5 Ingredients or Fewer

Chilled Corn & Pistachio Soup

by:
August  6, 2018
4.5
2 Ratings
Chilled Corn & Pistachio Soup
Photo by Julia Gartland
  • Prep time 4 hours 30 minutes
  • Cook time 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Serves 4 to 6
Author Notes

This recipe is featured in the story, 4 Light, Bright Chilled Soups for Sizzling-Hot Summer Days, sponsored by Milk Life.

This silky soup gets its sweetness from ripe summer corn simmered in creamy organic milk and its savory nuttiness from pistachios, which soften and mellow during cooking. For even more fresh corn flavor, add in some of the cleaned cobs during simmering to help thicken the milk with natural starches and sugars. —Judy Haubert

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 6 ears corn, shucked
  • 6 cups whole organic dairy milk, plus more as needed
  • 6 ounces shelled, roasted pistachios, plus more roughly chopped for garnish (optional)
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons minced chives, for garnish (optional)
Directions
  1. Cut the kernels off the cobs into a large saucepan; using the edge of your knife, scrape the liquid and pulp from the cobs into the pan. Break 3 of the cobs in half and add them to the pan with the kernels.
  2. Add the milk, pistachios, onion, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, keeping an eye on the pan to make sure the milk doesn’t boil over, and cook until the pistachios are tender and the milk is reduced to just below the level of the corn mixture, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard the 6 pieces of cob. Let cool 30 minutes or to room temperature.
  3. Working in batches, purée the soup until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, pressing on and discarding the solids.
  4. Season soup with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight. Stir well and thin with additional milk to your desired consistency, if needed. Ladle soup into individual bowls and garnish with chives and extra pistachios if you like.
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3 Reviews

kauffw
kauffw August 21, 2022
Enjoyed this! Found that the flavor of both the pistachio and also the corn came through quite while. You are initially hit with the rich nutty flavor but the sweet corn finish is what you are left with as a finisher.
 
What W.
What W. August 28, 2018
So curious about this soup! I love the idea of corn and pistachios. Does the fresh corn flavor get lost with 45-50 minutes of simmering? I wonder if you could just cook the cobs with the milk and other ingredients and add the fresh kernels for the last 5-10 minutes or so. I also wonder if you could make this vegan by using a nut milk versus a whole milk (although maybe that cooking time wouldn't work), or using vegetable broth and then adding richness with cashew cream or something along those lines at the end. We cook for a ton of vegans so we'll experiment and keep you posted!
 
Susan S.
Susan S. August 16, 2019
Yes, I would like to know if almond milk could be used in place of whole milk.