Chilled Corn Soup with Tomato-Bacon Toasts

This is a bowl of fresh and creamy heaven. Easy to prepare too. I topped it with a splash of color from my absolute summer favorite, basil. The toasts made it a filling meal as well.

This recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart Living. We ate it slightly chilled instead of cold because we enjoyed it on a cool and rainy summer night. My husband gobbled up the chilled leftovers and would recommend this soup served cold as well. 🙂 I think it would also be delicious served warm!

Yield: Serves 4 to 5

• 4 slices bacon (about 6 ounces)
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (from 6 ears of corn)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 4 to 8 slices crusty bread (I used a sourdough baguette)
• 4 ounces manchego or other hard, sharp cheese, thinly sliced
• 2 medium tomatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds (I halved them again to fit on my bread slices)
• extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• basil, chiffonade, for serving

1. In a large straight-sided skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, turning once, until crisp, 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels.
2. Add onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt to skillet; cook stirring, 8 minutes.
3. Stir in 4 cups corn, then 2 cups water; season with salt and pepper.
4. Bring to a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until corn is tender and most of liquid has evaporated, about 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Transfer to a large bowl, stir in 1 1/2 cups ice water and the sour cream.
6. Blend mixture with an immersion blender, or in a blender (in two batches, if necessary), until smooth.
7. Refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until cold, about 45 minutes. (I skipped this step and served it slightly chilled.)
8. While the soup is chilling, season the tomato slices with salt and pepper. Toast the bread slices.
9. Top the bread with cheese slices, tomatoes, and bacon.
10. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with remaining 1/2 cup corn kernels, more pepper, drizzles of oil, and basil, as desired.

I’m sharing my summer soup at Angie’s Fiesta Friday #181 this week co-hosted by CH @Cooking From My Heart and Nimmi @Adorable Life. Angie featured my post from last week’s Fiesta- Yay! Check it out! 🙂

One Year Ago:

• Mexican Street Corn Crostini

Two Years Ago:

• Warm Corn Chowder Salad with Bacon
• Ottolenghi’s Sweet Corn Polenta with Eggplant Sauce

Three Years Ago:

• Ina Garten’s Vegetable Coleslaw

Four Years Ago:

• Gazpacho
• Grilled Corn Salad