike!
Roasted Corn Soup
Yield: 8-12 portions
4 qt of fresh corn, cut off the cob (12-15 ears)
3 qts corn stock (save the cobs to make corn stock)
1/4 cup peeled garlic cloves
1 cup rough chopped yellow onion
2 oz butter (half of a stick)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
leaves off of 2 sprigs of thyme
Salt to taste (approximately 3 Tbl if using diamond kosher, if using iodized salt use less)
Optional garnishes: Sautéed shrimp, padron peppers, roasted shallots, and smoked paprika
Procedure for the corn stock:
Cut the corn off of the cobs, set the corn kernels aside for the soup. Place the cobs in a large pot and cover with water and cook for about an hour on medium heat. Strain the stock off of the cobs and set aside.
Procedure for the soup:
Toss the corn kernels and olive oil. Lightly season with salt and roast the corn kernels on a baking sheet 350 degrees. Cook until the corn starts to brown slightly, approximately 30 minutes. In a large pot, melt the butter on medium heat. Add the garlic cloves, shallots, and thyme leaves. Stir the aromatics with a wooden spoon making sure not to burn the ingredients, slight browning is ok. Add in the corn kernels and continue to cook on medium for 3-5 minutes. Add the corn stock to the vegetable mixture, only putting in enough liquid to cover the ingredients. You can always add more liquid, but is harder to remove it. Season with about a Tablespoon of salt and continue to simmer on medium for about 30 minutes. While the mixture is still hot, puree in a high speed blender (I used the KitchenAid Immersion Blender). Strain the soup, after blending, through a chinoise. Using a chinoise will give you a silky smooth texture and remove excess fibrous pieces from the soup. Once the soup is blended and strained, add the cream and cayenne. Finish the soup by adjusting the salt level.
Garnish:
The soup can be served as is or can be garnished with any number of ingredients. I prefer to garnish with sautéed shrimp, roasted padron peppers, and roasted shallots. I leave all garnishes separate from the soup until serving so that their texture is not compromised.
For cooking shrimp:
Peel and de-vein the shrimp and season with salt, sauté on high heat in a tablespoon of olive oil until you have a nice sear on the outside but the shrimp are still medium. Let the shrimp cool and then slice into bite sized pieces. The hot soup will finish cooking the shrimp when you serve.
For cooking the peppers:
Cut the peppers into bite sized pieces, toss with a Tbl of olive oil and season with salt. Place on a baking sheet and broil in the oven on high heat to slightly blister the peppers without overcooking them. This process only takes a minute or so. Don’t walk away from this project.
For roasting shallots:
Cut the top and bottom off of the shallots and do not peel. Toss them with olive oil and season with salt. Place the shallots in an metal hotel pan or a oven safe casserole dish, with a 1/4 cup water and cover with aluminum foil. Roast at 350 degrees for about 30
minutes or until tender. Once the shallots are cooled they will be very easy to peel, you can squeeze them out of the skins. Cut into bite sized pieces.
Like that range above? It’s the new KitchenAid 48 inch range in MY kitchen. I adore her. I didn’t fully appreciate cooking until she came into my life – gas cooking? Yes, please. It makes preparing a soup like this a breeze. Just – perfection.
To help you out in the creation of this deliciousness, I have an amazing immersion blender, courtesy of KitchenAid. I didn’t realize it was possible to have such a relationship with a kitchen appliance, but it is – this machine is a wonder! Plenty of attachments to snap on in a quick second to transform it into the appliance you need, from stirring, to blending, to chopping, frothing, you name it. You’ll love it!
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