American · Mains
Pressure Cooker Corn Soup
The real key to a good corn soup lies in extracting as much flavor as possible out of those cobs, and a pressure cooker is the key to maximizing extraction. Use it to make the corniest corn soup you've ever tasted in under half an hour.
Ingredients
Serves 6- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 mediumleeks, white and pale green parts only, finely chopped
- 2 mediumcloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 6ears of corn, kernels cut off from cobs, cobs split in half and reserved
- 2bay leaves
- 4 sprigstarragon, leaves minced, stems reserved separately
- Up to 1 quart homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1tablespoon minced fresh chives
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving
Method
- 01
Melt butter over medium heat in a pressure cooker. Add leeks and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
- 02
Add corn with cobs, bay leaves, tarragon stems, and enough chicken stock to barely cover corn (the cobs might still be sticking out a bit). Stir to combine. Seal pressure cooker and bring to high pressure. Cook for 15 minutes. Release pressure using quick-release method and uncover. Discard corn cobs, bay leaves, and tarragon stems. Serious Eats/ J. Kenji López-Alt
- 03
Working in batches, transfer mixture to the jar of a blender. To prevent the blender lid from exploding, remove the central lid and cover the space with a folded kitchen towel. Start blender slowly and gradually increase speed to high. Blend until completely smooth, adding more chicken stock or water as necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper and press through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot. Repeat with remaining soup. Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt.
- 04
Serve soup immediately with minced tarragon leaves and chives and a drizzle of olive oil, or chill and serve cold. (Once chilled, you can adjust the texture by whisking in water a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.)