Summer Corn Chowder with fresh herbs

This delicate but flavorful soup is perfect on a summer evening served with a salad, served warm, room temp or cold. As an added flavor, you can grill the corn slightly to give it some color and carmelization before adding it to the pot.

Serves: 4 people Total time: 45 minutes

• 4 T unsalted butter
• 1 large leek, thinly chopped
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 6 ears of fresh corn (white or yellow)
• 1 1/4 t kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 T finely chopped fresh basil
• 1 1/2 t finely chopped fresh thyme
• Dash of nutmeg

1. Remove the husks and silks from the corn. Set one ear aside. Use a knife to cut the kernals off of the remaining 5 cobs, then break the scraped cobs in half. Set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the chopped leek and cook, stirring often, until soft and translucent, 8-10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, corn kernals, broken cobs, whole ear of corn, salt and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove the whole ear of corn and set aside to cool. Cook the soup for 10 minutes more, then remove the broken cobs from the pot and discard.
3. Add the herbs and a dash of nutmeg to the pot.
4. Using a blender or processor, puree the soup until very smooth – take your time. Alternatively, you can use a hand held immersion blender but you want to make sure the result is smooth and not gritty.
5. Return the soup to the pot and, if too thin, cook over medium heat until thickened. If too thick, add some more chicken broth.
6. To finish, use a knife to cut the kernals off of the remaining whole cob and add the kernals to the soup.
7. To serve, add a dash of nutmeg and a few sprigs of herbs as garnish.

Enjoy this wonderful summer soup, especially if you are fortunate enough to grow your own corn.

This recipe is inspired by Once Upon A Chip by Jenn Segal