Fresh Corn Off The Cob Soup Recipe

Purchasing fresh corn - Fully ripe sweet corn has bright green, moist husks.  The silk should be stiff, dark and moist.  You should be able to feel individual kernels by pressing gently against the husk.  Fresh corn, if possible, should be cooked and served the day it is picked or purchased.

Cutting corn off the cob - In a shallow bowl, hold ears of corn upright and, with a sharp knife, cut kernels from the cobs. Then with blunt edge of the knife, scrape juice from cobs.

In a large pot with salt in the water, simmer corn, covered, 20 minutes, or until very tender.  Remove from heat.

In a blender or food processor, pur soup in batches until very smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids).  As each batch is pureed, pour through a coarse sieve, pressing on solids, into a bowl.

In a large saucepan, heat soup, stirring.  Thin soup to desired thickness with whole milk.  Soup may be served hot or chilled.

Serve topped with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkled with chives.

Soup may be made 3 days ahead and cooled, chilled, covered, and refrigerated.

Makes 6 servings (about 7 cups).