Summer Corn Bisque

“Biz, why are you making soup – it's summertime?!” I know I might get asked that question, but truth of the matter is that I love soup 365 days a year.

Fresh corn on the cob is now popping up in grocery stores, and I am here for it. Um, turns out I bought 8 ears of corn for my Memorial Day BBQ. Turns out I also left those ears of corn in my car and forgot to cook them up.   They were still great, but I live alone, and it would take me a week to eat that much corn.

That’s how this corn bisque came to be. It’s luscious, sweet, spicy, and decadent, all while being surprisingly light. The best part is that this is great as a chilled soup as well.

Simple garnishes of cilantro, charred corn and sharp cheddar cheese bring this dish together. I cooked this on top of the stove in a Dutch oven, but if you have a grill handy, grilling the corn brings an extra layer of smokiness which is amazing.

Summer Corn Bisque

Scroll down for a printable version of this recipe

Serves: 4 people

Serving Size: 2 cups of soup

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Equipment Needed: Stock pot, stick blender and/or Vitamix or high speed blender

8 ears of corn (approximately 4 cups of corn)

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups unsweetened almond milk

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons flour

2 Tablespoons giardiniera (mild or spicy – I used hot!)

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Avocado oil spray

For the garnish:

4 Tablespoons charred corn (explained below)

4 Tablespoons shredded sharp cheddar cheese

4 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

Spray a stock pot with avocado oil spray and heat over medium heat. Cut the corn off the cob and add to the stock pot. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove 4 tablespoons of corn and set aside.

Add butter and cook an additional 5 minutes. Add flour and cook for one minute. Slowly add the broth and milk, until the soup is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in giardiniera and pepper. I didn’t add any additional salt because I used salted chicken broth, but taste for additional seasoning.

Puree the soup until it is smooth. In my Vitamix it took about 4 minutes. If you use a stick blender, you may still have some corn chunks, and that’s perfectly fine.

While that blends, heat a skillet over high heat with avocado oil spray.  Add the 4 tablespoons of corn and cook over high heat for 4 minutes, or until charred.

To serve: Add two cups of soup to a bowl, garnish with the cilantro, charred corn and cheddar cheese.

In-person classes are filling up at our Lincoln Square location. What a wonderful sign that people are getting together to cook again – it makes my heart so happy!

If you want to learn more about working with summer's freshest corn, join us for: 

• Grilling Workshop Demo on the Patio Saturday, June 12 11am at Lincoln Square (just 2 spots left!)
• Hands-On Vegetarian Boot Camp Saturday, June 26 10am at the Merchandise Mart
• Virtual Date Night: Shrimp Ceviche Tostadas Saturday, June 26 6:30pm CST
• Grilling Workshop Demo on the Patio Sunday, June 27 11am at Lincoln Square 
• Hands-On Summer in the City on the Patio Friday, July 2 6:30pm at Lincoln Square

What’s your favorite summer vegetable to cook with? Let me know in the comments. After corn, zucchini is a close second for me!