John Fleer's Buttermilk Cornbread Soup

By lorik

A warming and delicious buttermilk soup topped with crumbled cornbread pieces. To reheat any leftover soup, be sure to rewarm it slowly over low heat to prevent the buttermilk from separating. It's also quite delicious served chilled.

Ingredients

• Peanut oil
• 1/3 cup leeks, chopped, white part only
• 1/3 cup celery, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 2 1/4 cups chicken broth, plus extra if needed to thin the soup
• 1/2 cup crumbled, day-old cornbread, plus extra for garnish
• 1 cup whole buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 30mins
Adapted from food52.com

Preparation

Step 1

Set a medium soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, and add enough peanut oil to coat the bottom. Add the leeks and celery, and reduce the heat to medium-low; sweat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables become lightly translucent without coloring. Add the garlic and cook for another minute; then add the chicken broth and cornbread. Bring to a low simmer, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Stir the buttermilk and heavy cream together in a large bowl. Very slowly add the hot soup to the milk mixture, stirring constantly, almost drizzling the soup in. Puree the soup in a blender or with an immersion blender until smooth. Taste, and season with salt and pepper as needed. If the soup is too thick for your liking, add a touch of extra chicken broth.

Return the soup to the pot and heat it very gently over low heat until it is hot. Serve with a little crumbled cornbread on top as a garnish.

To reheat any leftover soup, be sure to rewarm it slowly over low heat to prevent the buttermilk from separating. It's also quite delicious served chilled.