creamy corn soup with basil and biscuits

In a previous blog, I wrote about our dining experience at the Poached Pear Bistro in Point Pleasant, New Jersey and the wonderful Jersey Corn Bisque. Recently in the New York Times, David Tanis had a recipe for Creamy Corn Soup with Basil that is to die for! As for ingredients, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, sweet corn, onions, water and, as an option, squash blossoms are needed. 

​The soup takes just 45 minutes to prepare. It begins by sautéing onions in the oil. Next, garlic cloves and corn (removed from the cob) are added to the pot along with six cups of water. I followed the recommendation of one cook that suggested scraping the cobs to extract the milk and to add the cobs to the pot for more corn flavor.  The mixture required approximately 10-15 minutes of cooking to get the kernels tender. The soup is then pureed in a blender and passed through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing out all the liquids. I dismissed the last step as I liked both the consistency and mouth feel of the soup as is.
 
The soup had a nice thick consistency, was light tasting with lots of corn flavor. The only seasoning added to the soup is salt and pepper. I can’t wait to make this again. Our CSA box for week 19 includes some late season corn, maybe one last pot.  
 
Recently, I got hooked on a PBS mini series called, “How She Rolls.” This series is based on Carrie Morey and her business “Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit” in Charleston, South Carolina. It covers how Callie’s started, opening a new store, working through the pandemic, writing a cook book and expanding the company’s sales base.
 
There’s something about warm bread and butter that I love. Perhaps it’s the comfort it brings like a tiny hug or how it helps to sop up the last tasty morsels of a delicious meal. During one of the episodes Carrie mentioned that her biscuits contain cream cheese. It just so happened had a small quantity of cream cheese left from another recipe. I did an internet search and found the recipe on the Today Show’s website for Callie’s Buttermilk Biscuits (March 6, 2019). Besides the cream cheese you’ll need self-rising flour, butter and buttermilk.
 
Callie’s Buttermilk Biscuits uses White Lily Flour, which I couldn’t find in my local grocery stores. White Lily Self-Rising Flour is made with 100% soft winter wheat. As a substitute, I used cake flour and for each cup of flour needed, I added 1-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and ¼ teaspoon of salt. The recipe is easy to prepare and can be made in approximately 30 minutes. I baked the biscuits in a cast-iron fry pan and used a biscuit cutter to cut them out of the rolled-out dough.
 
The biscuits are delightful. They’re light, tender and they were the perfect size (I used a 3-inch biscuit cutter). They would make a great accompaniment to a beef stew or hearty vegetable soup. 

The corn was made into Creamy Corn Soup with Basil a recipe by David Tanis 
Featured in: A Menu to Savor the Final Moments of Summer, The New York Times, August 27, 2021

Creamy Corn Soup with Basil

Yield: 6 servings
Time: 5 minutes
 
“This soup is divine when made with freshly picked sweet summer corn. There is no cream or dairy: The creaminess comes from thoroughly whizzing the corn. For the creamiest texture, pass the puréed soup through a fine-mesh sieve.”
 
INGREDIENTS
 
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
2 large white or yellow onions, chopped (about 4 cups)
 Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
6 large garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
4 cups corn kernels (from about 8 ears) *
2 cups sliced squash blossoms (from about 18 blossoms, optional)
 Handful of fresh basil leaves, for serving
 
PREPARATION

1. Put 3 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. When the oil starts to look wavy, add the onions and season well with salt and pepper.
2. Let onions cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, about 4 to 5 minutes, then turn heat to medium and continue cooking until onions are quite soft, about 15 minutes more.
3. Add the garlic and corn kernels, and stir to combine. Add 6 cups water and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Taste the resulting broth and adjust salt to taste. (It should be well seasoned.) Cook for about another 10 to 15 minutes, until the kernels are tender. Stir in squash blossoms, if using, and turn off heat.
4. Working in batches, purée the soup in a blender. Pass the puréed soup through a fine-mesh strainer and into a large bowl, pushing down to press all the liquid out. Discard the fibrous debris left behind.
5. Check consistency and seasoning, and adjust as needed. (Add a bit more water if the soup seems too thick.) The soup can be made up to a few hours ahead up to this point, and tastes best the day it’s made. Reheat, if needed, before serving.
6. To serve, ladle into individual bowls. Drizzle about a teaspoon of olive oil over each serving. Quickly chop the basil, and sprinkle over to finish.

 
*After reading some of the posted comments, I followed the suggestion of other cooks and (step 3) add the cobs to the water. After the soup was done, I used KitchenAid K400 Blender. Another cook used her immersion blender and said it worked fine. ​

creamy_corn_soup_with_basil.pdf
File Size:	64 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

---

---

​Callie's Buttermilk Biscuits
Recipe by Carrie Morey and Callie White
From the Today Show
March 6, 2019
Carrie Morey’s company is Callie Little Hot Biscuit
 
Cook time: 18 minutes
Prep time: 15 minutes
Serves: 10
 
Ingredients:
2 cups self-rising flour (White Lily preferred), plus more for dusting
5 tablespoons butter (4 tablespoons cut into small cubes, at room temperature and 1 tablespoon melted)
¼ cup cream cheese, at room temperature
¾ cup whole buttermilk
 
Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Make sure the oven rack is in the middle position. 
2. Measure the flour into a large bowl. Incorporate the cubed butter, then the cream cheese into the flour, using your fingers to “cut in” the butter and cheese until the mixture resembles cottage cheese. It will be chunky with some loose flour. 
3. Make a well in the center. Pour in the buttermilk and, using your hands or a small rubber spatula, mix the flour into the buttermilk. The dough will be wet and messy.
4. Sprinkle flour on top of the dough. Run a rubber spatula around the inside of the bowl, creating a separation between the dough and the bowl. Sprinkle a bit more flour in this crease. 
5. Flour a work surface or flexible baking mat very well. With force, dump the dough from the bowl onto the surface. Flour the top of the dough and the rolling pin. Roll out the dough to 1-inch thickness into an oval shape. (No kneading is necessary — the less you mess with the dough, the better.) 
6. Flour a 2-inch round metal biscuit cutter or biscuit glass. Start from the edge of the rolled-out dough and cut straight through the dough with the cutter, trying to maximize the number of biscuits cut from this first roll out. Roll out the excess dough after the biscuits are cut and cut more biscuits. As long as the dough stays wet inside, you can use as much flour on the outside as you need to handle the dough.
7. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet with sides lined with parchment paper, or in a cast-iron skillet, or a baking pan with the biscuit sides touching. (It does not matter what size pan or skillet you use as long as the pan has a lip or sides and the biscuits are touching. If you are using a cast iron skillet, no parchment paper is necessary.) Brush the tops with the melted butter.
8. Place the pan in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 450 degrees. Bake 16 to 18 minutes until light brown on top (or as dark as you prefer) and rotate the pan once while baking.

updated 01/09/2024

callies_buttermilk_biscuits.pdf
File Size:	47 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

---