CHILLED CORN SOUP WITH HONEYDEW POLKA DOTS

Chilled Corn Soup With Honeydew Polka Dots image

Provided by Kay Rentschler

Time 20m

Yield 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 8

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Ingredients

10 medium to large ears corn, shucked
2 cups homemade chicken broth or 1 17-ounce can chicken broth with 1/4 cup filtered water
2 cups filtered water (if using canned broth, substitute milk for water)
1 teaspoon salt ( 3/4 teaspoon if using canned broth and milk)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 ripe honeydew melon
1 to 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (or more)
2 teaspoons minced chervil or 1 teaspoon minced basil

Steps:

Grate kernels from 4 ears corn into a large bowl, using coarse side of grater (there should be 1 cup grated corn, including juices); discard cobs. Using paring knife, cut kernels from remaining 6 ears (there should be 3 cups); set aside. Break 4 cobs in half, and combine with grated corn, chicken broth and water in 1 1/2 gallon stockpot; discard 2 remaining cobs. Bring to simmer, and cook, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove cobs from broth with tongs, and discard.
Pour mixture into blender, and purée until completely smooth. Return to pot. Stir in whole kernels, bring to a simmer, and cook until corn is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer soup to bowl (not plastic). Stir in salt and cayenne. Cover, and refrigerate, or stir over ice water bath at room temperature until very cold (about 5 hours in refrigerator, 1 hour over ice).
Halve and seed melon. With melon baller, make tiny balls (there should be about 1 1/4 cups) or cut melon into dice. Cover melon balls and chill over ice until ready to use (up to 1 hour before serving).
To serve, stir buttermilk into soup. Taste, and adjust seasoning. Toss melon balls with chervil or basil, and sprinkle with salt. Divide melon balls among 6 chilled shallow bowls. Pour cold soup around melon.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 286, UnsaturatedFat 2 grams, Carbohydrate 62 grams, Fat 4 grams, Fiber 6 grams, Protein 10 grams, SaturatedFat 1 gram, Sodium 554 milligrams, Sugar 31 grams, TransFat 0 grams