My Favorite...Sweet Corn Soup made with Corn Cob Stock :o)

Sweet Corn Soup 

My favorite veggie is corn, especially during summertime when it's so sweet.  I can put it in just about anything, but poor Hubby gets a little tired of it. In Japan they have a dish called Corn Potage which is basically a creamy corn soup like tomato soup, but with corn.  It very smooth, rich, sweet and corny and reminds me of my childhood.  A few years ago I found a recipe by Wolfgang Puck for Corn Soup which I really loved.  It's a little chunky, but I loved it anyway :o)  This is a loose interpretation of his recipe.  I liked that he adds a jalapeno cream sauce to finish the soup off.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/corn-and-bacon-soup-with-jalapeno-crema

Fresh Corn...Yum!

To make this soup you really do need to use fresh corn, the fresher the better.  I got these at the weekly Farmer's Market in Carpinteria, CA.  Hubby usually goes with me to Farmer's Markets even though he hates "grocery" shopping, but he was at work, so I went by myself.  I really wish he was with me this trip, I ended up buying 12 ears of corn and boy were they heavy!

Making Creamed Corn

In Wolf's recipe he grates the corn whole to make the Creamed Corn.  Wow, what a mess doing it his way!  I think when the corn is so fresh the kernels pop and the juices go flying...you should have seen what my apron and counter top looked like doing it his way!  I figured out a way that's a little less messy...more work, but less messy...

  First, I cut the cobs in half, so it's easier to work with.  

  Second, I ran a knife through each individual kernel down the cob, so it wouldn't pop and gush all over.

  Third,  I grated the corn off the cob then ran the backside of the knife down the cob to get every 

     bit of juice possible :o)

I used 4 Ears of Corn for this part.

Fresh Corn off the Cob!

I also used whole kernel corn off the cob for this soup too.  I used another 4 ears for this part.  After cutting the kernels off, I again used the backside of the knife to get all the juices from the cob...

Creamed Corn

It looks so beautiful!!  Am I the only one that thinks this way...lol  It amazes me how much liquid goodness you get out of "just" corn!  I bet this would be delicious with just a little bit of butter and seasoning then I would eat it with rice ;o)

Corn Cob & Chicken Stock

I made chicken stock first.  I cooked the chicken bones for about 1 hour then added the corn cobs, celery, onion, carrot, bay leaf garlic etc. and cooked for another 45 mins. The cobs add another extra layer of corny flavor to the soup.  I learned this from my brother-in-law years ago...the one that actually used to be a cook at Wolfgang Puck's Spago.  Hmm, wonder why Wolf doesn't use the cobs to make the stock...

Sauteed Corn w/Cream & Hatch Chiles

I sauteed the whole kernel corn in bacon fat with salt & pepper then added my Hatch Chile mixture I've had from the past and then added only about 1/4 cup of heavy cream.

Post about Hatch Chile mixture...

http://myhomecookedmeals.blogspot.com/2011/05/dinner-tonighthatch-green-chile-chicken.html

Sauteed Onion, Red Onion, Celery, Garlic in Bacon Grease...

I first fried up the bacon then saved the grease to saute the veggies...  I didn't add bell peppers, I thought it would be too overpowering.

Sauteed Veggies, Corn & Bacon

Corn Masa Roux

I made a roux for the base of the soup to thicken it.  I used Corn Masa Flour & bacon fat to add another layer of corn & bacon flavor.

Adding Veggies & Stock...

After the roux was made I added the celery mixture then slowly incorporated the chicken/corn stock until the consistency I liked was reached then added everything else...whole corn mixture, creamed corn, bacon, a little milk and seasonings.

Garnished w/Corn, Roasted Jalapeno, Jalapeno Crema & Mex Seasonings :o)

For the Crema I whipped some Heavy Cream with the stick blender to a soft consistency then added sauteed jalapeno/garlic, sour cream, lemon juice, S&P.  The Mexican Seasoning is a Chile/Lime Mixture.

Roasted Corn & Barley Tea

When I was growing up my mom would often have a pot of Roasted Barley Tea simmering on the stove.  It always seemed like a lot of work and it was simmering for hours. She would actually complain about what a pain it was! I love Barley Tea.  In Japan, it's mostly a summer drink, something to drink to keep cool, but I like to drink it year round.  I've been looking forever at the Japanese markets for the loose  Roasted Barley, but could never find any. The Japanese have become lazier and  only sell the Barley Tea Bags;o)  Well, it is much more convenient and my mom was sure happy when they came out with these!

I was out at a Korean Restaurant with a friend of mine last weekend and he said his mother still makes the barley tea with the loose barley and they sell it at all Korean markets. We got into this conversation because the restaurant was serving hot Barley Tea. It seems like most Korean restaurants do.   Nowadays, I like it hot or cold.   After dinner, we all went over to a new Korean market called Galleria in Koreatown and sure enough, there it was.  Yay!!  Not only do they have barley, but they have roasted corn too!  I couldn't resist getting both!

Loose Roasted Barley

It comes from China!

 Roasted Corn

I was out at a Korean restaurant with my mom over 10 years ago and the place served this delicious tea.  With the language barrier, it was a little hard to communicate, but we thought the lady said it was corn. Corn? How strange. Really?  So, the lady actually brought out the corn kernals for us to see. When I got home, I tried to roast regular popcorn kernals, so I could have this tea.  I'm not even sure how I did it it without the popcorn popping...lol  The kernals did get brown, but there was no flavor.  I'd forgotten about this tea and am so happy that I rediscovered it!

I also bought a bottle of premade cold Roasted Corn Tea at the store, but it tasted strange, very artificial.  It was almost like drinking a very light flavored corn on the cob.  Hubby said it tasted like cardboard;o)

 The little window where you can see the kernals....

 I love Asian packaging and their directions, you don't need to be able to read it!

 The Japanese Barley Tea Bags

This one you can put on the stove and simmer it, but most of them you just throw a bag in cold water, stick it in the frig for a couple of hours and voila, you have Barley Tea :o)  I like to drink the first couple of cups hot and then cut the rest with some water and put it in the refrigerator.  

 My retro little kettle...I love this thing :o)

I mixed both the corn and barley in cold water, then brought it to a boil, lowered the heat for 5 mins then turned it off and drank it!  It's just sitting on the stove now, waiting to be put in the refrigerator or waiting for me to have one more cup of hot tea!

Love It!!

It turns out that the flavor isn't that much different than the teabags, but I still like the fact of taking a little more time and using the loose barley & corn. I think I need to put more corn in it next time, the flavor is very slight in this one.  I did read somewhere that if you brew the corn too strong it will turn into a laxative...oops, I better be careful about that....lol