Cream of Cope's Corn Soup with Shrimp and Wild Mushrooms
A luxurious cream soup featuring toasted dried sweet corn, enhanced with wild mushrooms and succulent shrimp. This elegant soup combines the sweetness of corn with the earthiness of mushrooms and delicate seafood, finished with a dollop of crème fraîche.
Ingredients
- •½ cup finely chopped onion
- •3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- •7½ ounce Copes toasted dried sweet corn
- •6 cups chicken stock
- •3 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
- •1 sprig thyme
- •2 leaves Turkish bay leaves
- •4 whole black peppercorns
- •¾ pound mixed fresh wild mushrooms
- •3½ tablespoons unsalted butter
- •¾ pound medium shrimp
- •¼ cup chives
- •¾ cup crème fraîche
- •Equipment
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Cook onion in butter in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over medium-low heat, stirring, until softened. Add corn, heavy cream, and 6 cups stock and bring to a boil.
10 min
- 2.
Wrap parsley, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns in cheesecloth and tie with string to make a bouquet garni. Add to pot with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and simmer, covered, 45 minutes.
45 min
- 3.
Discard bouquet garni, then purée corn mixture in batches in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), about 2 minutes per batch. Strain soup as puréed through a fine-mesh sieve into a large heavy saucepan, pressing on and then discarding solids.
15 min
- 4.
Return soup to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and keep warm over low heat. Thin with additional stock if necessary.
5 min
- 5.
Trim mushrooms, discarding any dark gills and tough stems, then slice or tear into bite-size pieces.
5 min
- 6.
Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook mushrooms, stirring, until tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
8 min
- 7.
Transfer mushrooms to a bowl and melt remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in skillet. Meanwhile, toss shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook shrimp in butter, turning occasionally, until barely cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Return mushrooms to skillet and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in chives and salt and pepper to taste.
5 min
- 8.
Mound shrimp and mushrooms in shallow bowls, then add soup and top each serving with a dollop of crème fraîche.
2 min
