A Soup for Fall!

Today was the first day we've had that felt like fall here in Denton, so I did what I always do when fall rolls around. I opened the windows and made soup, but today I gave up the old standby of vegetable beef soup. I tried out a new recipe I'd come across for a Roasted Corn and Crab Soup. The name doesn't really give justice to the delicious flavor that comes through in this soup. It is one of my new favorites, and will become a new standby on cool fall days (and the rest of the year)!

Roasted Corn and Crab Soup
14 oz. bag of steam-in-the-bag frozen whole kernel corn
2 large red onions, chopped
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
64 oz. (2 boxes) reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup half-and-half
4 ounces cooked crabmeat in bite-sized pieces (we bought pre-packaged, refrigerated crabmeat)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place corn in the microwave and cook on high for 2 minutes to thaw. Pour out onto paper towels, and dry corn thoroughly. Spray stone bar pan or tinfoil lined metal cookie sheet with cooking spray. Spread corn evenly onto the stone. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes and then stir. Bake approximately 10 minutes more until golden brown, stirring once or twice (it took mine about 8 additional minutes). Remove from oven and set aside.

In a stock pot, cook onions and peppers in oil over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until almost tender. Add roasted corn, 1 1/2 boxes broth, thyme, and red pepper. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In an old spaghetti or mason jar, combine remaining broth and the flour. Shake together well. Stir mixture into the soup. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2-3 minutes more. Stir in half-and-half, and heat until warmed through.

Ladle into soup bowls and divide crab meat among bowls.

If you plan to make this ahead, simply make as above without adding crabmeat. Refrigerate the soup, and reheat when ready to eat. After reheated, add crabmeat.