Chilled Corn and Avocado Soup

Ingredients

3 large sweet ears of corn, shucked
2 large avocados, pitted and diced
1 garlic clove
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, ribbed, and finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Salt, to taste
1/2 cup cherry or regular tomatoes, chopped
4 ounces lump crab meat, optional
1/2 cup green onion, chopped

Directions

When devising a plan for this chilled soup, I thought of ways to extract the corn juice without having to deal with the fibrous kernels. My vegetable/fruit juicer worked like a charm and produced a sweet, starchy juice.

If you don't own a juicer, you have a few options. Blend the kernels in a high-powered blender, and add a little lime juice or water to help the machine run. Then use a cheese cloth to squeeze out the juice. Otherwise, simply keep the kernel pieces in the blended mixture for a textured, rustic-style soup.

1. Prep and juice corn kernels: Holding corn perpendicular to the cutting board, carefully cut down and through the kernels. Cut around entire cob, then use the knife's spine (the dull backside) to scrap off any leftover corn pieces and liquid. Reserve 1/2 cup corn kernels in a small bowl; set aside.
2. With remaining corn kernels, use a juicer to extract juice from corn kernels. Discard leftover kernel fibers.
3. Blend soup: In a blender, combine 1/2 cup of corn juice, garlic clove, half of diced jalapeño, and half of lime juice. Blend until smooth. Add 2 avocados with remaining corn juice and blend until smooth. If too thin, add more avocado. If too thick, add water. Salt to taste, and refrigerate until serving.
4. Make salsa: Combine reserved corn kernels, remaining jalapeño pepper, and tomatoes. Season with remaining lime juice and salt to taste.
5. Assemble: Divide chilled soup among 12 small verrine glasses (each glass should contain about 1/4 cup). Top with a heaping tablespoon of salsa. Optionally, top with 1 teaspoon crab meat. Garnish with a pinch of green onions.

Makes 3 cups soup (enough to fill 12 verrines or 4 large bowls).

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