Corn & Crab Soup

Is anyone besides me looking forward to fall? The cool crisp air, the fiery colors, the deep blue sky...fall is my favorite time of year. I anticipation of cooler weather, I was in the mood to make soup; I love to make soup. We're going to step outside of the box just a little which means we're not cooking chicken or vegetable soup. I have a yen for a Cajun soup. Ok, who's ready to learn to cook Cajun?

Crab and Corn Soup -

First you make a a roux - ¾ cup all purpose flour, ¼ cup canola oil, ¼ stick salted butter. Combine a frying pan over medium-high heat.

Continuously whisk/stir the mixture until it turns a shiny medium brown (the color of peanut butter). Smell the wonderful aroma, smells kind of nutty. Just be careful not let it burn! If necessary, add more flour to the pan as needed to stiffen up the mix. You're a Cajun; you just made the roux! Take it off the burner and set aside and let it rest for a few minutes to cool down.

Use a sharp knife, slice 8 ears of fresh corn (do not use canned or frozen corn) corn kernels off the cob. . .hang on to the cobs! A special thanks to my husband, he's our hand model for the corn portion of this recipe.

To get this soup to turn out rich and creamy, go back and scrape each corncob with a tablespoon to extract the residual “corn milk.” Then set both the kernels and the “milk” aside for a while in a bowl.

Start by placing a large non-stick Dutch oven on the stove and sautéing 1 medium onion finely chopped, 1 green pepper finely chopped, 4 cloves of minced garlic, 1 rib of celery finely chopped, and 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley in 1/4 cup oil. Aren't the colors gorgeous?

When when the veggies are fully wilted and softened, pour in 1 box (32 oz.) low-sodium chicken stock and stir in 1 (16 oz.) can of stewed tomatoes and the corn.

Bring the contents of the pot up to a “slow bubble.”

At this point that whisk in the roux and let the soup slightly thicken over a low heat (this should take only about 15 to 20 minutes).

Occasionally stir the pot as the roux incorporates to keep it from settling to the bottom and scorching. When the soup reaches the consistency you like, drop in the containers (8 or 16 ozs. each - you need 2 lbs.) of crab meat (you can use claw meat or a combination of both).

Add 1 teaspoon granulated or 1 capful of liquid crab boil (I recommend Zatarain's), 1/2 tablespoon, 1/2 tablespoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper OR

1-1/2 tablespoons Zatarains' Creole Seasoning, and 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce.

With the heat still on low, cover the pot and simmer the soup gently for about another 20 minutes. When you’re ready to eat, quickly stir in 1/4 cup of Half-N-Half to bring all the flavors together.

Serve with some hot buttered French bread because this is pure dining pleasure! Now we're ready for fall.

Note: Be careful not to over-season the soup. The best way to do this is to taste the cooking mixture before adding the cayenne, you break this up by adding a little at a time.