Crab and Roasted corn chowder

Sometimes, a soup recipe just practically creates itself when you have the right ingredients on hand! At the market yesterday, they were running a special on fresh crabmeat, so I  bought a tin of it thinking that it would make a lovely appetizer for the holidays.  Several of our friends were joining us for cocktails, and it was just beginning to snow, so suddenly, a crabmeat bisque seemed very appealing. Accompany this soup with good champagne, a simple salad, crusty bread  and a roaring fire!

You'll need,

I large can of good chicken broth

1 16 ounce tin of lump crabmeat

1 pint of half and half

chopped garlic (about 2 tablespoons)

1/2 a stick of butter

Enough flour to create a roux

1 can of creamed  corn

1 bag of frozen roasted corn (Trader Joes is the best!)

4 tablespoons of red pepper tapenade

Salt and Pepper to taste

A splash  or two of Tiger Sauce

Cayenne Pepper to taste

One tablespoon of dried dill

Shredded Asiago cheese

Melt the butter in a soup pan and add the garlic. Saute the garlic for about 2 minutes and stir in the flour , creating a basic roux. When the flour has absorbed all of the butter and garlic let it cook for 1 minute and add the chicken broth and creamed corn. Bring the mixture to a simmer and add the half and half, crabmeat, roasted corn and red pepper tapenade . Then, just let the whole mixture simmer for about 1/2 hour. It gets better when it cooks longer, but watch to make sure that the bottom of the pot doesn't begin to burn! If I'd had some madeira wine, I would have thrown in about 1/4 of a cup for the added flavor! Add the salt and pepper, cayenne and Tiger sauce to taste and stir in the dill. Top it off with a sprinkling of Asiago cheese on each serving, and that's all there is to it! If you didn't have fresh crabmeat, anduille sausage would be a wonderful substitution, adding a lovely cajun flavor!