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Creamy Corn Soup with Bacon and Cheddar Crostini

Posted by Jenn Smith, November 13, 2007 at 4:20 PM

Ed introduced the concept of an assisted Thanksgiving with yesterday's confession of a semi-homemade holiday, and I say, why stop with the big classics of stuffing, sweet potatoes and pie? Nancy Silverton's A Twist of the Wrist collects ideas that rely on high-quality ingredients that come in "jars, cans, bags and boxes", resulting in tasty dishes in 30 minutes or fewer. Start your elaborate Thanksgiving dinner with a simple bowl of soup, made elegant and smoky with a garnish of bacon.

Creamy Corn Soup with Bacon and Cheddar Crostini

Serves 4

Ingredients

8 1/2-inch-thick slices from a baguette or 2 slices from a large round rustic white loaf, cut in half)
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing the bread
4 strips thick-cut applewood smoked bacon
2 ounces aged white Cheddar, grated (about 1/2 cup)
20 fresh chives
2 1-quart boxes pureed corn soup
High-quality extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Procedure

1. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 °. Place the bread slices on a baking sheet, brush the tops with olive oil and bake them for 15 to 20 minutes, until they're lightly toasted and golden brown. (You can also toast the bread in a toaster, but without the oil. Then brush the toast with oil after they're done.)

2. While the bread is toasting, place the bacon on a separate baking sheet and cook in the oven until it's done but still chewy, not crisp, 17 to 22 minutes, depending on the thickness of the slices. Remove the bacon from the oven and transfer it to paper towels to drain. (Or if you want to avoid washing a second baking sheet, put the bread on half of the baking sheet, line the other half with foil, and put the bacon on it; cook the bread and bacon together. Remove the baking sheet from the oven when the bacon is done. Remove the foil and bacon from the baking sheet and return the baking sheet to the oven to finish toasting the bread.)

3. Rip each strip of bacon in four pieces and place on a piece of toast, arranging them so the ends hang over the edges of the toast. Cover the toast with an uneven layer of the Cheddar cheese, allowing the edges of the toast to show through. Repeat for the remaining crostini.

4. Place the crostini on a clean baking sheet and bake them for 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese melts. Remove the crostini from the oven and use scissors to snip about 1 teaspoon of chives over each.

5. Meanwhile, heat the soup in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally to keep it from scorching, until it comes to a low boil.

6. Divide the soup evenly among four large soup plates or bowls, filling them to just below the rim. Place the crostini on top of the soup and drizzle high quality olive oil around the crostini.

1 Comment | Tags: soups, Thanksgiving