Photo Friday: Soup Shooters

by Jodi ~ February 12, 2010

Sweet corn soup shooters

Here’s the scene: People are arriving at your cocktail party on an icy January evening. The biting wind has driven the temperature down to a frigid –20°C. Guests unwind scarves from their necks, shake out their hair from the confines of toques, and sling their bulky long coats over the entryway banister before entering the dining area while blowing into their cupped hands for warmth.

Wine corks pop and the crowd begins to nibble from the trays of hors d’oeuvres arranged on the dining-room table. As host, this is your moment. From the adjoining kitchen, you uncover the golden liquid warming on the stove and ladle it into tiny cups arranged on a tray. (The perfumed steam unleashed in the process gets the attention of your guests; eyes turned expectantly in your direction.) You grate a sprinkling of cocoa-coloured nutmeg over the tops and carry the shots out to the party-goers.

The contents of the cups is warm and sweet. The colour and flavour are sunny, a reminder of the summer that lies beyond this menace of mid-winter. Heads tilt backwards as vessels are drained and gradually, it happens: the colour in people’s cheeks perks up and the room begins to glow. One by one guests drift into the kitchen, their arms outstretched towards you and your pot of soup.

They want more.

Sweet Corn Soup Shooters
—adapted from Jill Dupleix’s Totally Simple Food

The utter simplicity and novel presentation — as a shooter — of this soup makes it perfect for a cocktail party or dinner party amuse-bouche. Jill Dupleix’s original recipe suggests making the stock from stripped corn cobs (the kernels get used in step 2). That’s the way to go in summer, but in winter, when there’s nary a freshly picked cob to be had, making the stock from frozen kernels as I do in this recipe works just as well (all the more reason to stock the freezer during corn’s heyday in late summer). The strong, singular, sweet corn note of this soup is nothing short of pure loveliness.

• 6 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed and divided
• 6 cups cold water
• sea salt
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 Tablespoon 35% cream
• freshly cracked black pepper
• freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish

1. Place 3 cups of corn kernels in a saucepan and cover with the cold water. Bring to a boil and add a generous pinch of salt. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain, reserving broth.*

2. Melt butter in a saucepan and sauté the onion over medium-low heat until it is completely soft but not browned, about 7 minutes. Add the remaining 3 cups of corn kernels and the strained stock and simmer for 15 minutes. Using a hand blender or a food processor, pureé the soup until it is extremely smooth. For an even finer texture, pass the pureéd soup through a fine-meshed sieve.

3. To serve, heat the sieved soup gently over low heat. Stir through the cream, pepper, and additional salt if necessary. Ladle into small cups or shot glasses and grate nutmeg over the tops for garnish.

Yield: Makes 8 cups; can be served hot, warm, or chilled

*Compost the kernels or reserve for another use, where their diminished flavour won’t be an issue (e.g., as part of the vegetable mix when making stock).