The most elegant dish I know is also the simplest. This soup has one ingredient: corn juice. As in, corn kernels run through a juicer. I couldn’t believe how spare the ingredients were, how simple the technique. Just, uh, corn? Let’s have
INGREDIENTS
For the chive oil (optional)
- 1 oz. chives (the size of a standard supermarket herb plastic packet)
- 1/2 cup neutral oil, like canola
- Ice
For the corn soup
- 8 ears of corn, shucked
- Fine salt
HOW TO PREPARE
The chive oil preparation
- Prepare a bowl of ice water.
- Bring additional water to a boil in a medium pan.
- Blanch chives for 10 seconds, then plunge into ice water. Drain and pat dry. Chop roughly.
- Add chives and oil to blender and blend on high until smooth.
- Let the mixture steep for 30 minutes.
- Strain the oil through a fine mesh strainer, or through a cheesecloth, to remove any bits of chives. Reserve oil.
- You can store the chive oil in the fridge, but make sure it’s room temperature before using.
The corn soup preparation
- Remove corn kernels using the method above. Turn on your juicer to medium power.
- Scoop kernels by the cupful into the juicer and run them through, catching the soup in a large bowl or measuring cup.
- When all kernels have been juiced, taste the soup, and salt lightly as desired.
- Stir well, and pour into small bowls or tall shot glasses. Drizzle sparingly with chive oil, if using, and serve immediately.
