Sweet Corn Soup

Dinner tonight was a simple sweet corn soup.  This is a great easy weeknight meal, particularly if you make your chicken stock over the weekend.  You could even pre-dice your onions and cut the corn of the cob on Sunday to cut down on the prep time.  If you are lucky enough to live in an area that still has sweet corn, we definitely recommend that you try this before fall sets in.  This recipe really showcases the sweet summery flavor of fresh corn, so start with corn on the cob as fresh and local as you can find.  There are few other ingredients, so the corn will shine through.



Ingredients:
- 5T butter, divided
- 2T olive oil
- 1 large or two small yellow onions, diced
- Kernels from 8 ears of corn
- 4 cups chicken stock (vegetable stock may be used)
- Day-old bread for crutons
- Salt and pepper

Cruton Recipe:
- To make the crutons, melt 2T butter.  Cut the bread into half-inch cubes and toss in the melted butter.
- Toast on a cookie sheet at 375 degrees until golden, about 10-15 minutes.

Soup Recipe:
- Melt the remaining 3T butter and 2T olive oil in a soup pot or dutch oven.
- Add the diced onions and reduce the heat to low.  Sweat the onions until translucent and very soft, about 10 minutes.
- Add 4 cups chicken stock and corn kernels, bring up to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer for about 5 minutes until hot throughout.
- Remove from heat and pure, either in a cuisinart or with an immersion blender.  I prefer to use a cuisinart for this as you will get a more even texture and consistency, but an immersion blender is fine too.

Serve with crutons and sour cream or creme fraiche if desired. 

My soup is slightly more green than yours may turn out.  This is because I used leeks in my most recent batch of chicken stock, and, while this makes a great tasting stock, it can take on a slightly disturbing greenish color.  More on stock making soon....

Bon appetite!