Some of the greatest cheeses in the world are made in Vermont. At last count, Vermont is home to more than 40 cheese makers making 150 varieties. That adds up to more cheese makers per capita than any state. It’s not hard to see why I often think of adding cheese to what I’m cooking. The earthy flavors of goat cheese is a natural companion to fresh garden vegetables. In this colorful soup I used fresh goat cheese (chèvre) from Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery in Websterville, Vermont. It is equally good slathered on sourdough bread, as well as melting quickly and easily into the body of soups and sauces.

 Ingredients for 6 servings
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp unsalted butter (30 g)
2 cups chicken stock (475 mL)
3 cups pureed tomatoes (750 g)
2 ears corn to yield 2 cups kernels (300 g)
1/2 cup heavy cream (120  mL)
4 oz goat cheese (chèvre), crumbled (115 g)
Salt to taste
Few grinds black pepper
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (15 mL)
Chopped fresh dill for garnish

Melt the butter over low heat in a saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and tomato purée. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat. If you have an immersion blender, purée the soup in the pot until smooth. Otherwise, pour the soup into a blender to purée, and run until smooth. If your blender is small do this in batches. Remember to pulse the blender in the beginning to get the hot liquid moving before turning the blender to puree. Hot liquids expand when aerated and will blow the top off the blender unless you pulse it first. Return the soup to the pot.

Cut the kernels from the 2 ears of corn. You can use fresh raw corn, or leftover ears that have already been cooked. There is a gadget for removing corn kernels, but it doesn’t work as well as a sharp knife (see photo). Add the corn to the soup, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream and parsley, stir to combine, and then stir in the crumbled goat cheese until smooth.

It’s easiest to use a whisk to incorporate the cheese. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle with chopped fresh dill. Serve with crusty sourdough bread.