Creamy Corn Soup with Bacon and Gorgonzola Crostini

The tanginess of the sourdough crouton that tops this is the perfect contrast to the sweet corn soup.  I use a batard – a long white loaf about 3 inches diameter (much thicker than a baguette), because when sliced it makes a crostini that fits perfectly in a big bowl of soup.  If you can’t find a batard, a baguette will work fine, but because of the smaller size, you’ll want to put the croutons, side-by-side, on each bowl. 


8 1/2-inch-thick slices from a batard (or 16 slices from a baguette or 4 slices from a large round rustic loaf, cut in half)                           
Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing the bread, plus more for drizzling overplus more for drizzling over the sandwiches
8 strips thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon
4 ounces (about 1 cup) Gorgonzola, crumbled
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
4 1-quart boxes pureed corn soup
High-quality extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling


Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F.

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 are done. 

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.)

Rip the bacon in half and place the two halves on a piece of toast, arranging them so the ends hang over the edges of the toast.  (If you are using a baguette, rip the bacon into four pieces and proceed as above.)  Cover the toast with an uneven layer of the blue cheese, allowing the edges of the toast to show through. Repeat for the remaining crostini.

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 sprinkle some thyme leaves over each.

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.

Divide the soup evenly among eight 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.

Yields 8 servings.

Recipe compliments of Nancy Silverton.