This week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe, Corn Soup, is decidedly un-French. In fact, living in europe I am reminded at the end of every summer that corn is not a native crop when I go to my local produce stand to try to buy some. Right now I would venture to guess that many farmers markets in the US are overflowing with corn. Here in Frankfurt my local produce stand had exactly 4 ears yesterday when I stopped by. When I lived in Chicago I would sort through the corn at the market and pick out the nicest looking ears. Here in Frankfurt I am happy to buy those 4 lonely ears and be on my way; luckily for me, they looked very good.
Dorie’s recipe (published here in Bon Appetit magazine) is made with a traditional mirepoix, fresh corn, milk, and seasoned with fresh rosemary & thyme. At this stage you might be thinking that this is no different from a typical american corn chowder, but Dorie does throw in a few french twists. First, she suggests that the soup be pureed and even strained before serving (a step I lazily skipped), which is definitely unlike the chunky corn chowders I ate as a kid. Second, she garnishes her soup with the oh so french creme fraiche, a thick and creamy topping similar in taste to sour cream. .
But at the end of the day it is taste which matters and not point of origin. Whether american or french, Dorie’s corn soup is tasty and satisfying and it gets two thumbs up from voters in my household.
one expat's life 
Corn is everywhere right now in the States, so does it make you homesick to be where there are only 4 ears at the store? This one got thumbs up at my house too.
I’ve actually gotten used to the dearth of corn, so long as I can still find it at least. What makes me homesick is when Thanksgiving rolls around and I have to go on a treasure hunt for fresh cranberries.
There is so much corn around here, it is odd to think that other places would not have it. Glad you were able to find four! (And that you enjoyed your soup)
Glad you found some corn! and your unblended soup looks very tasty. I would only have taken that step with the immersion blender: regular blenders and food processors too messy and time consuming pots of soup.
Oh if only you were in England! They grow (only) sweetcorn here and its available all the time! The roads around the sweetcorn farms are literally littered with ears of corn that have fallen off trucks or were discarded by the pickers…. 🙂 Glad you liked your soup too!
Wish they would share some of it with those of us on the continent, but it seems that the only ones around here who even notice are the expats.
In the year that I lived in France I didn’t eat corn once. I never even saw it at the grocery store! Mind you, that was a while ago, and I did live in the country, but I’m glad that you were able to find fresh corn, and I’m glad you enjoyed the soup!
I wish I had picked up some creme fraiche to try with this recipe. Your soup looks lovely!
I was so excited to find crème fraîche in my local supermarket this week! Was the perfect touch to this soup!
I shall add a dollop of creme fraiche on the soup the next time I make this soup again. Your soup looks good. My first time making this soup so I kept to the basic 🙂
Your soup looks delicious, and I like the swoop on your creme fraiche.
Thanks! I wish I could claim credit, but that was just how it fell.
I really like your photo! Looks so inviting!
I skipped the straining bit too, I like a bit of body in corn soup.
Your soup looks lovely against all that white. I bought creme fraiche at the supermarket for one of Dorie’s other recipes, and refuse to buy it again. It was a nasty, solid, rubbery brick, and I truly doubt it bears any resemblance to “real” creme fraiche, as it was nothing like Dorie’s description of it. It would never have swooped so nicely on top of the soup as yours did, so that just convinces me more that it was a bad version of it.
I would agree that you somehow got a bad batch of creme fraiche. The brand I buy here is thick but still creamy, somewhere between the consistency of sour cream and mascarpone cheese.
But to be honest, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I think sour cream is usually a safe substitute and I will sometimes use sour cream even when the recipe calls for creme fraiche just because creme fraiche is a bit of a calorie bomb. Not that sour cream is light, but at least it’s lighter.
Enjoyed your post. We use corn so often and in so many ways it is easy to forget that it is not that way everywhere. I left my soup chunky so it is fun to see the smoother version.
I didn’t bother straining it either. My husband wished I hadn’t pureed the whole thing with the immersion blender, but I liked it like that. I used sour cream but am curious about Dorie’s creme fraiche substitute. Maybe next time!
Your soup looks refreshing and light. It is still too hot for soup, in my opinion, but we politely gobbled this one down.
Your soup looks lovely! I forgot to pick up the creme fraiche when I went to the market, so I used sour cream and it was fine! Glad you enjoyed your soup!
Your soup looks very elegant! I didn’t strain mine either – thought it gives it more character.
I’m glad I was in good company not pureeing my soup. I’m also happy you could find those 4 ears to make this lovely dish~
I love my corn soup on the chunky side;-) I wish I could send you some corn-it’s overflowing at our market this week! I’m glad you enjoyed your soup.
Corn is everywhere you look here right now, so I can’t imagine only finding 4 ears of corn. I’m glad you were lucky enough to get them. Your soup looks delicious. Usually I keep my soup chunky, but I decided to puree it and we loved it that way. Next time though I would like to try it chunky. I hope you have a lovely weekend.
I tossed the soup in the Vitamix, I agree that running it through a strainer is a little too fussy for me…good stuff, though. Glad you found some corn to work with!
I’m glad you were able to find some corn – at this time of year, I can’t imagine being without it. I love your photo, it’s just perfect.