Corn Chowder

I know we are supposed to be somber during the 9 days and that is supposed to be reflected in part by our refraining from meat but honestly, I kind of look forward to the challenge of coming up with great dairy dishes every year. First up is this delectable corn chowder. I have always been intrigued by chowder which is a sort of soup/stew that is thickened with cream and is often based on seafood but I can't explain why-it has just always appealed to me. Ever since I have gotten to America this summer I have been eating absolutely sugar sweet fresh corn every week. The corn is so good that it is even delicious eaten raw and I can't get enough of it. Apparently, however, the recent heatwave that has me mercilessly melting is effecting the corn crop and it will soon be expensive and scarce. On that happy note, I realized I had to get all my corn projects in quickly and this came first. I am not joking when I say I made this hot, thick soup on the hottest day of the summer so far but I had it in my head to make it and I was not to be cowed by the sweltering heat. The truth is that the chowder was really delicious, subtly sweet from the corn and just super fresh and creamy tasting but I could have done without the sweat pouring down my face as I ate it. As good as it tasted fresh from the pot, the corn flavor actually got more intense when I ate some later after it had cooled for a while so I recommend making this delicious chowder a little in advance and then reheating it. Enjoy on a cool day :)!

3 Tbl butter

1 Tbl olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 stalks celery,chopped

1 large carrot, diced

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 cup flour

8 cups vegetable stock

1 bay leaf

3 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced small

8 ears of corn, kernels removed (save the cobs)

2 1/2 cups half and half ( you can also use whole milk if need be)

salt and pepper

In a soup pot heat the butter and oil. Saute the onion, garlic, celery, thyme and carrot in the the butter until translucent and season with salt and pepper. Add the flour and saute another minute to cook the flour out. Add the stock, bay leaf, diced potatoes and cobs of corn, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cook for 15 minutes to develop good corn flavor and to break down the potatoes and then add the half and half and corn kernels. Bring to a boil again and then cook on medium flame for another 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, check to see if it needs more salt and pepper and serve!