When I got the confirmation call, the day before our trip, I chatted up the caller and he promised us a very special table. He gave us a raised corner booth, which gave us an excellent overview of the open kitchen and was perfectly positioned for people watching. One of the dishes we enjoyed was a disarmingly simple pure fresh corn creamed soup with a heavy cream foam and droplets of melted butter floating on top. It was like eating a fresh ear of corn, loaded with butter, floating in a bowl. When I could get some really fresh corn, I tried to duplicate this soup and Taylor says I nailed it.
Put the butter and olive oil in a large, heavy pot and add the leeks, celery, shallot and salt and slowly sauté without browning for about 15 minutes. Add the butter and flour and mix to make a roux and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the thyme, marjoram and pepper and sauté for another minute. Add the milk and the broth and stir until smooth.
Add the corn, bay leaf, bouillon paste and hot sauce and slowly simmer, covered, for 45 minutes, stirring often. Allow soup to cool and puree it in a blender, never filling the blender more than half full. Transfer the soup to a clean pot and re-heat and correct for salt and pepper.
If the corn you used was very sweet, the soup may also be excessively sweet. Balance the flavor by adding one tablespoon of white wine vinegar.
As with almost any soup, this tastes much better the second day. Makes about 2 quarts of soup.