Spicy Corn Soup with Poblano Chiles and Cream

Poblano chiles vary in heat. Be sure your guests are game for adventure before making this because the recipe title says it all: It's spicy. The pomegranate seeds, used at the end for garnish, give the soup a great look and add a hint of sourness. If pomegranates are not in season, use cilantro leaves, which are pretty, too, but don't create the same "buzz" that the seeds do.

This soup can, and should, be made year-round, with local fresh corn in the summer and frozen kernels at other times. Ideally, buy corn that has been picked the same day and start the soup when you get home from the farmstand or farmer's market. Which is to say, if the only "fresh" corn available to you is shucked and prewrapped, think twice about buying it.