Cold Corn Soup with Pancetta, Lump Crab, and Ramp Oil
This chile pepper gets its name from its origin. In Spanish, serrano is an adjective meaning “from the mountains” which is where it originated-in the mountains of Hildalgo, Mexico. The serrano is normally about twice as hot as Jalapeno (about 10,000 to 15,000 Scoville units). It is the second most popular chile pepper in Mexico. This chile is used mostly for salsas but can also be used in soups, sauces, chili or stews. Try these as a hotter substitute for Jalapeno.
Ingredients:
Ramp oil
6 oz fresh lump crab
8 oz thinly sliced pancetta
6 ears of fresh sweet corn
4 tbsp butter
2 cups corn stock
1 cup heavy cream
1 Serrano chili
Salt
Ramp oil
8 ramps blanched and chilled
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
1. Place ramps and 1/4 cup olive oil in blender and puree until smooth adding more oil as necessary. Strain oil through a fine mesh sieve.
2. Cook pancetta in a cast iron pan in batches until golden brown and crispy. Reserve the cooked slices on a paper towel–lined plate.
3. Shuck the ears of corn and remove the kernels from the cob by running a sharp knife length-wise down all four sides of the cob. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan and add corn and a large pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, for five minutes.
4. Add the stock, stir, and cover the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
5. Roast the pepper by placing it directly on a medium flame on a gas burner or grill until all sides are black and charred. Place the pepper in a brown paper bag.
6. When the corn is ready, pour the contents of the saucepan into a blender and puree well. Strain the pureed corn through a mesh sieve to extract all the liquid. Stir the heavy cream into the corn soup.
7. Chill soup until ready to use. Peel black sides off Serrano and remove the seeds. Chop fine and garnish each small bowl with the crab meat, pancetta, and Serrano chili. Finish soup will a small amount of the ramp oil.
From atlantamagazine.com