off the cobb

This summer, in all it's heavy heat and maddening humidity, arrived last week, officially. It's been a blur of busy work schedules, pet-sitting, and valiant efforts to cool off lately, and I keep meaning to write out the recipe for this tasty soup, but find myself, well, getting side-tracked repeatedly. But, when you have a minute, and say, 6 ears, of leftover sweet corn because you figured on a dozen ears for 6 guests, and for the first time ever, folks only ate 1 ear apiece, consider turning those leftovers into this smoky-sweet soup.
Roasted Corn Chowder
(adapted from the recipe for Roasted Corn Soup in, Fresh from the Farmers' Market)

Begin by striping the corn from the 6 ears of leftover boiled corn-on-the-cob. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, and place the kernels in a baking dish in the oven to roast for about 45 minutes, or until they begin to color and smell amazing. While the corn is roasting, cut 4 of the cobs in half and put them in a stockpot with 1 quart of cool water and 1 medium red potato (peeled and chunked). Bring this to a boil and simmer it until the corn has finished roasting or until the potato has cooked through. Dry roast 2 cloves of garlic, by placing them, whole, skin and all, into a hot, dry skillet over medium-high heat until they begin to char. When the corn has finished roasting and the garlic is soft, and charred on the outside, Place the corn and peeled garlic into a food processor and puree until smooth with the cooked potato (removed from the broth), adding the corn broth a bit at a time (remove and discard the cobs first), until you have used it all. Return the soup to a clean pot and add 1/2 cup of whole milk (or cream, if you like), and gently re-heat. Season the soup with salt and freshly ground pepper and serve it topped with a good sprinkle of smoked paprika and a few chopped chives.