Corn Bisque

Corn Bisque – serves 8

Jill Rockwell (as adapted from Magnolia Grill’s “Not Afraid of Flavor” and the Junior League of Durham and Orange County’s “Carolina Thyme”)

Ingredients

4 oz thick cut bacon, sliced into ½ inch pieces

¾ cup chopped red onion

1/2 cup diced carrot

1/2 cup diced celery

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 roasted yellow peppers (grilled, peeled, cored, seeded, and diced)

4 ears of corn (husked, grilled, and cut off cobs) or 4 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed and drained

1 Serrano chile (seeded and minced)

1 cup white wine

4 cups chicken stock

1 cup half and half

2 tablespoons freshly chopped thyme leaves

2 teaspoons dried marjoram

pinch of nutmeg

salt and fresh pepper to taste

Preparation

Sauté bacon over medium high heat in heavy stock pot until fully cooked. Remove bacon and reserve for garnish. Remove and discard all but 3 tablespoons of rendered fat. Add onions, carrot, celery, and garlic and sauté 5 minutes, or until tender. Add corn and yellow and Serrano peppers, and sauté 3 minutes. Add wine and sauté 5 minutes more, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until vegetables are tender and liquid is slightly reduced, about 30 minutes. With handheld immersion blender, puree soup until texture is smooth and thick. (Or, working in batches, purée soup in blender. Return soup to pot.) Mix in half and half, thyme, marjoram, and nutmeg. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring soup to simmer. Ladle into bowls and garnish with reserved bacon.