Cream of Cope's Corn Soup with Shrimp and Wild Mushrooms

From the kitchen of Carly

Toasted corn gets luxe treatment here, cooked down with cream and chicken stock into something deeply savory, then finished with sautéed wild mushrooms and shrimp. It's comfort that tastes considered, warming and rich without heaviness.

Prep
n/a
Cook
n/a
Total
n/a
Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 11/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • 13 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1"1 (7 1/2-ounce) box Copes toasted dried sweet corn", 1 cup heavy cream
  • 16 to 7 cups chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 13 flat-leaf parsley sprigs
  • 11 thyme sprig
  • 12 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
  • 14 black peppercorns
  • 13/4 pound mixed fresh wild mushrooms
  • 13 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 13/4 pound medium shrimp in shell, peeled, leaving tail fan attached, and deveined
  • 11/4 cup finely chopped chives
  • 1About 3/4 cup crème fraîche
  • 1Equipment: cheesecloth; kitchen string

Instructions

  1. Cook onion in butter in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over medium-low heat, stirring, until softened. Add corn, heavy cream, and 6 cups stock and bring to a boil.

  2. Wrap parsley, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns in cheesecloth and tie with string to make a bouquet garni. Add to pot with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and simmer, covered, 45 minutes.

  3. Discard bouquet garni, then purée corn mixture in batches in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), about 2 minutes per batch. Strain soup as puréed through a fine-mesh sieve into a large heavy saucepan, pressing on and then discarding solids.

  4. Return soup to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and keep warm over low heat. Thin with additional stock if necessary.

  5. Trim mushrooms, discarding any dark gills and tough stems, then slice or tear into bite-size pieces.

  6. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook mushrooms, stirring, until tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

  7. Transfer mushrooms to a bowl and melt remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in skillet. Meanwhile, toss shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook shrimp in butter, turning occasionally, until barely cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Return mushrooms to skillet and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in chives and salt and pepper to taste.

  8. Mound shrimp and mushrooms in shallow bowls, then add soup and top each serving with a dollop of crème fraîche.