Yesterday was my 27th birthday, and as if the flowers I received yesterday at my office weren’t enough, Patrick surprised me yet again when I got home with cupcakes from Hello Cupcake, who are going to be catering the cupcakes for our wedding “cake” next May. It was perfect. If you haven’t had a romantic snack of cupcakes by candlelight, you haven’t lived.
Anyway! Even though it was my birthday, I couldn’t keep myself out of the kitchen. I know, I know, it’s my birthday. I should let someone else cook for me. Well, Patrick, as sweet and thoughtful as he is (and he really is) is, more often than not, a cooking hazard. Let me put it another way: I went out of town for a weekend a few months back, and he was forced to feed himself. During one of his attempts, he put a burrito in our gas oven, and he completely forgot about it for almost an entire day.
Thankfully he did not burn down the apartment. Bless him. So yes, I decided to cook! But I wanted to stray away from some of the mono-chromatic foods I’ve been cooking as of late. Don’t get me wrong, I love sweet breads. I love cheese. I love pasta. I love cheese and pasta together.
I wanted color! I wanted zest! I wanted pizazz!
I was also in a distinctly soup-y mood and feeling adventurous.
So after Patrick’s lovely cupcake celebration, I shoo’d him out of the kitchen, and I got to work.
Sweet Corn Bisque
Ingredients:
4 cups sweet corn (if frozen, let corn thaw at least halfway before using)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 of a large red pepper, chopped
3 cups chicken stock (vegetarians, see note at the bottom of the recipe)
1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons butter
4 roasted garlic cloves
1 tablespoon shallots, chopped
1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper, plus extra for garnish (if desired)
Chopped green onion, for garnish
Directions:
1. In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add all of your aromatics: garlic, shallots, rosemary, 1 tablespoon of pepper and all of your onion. Let saute for 5 minutes, breaking up your garlic cloves somewhat as you go along.
2. Add carrots and peppers, and let saute for another 3 minutes.
3. Add chicken stock and corn. Bring to a boil, uncovered. This will take some time. When it comes to a boil, let it cook for another 15 to 25 minutes, or until your vegetables are tender. Your carrots will be a good test veggie to see proper tenderness has been reached.
4. Remove from heat, and let soup stand for 5 minutes.
5. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender. When finished, return the soup to your cooking pot, and return that pot to the stove, over medium-low heat.
6. Add your milk, and stir into your soup thoroughly. Cook for another 5 minutes.
7. Serve! Garnish with chopped green onion (amount will vary on how many bowls you’ll be ladling out) and pepper, if desired.
Two notes about this recipe. First of all, if you’re vegetarian, feel free to substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock I listed in the recipe. Second, I baked a little Brie cheese on top of French baguette slices. It was divine for dipping, and I highly recommend it; it helped round out the meal, and it gives you something a bit more than soup.
Happy birthday to me!
