Rick Bayless is chef of Frontera Grill and Topolobampo in Chicago, creator of Frontera gourmet foods, cookbook author and host of Mexico - One Plate at a Time.

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RICKMAIL - sign up for our email list From the Kitchen of Chef Rick Bayless

Recipes from the Test Kitchen - Starters, Soups & Salads

Corn and Avocado Soup

Corn and Avocado Soup

 Serves 6 to 8

As soon as the weather gets hot in the summer, I start craving fresh corn.  I add it to salads, vegetable dishes, eat it straight from the cob and this month, I transformed it into a delicious cold soup.  You can prepare the corn/chayote garnish and crema mixture a day ahead.   If you chill all the soup ingredients early in the day, you can blend up the soup and serve it in under 5 minutes.   Using the prepared corn soup as your base is another time-saving step.  There are several companies that make this soup, it's sold in a box and you'll find it in the soup aisle.

Ingredients

2 ears fresh corn, kernels cut from the cob (2 cups)
1 chayote, peeled, seeded, and cut into small dice (1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
2 avocados (approximately 1 pound) peeled, pit discarded, and cut into large chunks
1 serrano
1 knob or spring onion (white part only) quartered
1/4 cup fresh lime juice + 1 1/2 teaspoons (divided use)
2 3/4 cups sweet corn soup (we like the Imagine brand)
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup crema or sour cream
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

Directions

1.  In a large non-stick skillet, heat the oil over medium high.  Scoop the corn and chayote into the pan along with 1 teaspoon salt.  Saute until lightly brown, stirring occastionally, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the pan, cool and refrigerate.  This step can be done up to 1 day ahead.

2.  In a blender or food processor, add the avocado, chile, onion, 1/4 cup lime juice, corn soup, milk and 1 teaspoon salt.  Process until smooth.  Depending on the size of your machine, you may need to process the soup in two batches.  Pour the soup into a large bowl or pitcher, cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.  If you're short on time, you can place this bowl over an ice bath to chill it down faster.

3.   Pour the crema or sour cream into a small bowl and stir in remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice, cilantro and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. It will hold for up to 1 day.

4.   When you're ready to serve, pour the soup into individual bowls, top with the corn/chayote mixture and drizzle on the cilantro cream.

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