Creamy Corn with Herbs

I usually have a hard time removing corn from its cob. When I see corn on the cob, I want to eat it in its full glory. Straight from the cob itself. Smothered in butter. And sometimes smothered in other things. I had an awkward teenage phase (I may still be awkward, but I'm comfortable with it now, so I don't really notice it) where I wore...dun, dun, dun, dun: BRACES.

Yup. Had some crooked teeth and a slight overbite, so the orthodontist happily dressing my mouth with some shiny hardware. With which I couldn't eat anything that was extra hard (like Corn Nuts, which happened to be incredibly popular when I had braces), or take bites from things like corn on the cob or melon from the rind (One summer I did eat ONE piece of watermelon off the rind and one of the brace thingys came off my tooth, so away to the orthodontist I went to have it re-applied. Definitely learned my lesson on that one). So, I spent three glorious summers removing my corn from its cob, and now I savor the fact that I can eat straight from the cob...

But this dish wouldn't have been quite right with frozen or canned corn and I have been trying to take advantage of more of the local seasonal produce. So, I got over myself and cut the corn off the cob. The fresh corn gave an amazing crispness to the dish that I don't think could have been obtained otherwise. You might be able to get away with a mix of fresh and frozen corn, but hey, if you're gonna be cutting corn off the cob anyways, you might as well do it all fresh :)

Creamy Corn with Herbs

3 Tbsp butter, divided
1/2 large yellow onion, finely diced
1/2 large red bell pepper, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1/2 tsp fresh thyme, minced
3 dashes cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup chicken broth
4 cups fresh corn kernels (approximately 5-6 ears of corn)
1 cup heavy cream
4 oz cream cheese, softened
Salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbsp chives, finely chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

In a large saucepan, melt 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add in onion, bell pepper, garlic, rosemary, and thyme. Cook until onion is translucent and herbs are fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Add in cayenne, lemon juice, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and reduce liquid by half, about 3 minutes. Add in corn and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. While the corn is cooking, in a small saucepan, add cream and cream cheese. Cook over medium heat, slowly whisking until cream cheese has been incorporated into the cream and there are no more lumps. Add cream cheese mixture to corn and stir to combine. Let simmer for a couple minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Stir in remaining 1 Tbsp butter, cheddar cheese and chives.

Source: Adapted from Food Republic