Let me be honest here:  I wasn’t impressed with season 5 of Top Chef.  From Leah’s whining to Hosea’s sense of entitlement, it was hard to see the few quality chefs on the show.  Sure Carla was overly enthusiastic at times, but her love of cooking was evident from day one.  And yes I couldn’t understand half of what Fabio said, but his sense of fun was a welcome respite from Hosea bitching to the camera constantly about Stefano.  Then there was Jamie…Jamie who constantly complained whenever she didn’t win a challenge.  Yes, I thought there were a few times she may have deserved the win.  But her attitude wore on me quicker than Rosie Perez’s voice.  I had almost written her off completely as a waste of space until she presented the judges with a wonderful Chilled Sweet Corn Soup with Mint and Chili Oil.  The way they cooed over the velvety texture of the soup convinced me it was something I had to make at home.

The one thing I could respect about Jamie was her committment to using local, in season produce in her cooking.  I could have rushed out to the grocery store and bought out of season corn to make this soup.  But I knew only fresh corn could produce the results I saw on my television screen.  So when I spotted the first of this season’s corn at Bloomingdale Farmers Market on Sunday, I snatched up a bunch.

The recipe was fairly simple, using a combination of flavors that normally one wouldn’t associate.  Corn and mint? Really?  Yes really…the layers of taste meld unexpectedly well together.  And serving this soup chilled only enhances those flavors.  Although Jamie topped this soup with a chili oil, I decided to use up the extra sourdough in our house to make croutons to top it.  The resulting combination of crunchy sourdough and the corntastic soup (corntastic is a word…adding “tastic” to anything instantly turns it into a word) made for the perfect Summer lunch.  The recipe below makes either about 15 appetizer size portions or 8 entree size portions of soup.

NOTE:  I used bi-color corn, as it’s what is currently in season.  The bi-color corn will lead to the soup being a more muted color yellow.  If you use yellow corn, your soup will be a brighter shade of yellow.

Chilled Corn Soup with Mint

15 ears corn, cleaned and kernels removed from the cob

1 bunch celery, chopped

5 onions, diced

10 garlic cloves, smashed

5 potatoes (I used white, as they are in season), peeled and quartered

1 bunch mint (if using farm fresh mint, use a small bunch)

5 quarts vegetable stock

1/2 pound butter (2 sticks)

1 quart heavy cream

Salt to taste

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium high heat.  Add the garlic and cook until golden brown (stirring constantly to make sure the garlic doesn’t stick or burn).  Add a dash of salt and then add the onions.  Continue to cook until the onions are soft.  Add another dash of salt before stirring in the celery.  Cook until the celery is semi-soft, about 4 minutes.

Using kitchen string, tie the bunch of mint securely.  Add the potatoes, corn and mint to the pot and then cover everything with the vegetable stock.  Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat until the boil turns to a simmer.  Continue to let the soup cook until the potatoes are tender.  Once the potatoes are tender, check the soup for seasoning and adjust if needed.  Remove the pot from the heat and allow the mixture to cool.

Working in batches, ladle some of the soup into a food processor, turn it on and pour heavy cream in until smooth.  Pour the smoothed soup into a new bowl with a lid.  Repeat this process until all the soup has been blitzed.  Refrigerate the soup for at least four hours or until it’s completely chilled.

When serving, ladle the soup into a bowl and top it with the croutons (see recipe below).

Sourdough Parmesan Croutons

6-8 slices sourdough bread, cubed

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil and lightly grease them.

Place half the bread cubes in a large bowl and pour 1/4 cup of the olive oil evenly over them.  Toss quickly to ensure the cubes are evenly coated.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese over the cubes and toss again.  Place the cubes in a single layer on one of the baking sheets.  Repeat this entire process with the remaining bread cubes, olive oil and parmesan cheese.  Bake the cubes in the oven for five minutes and then flip over each cube (this can be done easier with a spatula).  Bake for another 5 minutes, being careful to check frequently to make sure the croutons don’t burn.  Once the croutons are a nice golden color and hard (but not burnt), remove the pans from the oven and allow them to cool before using.