Q: A friend and I had dinner last night at Pistache French Bistro. The soup of the day was corn bisque. It was absolutely delicious. It was so smooth and tasty. There was a “garnish” on top which really put that extra wow in the soup. Would appreciate it if you could get the recipe from the chef. Definitely a soup that I would like to make at home. Always enjoy your Tip of the Week and, of course, the recipes that folks request. — Joan Terry, Boynton Beach
A: This request comes on the heels of the 18th annual Sweet Corn Fiesta, which took place last month at the South Florida Fairgrounds in West Palm Beach. The event celebrates the local crop grown in the rich, black soil of the Glades region. In keeping with the locals and peak season, the corn bisque recipe comes from Chef de cuisine Isaac Cerny of Pistache French Bistro (101 N. Clematis St., West Palm Beach; 561-833-5090; pistachewpb.com).
The downtown West Palm Beach culinary anchor, known for its renditions of French classics, just celebrated a 10-year anniversary. The fete continues with enticing summer promotions rolling out. Take advantage of daily happy hour drink and small plate specials at the bar, all-you-can-eat mussels with the purchase of an entrée on “Moules Mondays,” and discounted wine and cocktails all night during “Tipsy Tuesdays.” Looking ahead, the anticipated annual culinary tour, Tour du Monde, kicks off May 26 and runs throughout the summer — highlighting global cuisines from Cuba, Russia, Mexico, Morocco and Spain, among others. Check the website for specific offerings.
Cerny has been the top toque at Pistache since 2011, and has been finessing his bisque recipe for even longer. His bisque is featured as a soup of the day and not as a regular menu item, so call ahead to check availability.
“The garnishes have changed over the years, but the body of the recipe is the same,” he said. “Our soup du jour is seasonal and the corn from Florida now is nice and sweet. Since it’s getting hotter outside, I cut back on butter and cream. so it’s not super heavy.”
Although the recipe yields a generous home cook amount, I chose not to scale it back. In doing so, it would have created all kinds of craziness, like half an onion and half a leek. If desired, feel free to cut ingredients in half or, better yet, share half the batch with a friend or neighbor. That random act of kindness will feed your soul, too.
Get recipes in your inbox. Sign up at “
Pistache French Bistro’s Sweet corn bisque
4 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
1 white onion, cut into small dice
1 leek, washed and cut into small dice
1 large shallot, cut into small dice
2 carrots, peeled and cut into small dice
2 celery stalks, washed and cut into small dice
4 garlic cloves, smashed
16 ears of corn, kernels cut off the cob
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked from stem
1 teaspoon Espelette pepper
2 quarts chicken stock
1 pint heavy cream
Kosher salt and fresh ground white pepper, to taste
Optional for garnish:
Grilled corn kernels
Piquillo pepper, diced
Micro basil
Basil oil
1 In a large sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, leek, shallot, carrot, celery, garlic and 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Sweat until onions are translucent in color.
2 Add the corn, Espelette pepper and thyme and cook for two more minutes or until fragrant.
3 Add the chicken stock and heavy cream, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for one hour or until the vegetables are soft.
4 Using a blender, combine all the ingredients in small batches and puree until smooth. Pass the finished soup through a fine mesh strainer to remove any pulp. Season with salt and white pepper, to taste.
5 To serve, rewarm soup over low heat and ladle into serving bowl. Optional for garnish: grilled corn, pepper and basil; drizzle with basil oil, if desired.
Makes about 1 gallon.
Nutrition information per 1 cup: 207 calories, 62% calories from fat, 14g fat, 9g saturated fat, 43mg cholesterol, 17g carbohydrates, 4g total sugar, 0g added sugar, 4g protein, 349mg sodium, 2g fiber
See more of Claire Perez’s recipes for your favorite dishes “
@font-face {
font-family: Georgia,Arial,sans-serif;
font-weight:normal;
font-style:normal;
}
.galleries:after {
content: ”;
display: block;
background-color: #D80000;
margin: 16px auto 0;
height: 5px;
width: 100px;
}
.galleries:before {
content: “Cooking Videos”;
display: block;
font: 700 23px/25px Georgia,Arial,sans-serif;
text-align: center;
color: #1e1e1e;
}
#subscribe-box {
background: #2E4254;
padding: 25px;
margin-bottom: 20px;
position: relative;
height: 300px;
}
#subscribe-box .inner {
position: absolute;
width: 80%;
left: 50%;
top: 50%;
transform: translate(-50%, -50%);
}
#subscribe-box a {
text-decoration: none;
}
#subscribe-box p {
color: #fff;
font: 300 16px/20px Arial,sans-serif;
}
#subscribe-box p.prompt {
font: 300 18px/22px Arial,sans-serif;
}
#subscribe-box p.title {
font-size: 30px;
font: 700 23px/25px Georgia,Arial,sans-serif;
}
#subscribe-box .link {
width: 150px;
background: #FF5443;
border-radius: 6px;
}
#subscribe-box .link p {
padding: 15px;
font-size: 18px;
font-weight: bold;
color: #fff;
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
text-align: center;
}
@media (max-width: 600px){
.desktop-text {
display: none;
}
}
.ss-blurb-fblike{
padding-left:10px;
}
.ss-blurb-fblike-heading {
font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;
font-weight: bold;
}
Like us on Facebook
(function(d, s, id) {
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = “//
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));
