6 cups (48 ounces)low sodium chicken broth (I like Swanson Organic)
6 earsfresh corn (white or yellow are both fine, but yellow makes for a prettier soup)
1 teaspoonkosher salt
1/2 teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 tablespoonsfinely chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
1-1/2 teaspoonsfinely chopped fresh thyme
Instructions
Remove the husks and silks from the corn. Set one ear of corn aside. Use a knife to cut the kernels off of the remaining 5 cobs, then break the scraped cobs in half. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring often, until soft and translucent, 8-10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, corn kernels, broken cobs, whole ear of corn, salt and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove the whole ear of corn and set aside to cool. Cook the soup for 10 minutes more, then remove the broken cobs from the pot and discard.
Off the heat, use a hand held immersion blender to purée the soup until very smooth. Be patient…it takes a while. The soup should have a creamy consistency without being gloppy. If it’s too thick, thin it with water or chicken stock bit by bit; if it’s too thin, cook over medium heat until thickened.
Use a knife to cut the cooked kernels off of the cooled whole cob, then add the kernels to the soup along with the herbs. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper (if necessary, you can add a bit of sugar to bring out the corn’s natural sweetness). Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with tiny sprigs of fresh basil if desired.
Note: If you don’t have a stick blender, let the soup cool slightly and purée it in batches in a blender. Be sure to crack the lid or remove the center cap to allow steam to escape and cover with a dishtowel so it won’t splatter. Rinse the pot and return the soup to the pot.
