Roasted Corn and Beer Chowder

On a hot grill, place 4 ears of shucked corn and the jalapeno. Cover the grill and let them cook until corn turns golden and brown in places. Turn over to ensure it is evenly grilled. Once corn has grilled and turned brown, remove corn and jalapeno from the grill. This will take about 15 minutes over high heat.

Immediately place jalapeno in a plastic bag and allow it to steam so it is easier to peel the skin away. This will take about 10 minutes.

Carefully remove corn kernels from the cob using a knife. Reserve 1/4 cup of kernels in small bowl to use as garnish for the finished chowder.

Slice the top off the jalapeno, and slice the jalapeno to open it up. Remove seeds and pith. Gently peel away the skin of the jalapeno and throw it away. Dice jalapeno.

In medium pot or large deep saucepan over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add in minced onion and simmer for 2 minutes. Add in garlic and allow it to become fragrant. Add in thyme, pepper and salt. Then pour in the chicken broth and beer. Then add the corn and diced jalapeno. Stir. Simmer rapidly for 5 minutes.

Using an immersion blender (or you can do this in batches in a full size blender), blend soup until a smooth consistency forms. If using a full size blender, blend on the lowest setting to make sure it doesn’t spurt out the top of the blender and burn you.

Add the blended chowder back into sauce pan and continue to simmer for 10 more minutes until it thickens.

Ladle into bowls and serve, garnishing it with reserved corn kernels and additional thyme if desired.