Corn and Roasted Poblano Soup

Instructions

Place the corn cobs, rosemary stems, thyme stems, peppercorns, and bay leaves in a large stockpot and cover with 1 gallon water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 30 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a gentle boil.

Remove the pot from the heat. When cool enough to handle, strain and discard the solids. You will have 12 to 13 cups of corn stock.

To roast the poblanos, turn the flame of a gas stovetop (or grill) to medium-high. Using tongs and an oven mitt, hold one pepper directly over the flame, turning until it is charred on all sides, about 15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining peppers. (Alternatively, you can roast the peppers under the oven broiler. Watch them carefully and turn with tongs as each side chars.)

Once the peppers are charred all the way around, carefully transfer them to a plastic bag or a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Allow them to sit for about 10 minutes. The resulting steam and heat will finish cooking the peppers and make the skin easier to peel.

When the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel off the blistered skin. Dice the peppers, discarding the seeds and stems.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet over medium heat, toast the cumin seeds, shaking the pan gently so that the seeds toast evenly and do not burn, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and, when cool enough to handle, grind in a spice grinder or coffee grinder, or with a mortar and pestle.

In a Dutch oven or wide heavy pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the bacon, if using, and cook, stirring often, until it starts to render and crisp, about 4 minutes.

Stir in the onion and garlic. Cover and cook until the onion becomes translucent, 3 to 5 minutes, reducing the heat if the garlic begins to brown. Add the corn kernels, cover, and cook for 5 minutes more.

Toss in the poblanos, rosemary leaves, and thyme leaves, and pour over enough corn stock to cover everything by 1/2 to 1 inch (12 to 24 mm). This should be between 8 and 10 cups. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring to a simmer. When the mixture simmers, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the corn is very soft, 10 to 15 minutes. TESTER TIP: Store any unused stock, covered, in the refrigerator. Use the stock to cook grits for breakfast the next morning.

Remove the pot from the heat and purée the soup with a hand-held immersion blender. (If you do not have an immersion blender, you can purée the soup in batches in a regular blender. When blending hot liquids, take care not to overfill the blender.)

Strain the puréed soup through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the tough corn skins. (If you don't have a mesh strainer, you can skip this step. The soup will taste just as good; it just won't be as smooth.)

Return the soup to the heat and add the cumin, salt, paprika, goat cheese, and cream. Stir until the cheese is melted and fully incorporated. Taste and adjust for seasonings as desired.

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro and a wedge of lime.

Soup