Corn and Crab Bisque

This corn and crab bisque is absolutely elegant and flavorful, and is the perfect soup for a dinner party. It it spicy and rich, and the mix of the sweet corn and crab flavors spiced with cayenne is reminiscent of the flavors of Cajun and Creole food. 

When I tasted this soup after making it, I pretty much jumped up and down. It was that good. 

The recipe is at the end of this post.  

I found this recipe in Around the World in 450 Recipes, a book I received from Emily, aka Yinzerella of Dinner is Served.

Emily thought I might like it because of my participation in Wok Wednesdays. How right on she was! Check out the cute note she sent me.

Her blog is fabulous and quirky, and she has a cat named Brian. Brian. Love that. She started her blog to cook through her gramsy's olive colored recipe box of Dinner is Served recipe cards. She's into vintage cooking, including cocktails. You've got me there Yinzerella! Thank you so much for sharing this cookbook.

I am participating in the Food Blogger Cookbook Swap, hosted by Alyssa of Everyday Maven and Faith of An Edible Mosaic. I sent a cookbook to a food blogger and received this cookbook in return! 

The last time they organized a swap, it was for food props. As you can see, my photos are pretty bare bones....

Participating in that swap was out of the question. It just wouldn't be a win-win. I seriously need to work on my food styling skills as well as my food prop collection. But cookbooks? Do I have an obsession with those! 

As a bread head, I was pretty excited to be matched with Joanne of Eats Well with Others (gorgeous photos on her site btw). She makes bread! She has a section in her recipe index for bread! I crossed my fingers and sent her a copy of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking. 

Corn and Crab Bisque

Ingredients

8 ears of corn

12 1/2 C cold water

3 bay leaves

1 tsp salt

1 T chicken demi glace, 2 packets of Swanson Flavor Boost, or chicken bouillon to taste

1 T concentrated vegetable bouillon
(in lieu of the bouillons, you can add crab or shrimp shells to the broth with the corn cobs)

2 T butter

2 T flour

1 1/2 C cream

12 ounces lump crab meat

8 scallions, thinly sliced

white pepper, cayenne pepper, hot sauce, and salt to taste

Instructions

1. Remove the husks and silk from the corn and discard.
2. Cut the kernels from the corn cobs and set aside. 
3. Place the stripped cobs in an 8 quart pot and cover with the water. Add the bay leaves, salt, and bouillons. 
4. Bring the pot to a boil, and boil for 30 minutes.
5. Remove the cobs and bay leaves from the pot, and discard. Boil hard for another 10 minutes to reduce. 
6. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and add the flour and stir over low heat until creamy and golden. Add about a cup of the corn broth to the pan and whisk until thickened. Add the flour mixture to the broth and bring to a boil. 
7. Add the corn and boil for about 5 to 10 minutes, to taste. 
8. Add the cream, crab, scallions, pepper, cayenne, hot sauce, and salt and simmer for another two minutes. 

Amazing!

This recipe has been inspired by Around the World in 450 Recipes.