Corn Chowder
Since corn is available all year long, you can make this delicious recipe whenever the weather is a little chilly. Although frozen corn can be used as a substitute, it is worth getting fresh corn since the cob is really the star here, creating a delicious broth. This would be a great reason to make a batch of oyster crackers. I love to serve thick soups like this in oversized mugs. The pottery from Margie Grodsky Pottery is beautiful and organic. Shop small business!
Tips:
Always use wine that you would drink. It imparts a lot of flavor. If you don’t want to use wine, deglaze the pan with water or stock.
If you’d like a lower-fat version, eliminate the cream. The chowder won’t have the same thickness, but the flavors will be great.
If you are short on time you can absolutely skip making your stock and use 5 cups of chicken stock.
Corn Chowder
Serves 8
PREP 20 minutes
COOK 1 hour
INGREDIENTS
8 ears of corn
Parmesan rind
4 ounces mushrooms, cut into ¼-inch pieces
2 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup dry white wine
4 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled, cut into ½-inch pieces ( about 2 medium potatoes)
1 medium onion, small dice
2 carrots, small dice
2 ribs celery, small dice
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
Chopped parsley and oyster crackers (for serving)
INSTRUCTION
Cut kernels from cobs and place in a large bowl. You can watch a video on cutting the kernels from the cob here.
In a medium pot, over medium-high heat, place the corn cobs, parmesan rind, thyme, bay leaf, 2 teaspoons of salt and 8 cups of water. Bring that mixture to a boil, then simmer until you reduce the liquid by half. It should be very fragrant. Strain the broth through a sieve and discard all the solids.
While that cooks, heat 4 tablespoons of butter in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the kernels and season with salt and pepper. Sauté the corn until tender and caramelized, about 15 minutes. Remove 1/2 cup of the corn for garnish and place the rest in a large bowl.
In that same heavy pot, add your wine and scrap up all those caramelized pieces of corn on the bottom. This is good stuff! Check out the video below to see how it’s done. Cook for a few minutes until it is reduced slightly and the alcohol is cooked off. Add to large bowl.
Again in that same heavy pot add 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the bacon and cook until all the fat is rendered and the bacon is golden brown, about 5 minutes.
Add the potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, garlic and mushrooms. Season with salt. Cook until the vegetables have softened, about 15 minutes.
Add the flour and stir for about a minute, browning the flour. Add that cob broth and bring the soup to a boil. The broth will deglaze that pan once again, so make sure you are scrapping the bottom of your pot with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the vegetables are tender. Check those potatoes! About 15 minutes.
If you have an immersion blender use that to puree the soup a little. You can also add half the soup to a blender to puree. Just allow the soup to cool before doing this so you don’t have an explosion. Add that puree back to pot and continue on. I like to keep it chunky, so I just pulse it a bit to break down some of those potatoes and make the soup creamy. If you want a low-fat version add the sautéed corn and bacon and enjoy.
Add the cream and sautéed corn mixture and bring to a simmer again. Stir until the chowder has thickened, about 5 minutes.
Remove soup from heat and distribute into bowls or mugs.
Top with reserved corn, fresh parsley and oyster crackers.