The loveliest corn chowder.

Last week we walked to a nearby greenhouse/market and came home with 8 lbs of freshly picked Honeycrisp apples (which were promptly eaten and turned into pie), and 5 ears of corn.  I had a bag of small potatoes leftover from our last CSA pick up and decided to make a corn chowder.  This is the perfect farewell to summer/welcome to fall soup. 

5 ears corn, kernels cut off
7 or 8 small red potatoes, peeled and chopped or diced
1 small yellow onion, chopped or diced
1 to 2 T olive oil
Water
Whole milk, evaporated milk, half and half, or cream
1 to 3 t Chicken Better Than Bullion
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 huge and perfectly ripe heirloom tomato

Heat olive oil in a soup pot and saute onion with a bit of salt until tender.  Add potatoes, bullion, and just cover with water and cook until potatoes are just tender.  Add corn kernels and enough milk to give some creaminess and simmer until corn is warmed through.  Remove a ladleful or two and puree in blender, then add back to soup.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve soup topped with diced tomato.  This just might be heaven in a bowl.

Honey Caramel Cardamom Pears

I need to get one of the cookbooks I used from the library (or buy myself a copy) before I can post Peter and Heather's wedding cake recipe.  So sorry for the delay. 

In the meantime, get some pears and make these.  Be sure to use the hazlenuts, all of the flavors work together perfectly.

You don't have to pay attention to the temperature.  We kept our caramel at a low boil (not a simmer) and used the cold water test to gauge when it had reached soft ball stage.  Just drop some caramel in a cup of ice cold water and if you can roll it into a ball with your fingers you are at the right temperature.  Let the caramel cool before dipping your pears or it will slide off, make sure you used chilled pears, and after dippin roll in the crushed and toasted hazlenuts.  Happy fall.