CORN SOUFFLÉ

Makes 4 servings 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 2 large ears fresh corn ¼ poblano chile pepper 2 ounces Gruyère cheese 3 large eggs ½ cup half-and-half ½ teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 10 stems fresh chives Preparation: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Use the butter to grease the ramekins. Place them on a baking sheet.

Discard the husks and all silk of the corn. Use a sharp knife to cut the kernels off the cobs; reserve the cobs for making broth, if desired. You should have 2½ to 3 cups of kernels, which you can transfer to a blender as you work.

Seed the poblano, then cut into small chunks and add to the blender. Cut the cheese into small chunks and add to the blender. Add the eggs, half-and-half, salt and pepper. Purée for about a minute, or until smooth.

Meanwhile, mince the chives. Add three-quarters of them to the soufflé mixture and pulse just enough to incorporate.

Divide the soufflé mixture among the soufflé dishes. Scatter the remaining chives on top of each portion. Bake (middle rack, on the baking sheet) for 25 minutes, until puffed, golden brown on top and more set than jiggly. (If the dishes are different sizes, you may need to pull the smaller ones out after 20 minutes.)

Serve right away, in the soufflé dishes.

Serve with sautéed, minted snap peas or a colorful tomato salad.

Easy ways to add heft to the soufflé include an afteroven topping of fresh crabmeat, smoked mussels or steamed shrimp, or matchsticks of dressed jicama.

Adapted from Jacques Pepin’s Heart and Soul in the Kitchen (Rux Martin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015).

Nutrition Per serving: 260 calories, 13 g protein, 20 g carbohydrates, 16 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 180 mg cholesterol, 330 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber, 4 g sugar