Crème de Maïs, otherwise Washington

Crème de Maïs, dite Washington (cream of corn soup, called Washington) teaches a precise lesson: silk comes from passing, not from pouring in more cream. Corn skins remain rough after blending; the sieve is what turns sweet maize and Béchamel into a true crème.

The original entry assumed a saucier with thin Béchamel ready and a tammy waiting on the bench. Here the brigade batch is brought down to about two quarts, the Béchamel is made fresh in a saucepan, and an immersion blender with a sturdy fine-mesh sieve replaces the tammy. The gallons and dedicated hands were scaffolding. Equal measures of corn and Béchamel, the passing, the last-minute cream, and the whole-kernel garnish are the dish, so they remain exactly where they belong. One cook, one stove, one evening.

Expect a pale butter-gold soup, sweet but not sugary, with cream rounding the corn rather than hiding it. When you reach the sieve, take your time; the pressure of the ladle against that mesh decides the soup.