This hearty and flavourful soup is a delicious way to use up fresh corn during the fall season. And corn fritters make for a yummy side dish!

Sweet corn soup

Ingredients:

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 5 cobs fresh corn
• ½ white onion, peeled and diced
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1 rib celery, diced
• 1 sprig thyme

Method:

In a large pan on high heat, bring butter to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to low and simmer, whisking regularly, until butter browns, for about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. This should produce about 1/3 cup of brown butter.

Slice kernels from corn. Snap cobs in half and place in pot with water to cover, at least 8 cups for your corn stock. Boil for 15 minutes, strain and discard solids.

In a large pot on medium heat, sweat the onion, garlic and celery with ¼ cup brown butter, occasionally stirring until softened, about 10 minutes.

Add the corn kernels, 4 cups corn stock and thyme. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Cool for 5 minutes before transferring to blender and pureeing. Season to taste, adjusting texture with additional butter or stock.

Pass through fine mesh strainer.

Corn Fritters

Ingredients for the dry mix:

• 200 g corn masa flour
• 800 g chick pea flour
• 200 g cornstarch
• 6 g ground cumin
• 6 g chili powder
• 20 g kosher salt
• 12 g baking soda

Ingredients for the corn fritters:

• 1 cup raw, fresh corn kernels
• 1 cup russet potato, grated
• 2 cups red onion, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 ½ in ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 long red chili, thinly sliced

Method:

In one bowl, mix all of the vegetables. In another bowl, mix the ingredients for the dry mix.

While mixing the vegetables, sprinkle in the dry mix until the mass just comes together.

Deep fry large pinches at 350F until golden brown on all sides.

Season with salt.

Optional: You can top your sweet corn soup with these corn fritters.

Basil oil

Ingredients:

• 1 small bunch basil
• 4 scallions (just the greens)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Method:

Blanch the basil and scallion greens in a pot of salted boiling water for 5 seconds, then shock in ice water.

Squeeze and dry the basil and scallion, and puree in a blender with the oil. Let this puree sit overnight.

Season to taste.

Optional: The next day, strain through a coffee filter to remove the basil bits out of the oil before seasoning.

Courtesy of Carl Heinrich
Richmond Station
@chefheinrich